## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH** 

# **ANNUAL REPORT AND** 

**STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

**COMPANY REGISTRATION No: 07886329 CHARITY REGISTRATION No: 1145615** 

Independent Examiners Ltd 2 Broadridge Business Centre Delling Lane Bosham 

West Sussex PO18 8NF 



# **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH** 

**(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **CONTENTS** 

**Page 3** Legal & Administrative Information. 

**Pages 4 to 12** Report of the Directors. 

**Page 13** Independent Examiner's Report on the Accounts. 

**Page 14** Statement of Financial Activities. 

**Page 15** Balance Sheet. 

**Pages 16 to 21** Notes to the Financial Statements. 

2 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH** 

**(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** 

**CHARITY NUMBER:** 1145615 **COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER:** 07886329 

**DATE OF INCORPORATION:** 19[th] December 2011 **START OF FINANCIAL YEAR:** 1st January 2022 **END OF FINANCIAL YEAR:** 31st December 2022 

**DIRECTORS:** Angie Farmer, Timothy Paul Spencer, Madeline Thomson, Jessica Livingstone, Martin Truss 

## **CHURCH LEADER** Linda Ward 

**GOVERNING DOCUMENT** Memorandum and Articles of Association Incorporated 19th December 2011. 

## **OBJECTS** 

To advance the Christian religion either in the United Kingdom or overseas and furtherance of that objective: 

a) The proclamation and furtherance of the Gospel of God concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord and the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. 

b) The organisation sponsorship and promotion of interdenominational Christian work throughout the United Kingdom and elsewhere the object of which of which shall be: 

i. To seek to present the Gospel to every creature by every means possible and lead men and women and children to saving faith by our Lord Jesus Christ and help and encourage them in the service of God. 

ii. To promote, organise and conduct meetings for this purpose. 

**WEBSITE** : www.blesscc.org 

## **REGISTERED ADDRESS AND PRINCIPAL OFFICE:** 

Grove Mews, 42 The Grove, Ealing, London, W5 5LH 

**BANKERS:** Barclays Bank plc, 53 The Broadway, Ealing, London, W5 5JS 

**INDEPENDENT EXAMINER:** Independent Examiners Ltd, 2 Broadbridge Business Centre, Delling Lane, Bosham, West Sussex 

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## **Bless Community Church** 

## **Annual Report of the Trustees 2022** 

## **Overview** 

Bless Community Church is a charismatic community church in West London and part of the Pioneer Network. The church has a vision to live up to its name and Bless our City. We encourage people to embrace the love shown through the person of Jesus and endeavour to equip people for Christian life in the 21st Century. 

We seek to follow Jesus by sharing the gospel, worshipping, serving, learning, and sharing life together. We are deeply involved in our local community, often taking a leading role in ecumenical inter-church activities and also within the Pioneer Network and Pioneer London Region. 

We meet in person at Christ the Saviour Church of England Primary School in the heart of Ealing but also have an online presence. For more information or to contact us go to www.blesscc.org. 

## **Structure, governance, and management** 

Bless Community Church (Bless) is a charitable company (no: 07886329) under memorandum and articles of association dated 23[rd ] October 2011 and a registered charity (no: 1145615). 

Trustees normally serve for three years after which they can put themselves forward for reappointment by the board of trustees for two further terms. New trustees are recruited from Bless members by interview. The induction and training of trustees is set out in the Trustee Agreement and will vary according to the needs of the individual trustee. In addition, training is provided for specific areas such as safeguarding, GDPR and other legal changes. We carry out biennial trustee reviews and provide in-house or external training as necessary. 

We delegate the day-to-day work of Bless to the staff led by the Church Leader and Leadership Team, assisted by a large number of church members acting in a voluntary capacity. We make decisions needed between the quarterly trustees’ meetings by extra meetings, usually telephone or Zoom conference calls. 

We are aware of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. We review the financial position at each meeting of trustees and take action accordingly. We continue to develop policies and procedures to manage risk and use risk map analysis for review and action, reviewing this annually. We updated our Safeguarding Policies in April 2021 alongside which we updated our Safeguarding Statement which can be found on our website https://blesscc.org/safeguarding. We reviewed this policy in April 2022. We also have a related Social Media policy with a statement, also on our website. https://blesscc.org/social-media-statement 

Bless is a part of the Pioneer Network and of the Evangelical Alliance. Bless also plays a significant role in the interdenominational activities of churches in West London both in leadership and through the service of Bless members. 

## **Public Benefit** 

The trustees consider that the work of the charity continues to comply with S4 of the Charities Act 2006. It Is considered that the following summary of our activities demonstrates their public benefit. 

We are a Christian Church that is part of and active in our local community. We hold meetings of worship, prayer, proclamation, encouragement and teaching about the good news of Jesus Christ both in person and online. We proclaim the gospel together with other churches. We provide training courses and special events. We run groups and activities for children, youth and adults both within the church and open to anyone in the community. We are actively involved in serving the community with other churches through Ealing Street 

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Pastors, the Churches’ Winter Night Shelters in Ealing, and Ealing Foodbank, youth work and through other local charities and organisations. We support the work of specific organisations, other churches and those working in line with our objects both locally and internationally. We support church members in short- and long-term Christian work overseas. Many visitors, both Christian and non-Christian, attend our church services and  events. All the activities described above, and others are carried out on an unpaid voluntary basis by our members with support from a team of part-time staff. We also encourage individual public service by our members which includes service on other charity boards, magistrates, school governors and prison workers. 

We ensure that the public can benefit not only from our community service activities but also by participating in our church services and many of our activities. Most of our activities are open to all irrespective of race, colour, origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability. A few are restricted by virtue of the subject matter or to specific groups as they provide training, for example for potential leaders or specific roles within the church. Accessibility to our activities includes physical accessibility and the use of accessible venues wherever possible. By meeting at ‘Christ the Saviour’ Church of England Primary School on Sundays we are visible to people who might not otherwise be aware of us and all visitors are warmly welcomed. By choosing to meet in the school we also contribute into the funds of the school through our rent. Most activities are free although we charge a nominal fee or the actual cost for a few activities, such as church weekends; however, we ensure that our activities are accessible to all wherever possible through subsidies. 

## **Objects and Activities** 

## **Objects** 

Our objects are to advance Christianity in the UK or overseas by proclaiming and furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ and promoting interdenominational Christian work. We seek to bless others of any or no faith and to live out Jesus’ command to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. 

## **Spiritual Leadership** 

Our Church Leader in 2022 - Linda Ward - continued to meet regularly with the leadership team, comprising of Ian Brown, Jacob Simpson and Tom Callister. Together they guided the spiritual direction of the church and acted as the organising body for Bless activities. 

Over the last few years, Linda Ward, Tom Callister, Jacob Simpson and Ian Brown have been exploring (with Chair of Trustees, trustees and some advisors) leadership succession for Linda. Linda had been slowly releasing more responsibility to Tom Callister over the past few years, with Tom acting as Associate Leader of the Church in this period. In 2022 this leadership discernment process accelerated at a strategy retreat on 25-26 January 2022 when Tom said he felt ready to take on the role of team leader. 

The leadership team continued to meet on 28[th] March, 9[th] May and 24[th] August, specifically to continue the future leadership discernment process. Billy Kennedy (the Church’s ‘Pioneer Oversight’) met the team on 18[th] May 2022 to give outside oversight and support to the process. 

The Bless Advisors met on 9[th] July 2022 whereby the leadership team updated the Advisors that Linda would like to step back from her Team Leader role, and seeking input from the Advisors around the suggestion that Tom Callister becomes the next leader of Bless supported by a leadership team of his choice. The advisors were very supportive of Tom and his call to leadership, and extremely thankful for Linda’s years of service as Team Leader. 

This news was then brought to the church at Bless Time Monday 5[th] September 2022 whereby the whole church could be involved in this process of discernment. This was not to ask the church to vote but rather consider, pray and feedback thoughts and perspectives. 

Tom Callister then met with the leadership and a couple of advisors to hear feedback from this process on 24[th] October 2022 and finalise Tom taking on the role of Leader of Bless Community Church from 7[th] January 2023. 

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Linda Ward agreed to stay on the leadership team at the request of Tom. 

The Church also began planning a celebratory event marking Linda Ward’s 26 years of leadership of the Church, which would take place on the evening of 6[th] January 2023. 

## **Wider Leadership** 

More widely, most church members are also volunteers. They share the work of the church whether in setting up the hall; welcoming visitors or managing the sound desk on a Sunday; leading or helping with the children’s and youth work; teaching; helping lead worship; leading groups; providing hospitality; serving the community; or in one of many other tasks or roles. 

## **Meetings** 

We continue to meet on Sunday Mornings, for worship, prayer and teaching which is designed to help us understand the practical aspects of being a Christian as well as developing our understanding of God through the Bible. 

Our teaching is accessible on the Bless website at www.blesscc.org and on you tube at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bless+community+church for anyone who wishes to hear it. 

We continue with mid-week connect groups which enable members to share together, to encourage and support each other to grow in Jesus and serve him. We run weekly and occasional prayer meetings including Embrace evenings of exploration in worship, prayer, and prophecy. 

## **Achievements and Performance** 

Our aims for 2022 progressed as follows: 

## **Church Overview** 

## **2022 was a year of growth and a time of significant change for Bless Community Church.** 

- During 2022 we saw numerous visitors each week and a number of new people joining the church. A number of households have joined Bless with many different nationalities represented, making the Church far more multicultural in its make up. 

- The Church successfully navigated a huge change in its senior leadership, Linda Ward having led various iterations of the Church for around 26 years previously. 

- On average at the end of 2022 there were 50/60 people in person each week with another 5-10 devices live on you tube and zooms pre and post meeting so approximately 60-70 people each week live. Subsequently, many access our services through you tube. 

## **Leadership team and Governance** 

- 2022 was a significant time of transition and planning for the future leadership of the Church, with Linda Ward preparing to step back from overall leadership of the Church, and this responsibility being passed onto the Associate Leader, Tom Callister. 

- Billy Kennedy from Pioneer regularly met with the leadership team throughout 2022 to provide input and support through the leadership discernment process (see spiritual leadership report above). 

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- Maddy Thomson, chair of trustees, regularly met with Linda Ward during this period to support the development of the transition process from a governance and management perspective. 

- The trustees worked through a rolling programme of compliance review of policies as well as introducing new feedback opportunities for various key leaders at Trustee meetings. 

- The staff continued to manage our expenditure and reduce costs where possible due to the challenging financial position supported by the trustees. 

- We continued to negotiate a 50% reduction in our office rent which ran until June 2022. We then agreed to work without any office space as most staff were used to working from home, due to COVID, allowing us to make a significant budget saving. 

- We started a new monthly staff gathering for operations. 

- We deliver fortnightly newsletters, designing key publicity and publications for the Church, and continuing to update and develop our website. 

## **Embracing God** 

- We continued to develop and grow diverse ways for people to encounter God together both through large gatherings, small groups and virtual opportunities. 

- Teaching for Sundays were planned a term ahead by the leadership team and we introduced a number of new meeting leaders and speakers to our team. This included young adults (in their 20s and 30s) participating in that way for the first time. Themes included a series on ‘Living free from… (past, addiction, porn etc)’; a series on Pioneer Values and a Series on ‘Unexpected Heroes from the Bible’. 

- Bless Little ones and the creche developed well with the team of volunteers growing. A regular team of helpers who read a bible story, craft, and free play during the service for the little ones, was created. 

- Bless kids met on Sunday evenings prior to Embrace, being led by Ann Clifford in a local cafe. 

- 

- Our Children and Families pastor has continued to meet parents or nannies on a one- to-one basis most weeks. These are either a parent or nanny that has shown a particular interest in meeting or someone who might need additional support. 

- Bless Young Adults (20-30s) group has continued to build a sense of community and belonging through socials, such as summer BBQs, games nights and worship evenings. 

- We hosted a Weekend Away for Bless on 14th - 16th Jan 2022 and invited fellow local Pioneer Churches ‘Latymer’ and the leadership of ‘Refresh Church Molesey’ to join us at Ashburnham. We focussed on a theme of ‘Deeper Discipleship’ and had input from Guest speakers for adults and youth. Around 94 people attended the weekend. 

- We continue to develop our monthly ‘Embrace’ evenings. The vision of which was to bring the Church into a prophetic encounter with God through worship, prayer and the impartation of the Holy Spirit. 

- Monthly Encounter Prayer sessions continued online with 6 – 12 at each event and including those from other churches. These were led by Greg and Cheryl George. 

- Our monthly prayer calendar created and prepared by Hazel Vinson, continued to be used by many Church members. 

7 



## **Equipping the Church** 

- We instigated a new course called ‘Bless You’ – a course for newer attendees at Bless – where they could get to know more about the Church, its vision and values, and ask questions about how they could get involved. Each Bless You course would take place over four sessions, with meals provided at each. Once newcomers had attended Bless You, they’d then be placed in Connect Groups. 

- Our connect groups, business group, 20s to 30s youth group and children and families continued to do an excellent job connecting and caring for one another. 

- The Church helped equip people wanting to explore a teaching gift, with a ‘Preaching Training Day, on 17[th] September, which was attended by 18 people, both experienced and inexperienced in public speaking – all of whom had the opportunity to speak publicly on the day and receive peer to peer feedback. 

- Our teenagers continued to enjoy weekly sessions on a Wednesday with our youth worker, and our youth team, looking at issues impacting them. Each young person continued to receive monthly sessions with a mentor too. 

## **Blessing the City** 

- The Alpha course continued as a regular termly offer for people to explore faith and the big questions of life. We continued to run Alpha Courses as planned, three times throughout the year – Spring, Summer and Autumn. The Summer and Autumn Courses were held in person, while the Spring course was largely on zoom. 

- There was a successful ‘Alpha Reunion’ in July for everyone who attended Alpha during COVID. 

- Our Parent and Toddler group ‘Playtime’ funded by a grant from a local charity Pathways continues to thrive. The group regularly has attracted up to 30 families a week. In September we initiated a new group called Playtime Plus for parents looking to explore ‘faith, family and friendship’. A small group with a creche and discussion space for parents to receive support from one another. 

- A good number of Playtime families attended our “Messy Christmas” service. This was due in no small part to the hard work and relationships built by the Playtime team. 

- Our youth leader continued to visit Ealing Fields Secondary school and continued to facilitate a Christian fellowship group there called ‘Table Talk’. 

- In September, we opened a new youth outreach work called ‘The Basement Youth Café’. This drew an average of 30-35 kids each week - playing games consoles, table tennis, board games, drawing, and chatting to youth workers. We successfully received funding from the Young Ealing foundation which helped pay for a lot of the activities run there. 

## **West London Leaders** 

- The core team of church leaders continued to meet monthly planning towards a recovery and reconstruction phase beyond COVID in 2023. 

- We participated in Movement for recovery, a pan London network sharing priorities and resources across churches, councils, and the mayor. 

8 



## **Other developments** 

- We continued to financially support a particular individual in a challenging situation which we hoped to see resolved by the end of 2022. As of January 2023, this case was still ongoing. Review of the Churches support regularly occurred at a leadership, trustee and advisor level. 

## **Financial review** 

**Reserves policy –** In 2022 we reviewed our policy to ensure that our reserves will always cover the costs of all obligations if we had to close. Currently this figure is £29,391 

**Funding sources –** The majority of our income is given by members and increased with Gift Aid. Most of this is given monthly. 

Our income for 2022 was £171,989 

## **We received the following grants:** 

- Pathways £8,500 for our Parent and Toddler Group Playtime and our parent support group Playtime Plus 

- Young Ealing Foundation £5,000 for the Basement Youth Cafe 

**Expenditure -** The largest single item of expenditure is on salaries and external contractors, followed by hall hire. Please see our financial statement for details. The annual budget, including all giving, is recommended by the Church Leader after consultation with the Leadership Team and approved by the trustees. We continue to keep careful control on our expenditure and in 2022. 

Our expenditure in 2022 was £166,504 

Total funds as of 31[st] December 2022 of £59,926 

## **Plans for 2023** 

In addition to the ongoing work of the church we have the following plans for 2023: 

## **Church Overview** 

**We are keen to keep a focus on all three strands of our vision: Embracing God, Equipping the Church, and Blessing the City.** 

Overall, we are passionate about seeing the Church growth both spiritually in depth and numerically with new members. To achieve this, we will review structural factors including: 

**Venue** - do our venues remain fit for purpose – could we have more of a visible home? 

**How we grow our income** - through better discipleship and looking at charitable funding grants 

**Staffing** - how do we run our operations in 2023 onwards? 

## **Leadership team and Governance** 

- We are planning the transition of leadership from Linda Ward to Tom Callister on Sunday 7[th] January, with a commissioning of the re-organised Leadership Team that day. Leaders from the Pioneer Network are expected to attend. 

9 



- We are also committed to train and release new leaders into the Leadership Team, and are planning a retreat in the summer of 2023 to explore potential leadership candidates, ideas and options. 

- We hope to recruit a new trustee and continue to ensure that as a charity we are compliant, safe and hold to the objects of the charity. We will continue to manage our expenditure and reduce costs where possible due to the challenging financial position. 

- The Trustees and Leadership will review our admin needs early in 2023 and aim to release a few hours paid work per week, for existing staff members to take on some limited admin work to support the administration of the Church. This will be reviewed in the autumn. Funding to fully cover a more developed role of ‘operations administrator’ was not deemed to be possible as of the end of 2022. 

- The leadership plan to start a new Ministry Leads meeting to help engage and develop key unpaid volunteers in significant leadership roles within the Church. 

## **Embrace God** 

- We are planning a New Year ‘Away Day’ themed ‘Yesterday, Today and Forever’ with Refresh Church and Latymer Christian Fellowship, with guest speaker – Pete Gilbert, and worship leader Luke Hamlyn, at a Church near Syon Park in Isleworth. 

- We are also planning a full residential weekend away for the Church for January 2024, at Alexandra House near Swindon. 

- We want to review our Children and families Ministries - developing a five-year plan in conjunction with parents and the leadership, to see significant and sustained growth in this area. 

- We are keen to develop a powerhouse culture of prayer in the Church, weaving it more thoroughly through our gatherings and increasing the profile of prayer in the Church. 

- We are looking to appoint a key volunteer in the role of ‘Worship Team Leader’ early in 2023 to give fresh leadership to our singers and musicians. 

- We are keen to release and encourage ‘creatives’ within the church – planning an away day and investment in Songwriting, art, poetry etc. 

- We want to re-establish a ‘cafe’ hospitality team after our Sunday gatherings to encourage deeper relationships and foster a sense of family and welcome. 

## **Equip the Church** 

- There are plans for monthly Bless Young Adults 'Spirit-Filled Lives' evenings, which we are hoping to begin in the new year. These evenings seek to ignite the pursuit of a spirit-filled life and fan the flame of those already living in that pursuit through eating together, inviting someone from the wider Church to explore with us a subject surrounding what it looks like to live spirit-filled, and spending time inviting the Holy Spirit to fill us. 

- We are hoping to do a ‘soft’ relaunch of Connect Groups – with easy to use teaching provided centrally by the leadership team which would largely compliment the Sunday morning teaching schedule, and at least two new groups created to add capacity for those wanting to join midweek connect groups. 

- We are planning more ‘Bless You’ courses to clear a backlog of people wanting to join connect groups and find out more about Bless. Tom Callister and Maddy Thomson will be taking this on from Rich and Linda Ward, streamlining the course. 

10 



- We’d like to continue to invest in the next generation of leaders, with a new ‘Women’s Learning Community’ and mentoring for key young leaders in 2023. 

- We’d like to develop a new ‘Village People’ group for adults exploring having families, providing them with a space for discussion, support and advice. 

## 

## 

- We are keen to upskill the church in Evangelism and a missional mindset 

- We are planning a significant focus on ‘Sharing Faith’ throughout the Spring term, both in Connect Group and through a special one-off training day. 

- With The Basement Youth Club continuing to attract on average around 30-40 teenagers each week, we are keen to build stronger relationships with those teens who are ‘regulars’, and we are planning a number of overt faith sharing events, and are exploring the idea of a residential with the teenagers too. We intend to apply for grants to further fund this work. 

- We’d love to encourage more engagement and interaction with our local community – through ‘festival style’ family friendly events. 

## **West London Leaders** 

- We continue to lead and influence in the Unity movements of ‘West London Leaders’ and ‘Pioneer London,’ with Linda Ward helping to re-establish these gatherings, post COVID. 

- West London Leaders are planning 3 / 4 meetings in person in 2023, with a focus at the spring meeting on engagement with the police and a summer focus on youth work in the Borough. 

## **Other Developments** 

- We are looking to explore buildings for a missional base for the Church to help us be more accessible (particularly midweek) to our community. 

- We are investigating greater connections with Latymer and Refresh Churches in our Network, and they are both looking at deepening relationships, including joining us for a Weekend Away in 2024. 

11 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH** 

## **(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **STATEMENT OF DIRECTOR'S RESPONSIBILITIES** 

The Charities Act and the Companies Act require the Board of Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of the surplus or deficit of the charity. In preparing those financial statements the Board is required to :- 

i. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

ii. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

iii. prepare financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business; 

iv. state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material  departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements. 

The directors are also responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and comply with regulations made under the Charities Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

The directors are also responsible for the contents of the Report of the Directors, and the responsibility of the independent examiner in relation to the Report of the Directors is limited to examining the report and ensuring that, on the face of the report, there are no inconsistencies with the figures disclosed in the financial statements. 

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. 

I approve the attached statement of financial activities and balance sheet for the period ended 31st December 2022, and confirm that I have made available all information necessary for its preparation. 

Approved by the Directors on ............................................ 

Signed on their behalf by Director ................................................. 

Print Name: 

12 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS** 

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2022. 

## **RESPONSIBILITIES AND BASIS OF REPORT** 

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”). 

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. 

## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S STATEMENT** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that: 

- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; or 

- the accounts do not accord with such records; or 

- the accounts do not comply with relevant accounting requirements under section 396 of the Companies 

- Act 2006 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or 

- the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102). 

I have no concerns 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 reached. 

K Gomes MAAT FCIE Independent Examiners Ltd 


2 Broadbridge Business Centre Signed : Delling Lane Bosham West Sussex Date: 11.9.23 PO18 8NF 

13 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **(Incorporating Income & Expenditure Account)** 

|**Note**<br>**INCOME**<br>**Income from:**<br>Donations and Legacies<br>**3a**<br>Charitable Activities<br>**3b**<br>Other Income<br>**3c**<br>**TOTAL INCOME**<br>**EXPENDITURE**<br>**Expenditure on:**<br>Charitable Activities<br>**4a**<br>**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**<br>**NET INCOME/ EXPENDITURE**<br>Transfers between Funds<br>Funds Brought Forward<br>**TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD**|Unrestricted Designated<br>Restricted<br>**TOTAL**<br>**TOTAL**<br>Funds<br>Funds<br>Funds<br>**2022**<br>**2021**<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>132,648<br>1,579<br>24,630<br>158,857<br>130,403<br>-<br>13,126<br>-<br>13,126<br>10,862<br>6<br>-<br>-<br>6<br>4,620|
|---|---|
||**132,654**<br>**14,705**<br>**24,630**<br>**171,989**<br>**145,885**|
||126,425<br>18,261<br>21,818<br>166,504<br>145,959|
||**126,425**<br>**18,261**<br>**21,818**<br>**166,504**<br>**145,959**|
||**6,229**<br>**(3,556)**<br>**2,812**<br>**5,485**<br>**(74)**<br>305<br>(305)<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>45,931<br>4,703<br>3,807<br>54,441<br>54,515|
||**52,465**<br>**842**<br>**6,619**<br>**59,926**<br>**54,441**|



Movements on all reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown above. All of the organisation's operations are classed as continuing. 

The notes on pages 16 to 21 form part of these financial statements. 

14 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH** 

## **(A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

|**Note**<br>**Fixed Assets**<br>Tangible Assets<br>**2**<br>**Current Assets**<br>Debtors & Prepayments<br>**8**<br>Cash at Bank and in Hand<br>**7**<br>**Total Current Assets**<br>**9**<br>**NET CURRENT ASSETS**<br>**NET ASSETS**<br>**Funds of the Charity**<br>General Funds<br>Designated Funds<br>**6**<br>Restricted Funds<br>**5**<br>**Total Funds**<br>**TOTAL ASSETS**less current<br>liabilities<br>**Creditors:**amounts falling due<br>within one year|Unrestricted Designated<br>Restricted<br>**31-Dec-22**<br>**31-Dec-21**<br>Funds<br>Funds<br>Funds<br>**Total**<br>**Total**<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>3,952<br>-<br>-<br>3,952<br>4,708|
|---|---|
||3,952<br>-<br>-<br>3,952<br>4,708<br>5,517<br>3,188<br>-<br>8,705<br>6,603<br>44,800<br>112<br>8,913<br>53,825<br>61,946|
||**50,316**<br>**3,300**<br>**8,913**<br>**62,529**<br>**68,549**|
||(1,803)<br>(2,458)<br>(2,294)<br>(6,555)<br>(18,816)|
||48,514<br>842<br>6,619<br>55,975<br>49,733|
||**52,465**<br>**842**<br>**6,619**<br>**59,926**<br>**54,441**|
||**52,465**<br>**842**<br>**6,619**<br>**59,926**<br>**54,441**|
||52,465<br>-<br>-<br>52,465<br>45,931<br>-<br>842<br>-<br>842<br>4,703<br>-<br>-<br>6,619<br>6,619<br>3,807|
||**52,465**<br>**842**<br>**6,619**<br>**59,926**<br>**54,441**|



## **Directors' Responsibilities:** 

For the financial year ending 31 December 22 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. 

- The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476; and 

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. 

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. 

The financial statements on pages 14 to 21 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue and signed on their behalf by: 

Approved by the Directors on : 09/09/2023 

Signed on their behalf by Director 


Print Name: M Thomson 

15 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

## **Basis of Preparation** 

The financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis of accounting in accordance with Charities Act 2011, Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (SORP 2015), applicable accounting standards and Companies Act 2006. The accounts are prepared on an ongoing concern basis. The church meets the public benefit entity definition (FRS102). Restatement was not required in making the transition to FRS102. The date of transition was 1st January 2015. 

Advantage has been taken of Section 396(5) of The Companies Act 2006 to allow the format of the financial statements to be adapted to reflect the special nature of the charity's operation and in order to comply with the requirements of the SORP. 

The company has taken advantage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard No 1 from the requirement to produce a cash flow statement. 

## _Changes in Accounting Policies and Previous Accounts_ 

There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year and no changes in the previous accounts. 

## **Incoming Resources** 

## _Recognition of Incoming Resources_ 

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when: 

- the charity becomes entitled to the resources; 

- the Directors are virtually certain they will receive the resources; and 

- the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. 

## _Incoming Resources with Related Expenditure_ 

Where incoming resources have related expenditure (as with fundraising or contract income) the incoming resource and related expenditure are reported gross in the SOFA. 

## _Grants and Donations_ 

Grants and Donations are only included in the SOFA when the charity has unconditional entitlement to the resources. 

## _Tax Reclaims on Donations and Gifts_ 

Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the SOFA in the same financial period as the gift to which they relate. 

## _Contractual Income and Performance Related Grants_ 

This is only included in the SOFA once the related goods or services has been delivered. 

## _Gifts in Kind_ 

Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the charity or the amount actually realised. Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts as gifts only when sold or distributed by the charity. Gifts in kind for use by the charity are included in the SOFA as incoming resources when received. 

## _Donated Services and Facilities_ 

These are only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable and material. The value placed on these resources is the estimated value to the charity of the service or facility received. 

16 



# **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)** 

## **Incoming Resources (continued)** 

## _Volunteer Help_ 

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the Report of the Directors. 

## **Expenditure and Liabilities** 

## _Liability Recognition_ 

Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources. 

## _Governance Costs_ 

Governance Costs include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of the Directors' meetings and cost of any legal advice to directors on governance or constitutional matters. 

## _Grants with Performance Conditions_ 

Where the charity gives a grant with conditions for its payment being a specific level of service or output to be provided, such grants are only recognised in the SOFA once the recipient of the grant has provided the specified service or output. 

## **Assets** 

## _Fixed Assets_ 

These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £500. They are valued at cost or, if gifted, at the value to the charity on receipt. 

Depreciation is calculated at a rate to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets on a reducing balance over their estimated useful lives. The rates applied per annum are as follows: 

|Computer|& Audio Equipment|25%||
|---|---|---|---|
|**2. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**||Unrestricted|Total|
|||Computer & Audio Equipment||
|||£|£|
|Cost|01-Jan-21|16,632|16,632|
|Additions||1,049|1,049|
|Disposals||(366)|(366)|
|Cost at|31-Dec-22|17,315|17,315|
|Depreciation|01-Jan-21|11,924|11,924|
|Disposals||-|-|
|Charge||1,439|1,439|
|Depreciation at|31-Dec-22|13,363|13,363|
|Net Book Value|31-Dec-22|**3,952**|**3,952**|
|Net Book Value|31-Dec-21|4,708|4,708|



There are no commitments under non-cancelling operating leases and capital commitments (2021: None) 

17 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **3. INCOME** 

|**3. INCOME**|**3. INCOME**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted||Designated|Restricted|**TOTAL**|**TOTAL**|
||Funds|Funds|Funds|**2022**|**2021**|
||£|£|£|**£**|**£**|
|**a) Donations and Legacies**||||||
|Gifts & Donations|110,235|1,579|9,210|121,024|99,369|
|Gift Aid|22,413|-|1,909|24,322|22,774|
|Grants|-|-|13,511|13,511|8,260|
||**132,648**|**1,579**|**24,630**|**158,857**|**130,403**|
|**b)  Income from other Charitable Activities**||||||
|Events Income|-|13,126|-|13,126|487|
|Grants|-|-|-|-|10,135|
|Miscellaneous|-|-|-|-|240|
||**-**|**13,126**|**-**|**13,126**|**10,862**|
|Coronavirus Job Retention scheme|-||-|-|4,594|
|Miscellaneous|6||-|6|26|
||**6**|**-**|**-**|**6**|**4,620**|
|**4. EXPENSES**||||||
|Unrestricted||Designated|Restricted|**TOTAL**|**TOTAL**|
||Funds|Funds|Funds|**2022**|**2021**|
||£|£|£|**£**|**£**|
|**a) Expenditure on Charitable Activities**||||||
|Bank Charges & Interest|191|-|-|191|88|
|Children/Youth/Students Outreach|1,520|624|2,426|4,570|1,565|
|Church Giving|12,375|3,790|9,398|25,563|19,437|
|Depreciation|1,439|-|-|1,439|1,720|
|Events|1,279|13,181|765|15,226|1,294|
|External Contractors|-|-|-|-|26,679|
|Hall Hire|10,578|-|120|10,698|10,025|
|Hospitality|1,642|-|-|1,642|1,398|
|Independent Examiners Fee|1,153|-|-|1,153|1,177|
|Insurance|739|-|-|739|733|
|Loss on disposal of asset|367|-|-|367|571|
|Miscellaneous|90|-|560|650|171|
|Office|3,858|-|-|3,858|3,922|
|PA/Music|561|-|-|561|2,016|
|Payroll Expenses|85,613|-|7,709|93,322|69,467|
|Publicity|1,367|-|-|1,367|2,215|
|Speakers|520|-|-|520|450|
|Telephone|422|-|-|422|473|
|Training|1,774|666|840|3,279|2,139|
|Travel|936|-|-|936|420|
||**126,425**|**18,261**|**21,818**|**166,504**|**145,959**|



18 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **5. RESTRICTED FUNDS** 

|J Simpson<br>Bursary Fund<br>Books & Training<br>Ten<br>Wedding<br>Pathways<br>DNA/Training<br>Egypt<br>Special Needs<br>Basement Youth Café<br>Gift -Linda Ward|Balance<br>Balance<br>01-Jan-21<br>Income<br>Expenditure<br>Transfers<br>31-Dec-22<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>-<br>850<br>850<br>-<br>-<br>1,000<br>-<br>765<br>-<br>235<br>300<br>-<br>300<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>670<br>633<br>-<br>37<br>-<br>248<br>560<br>(312)<br>1,375<br>8,511<br>7,394<br>-<br>2,491<br>340<br>-<br>340<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>240<br>240<br>-<br>-<br>792<br>8,666<br>8,500<br>-<br>959<br>-<br>5,000<br>2,236<br>-<br>2,764<br>-<br>445<br>-<br>-<br>445|
|---|---|
||**3,807**<br>**24,630**<br>**21,818**<br>**-**<br>**6,619**|



The restricted funds are wholly represented by the Charity's cash reserves. 

## **6. DESIGNATED FUNDS** 

|Bless Time church meetings<br>Church Giving<br>Gazebo fund<br>Pioneer events<br>Playtime<br>Weekend at Home<br>Youth Summer Camp<br>Preaching Workshop|Balance<br>Balance<br>01-Jan-21<br>Income<br>Expenditure<br>Transfers<br>31-Dec-22<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>56<br>506<br>562<br>-<br>-<br>3,817<br>-<br>3,790<br>-<br>27<br>305<br>-<br>-<br>305<br>-<br>41<br>665<br>666<br>-<br>40<br>485<br>768<br>624<br>-<br>629<br>-<br>12,587<br>12,587<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>146<br>-<br>-<br>146<br>-<br>33<br>33<br>-<br>-|
|---|---|
||**4,703**<br>**14,705**<br>**18,261**<br>**305**<br>**842**|



The designated funds are wholly represented by the Charity's cash reserves. Church Giving - The church allocates 10% of unrestricted voluntary receipts for this purpose. 

## **7. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND** 

|**7. CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND**||
|---|---|
|Current Account|Unrestricted Designated<br>Restricted<br>**Total**<br>**Total**<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>**31-Dec-22**<br>**31-Dec-21**<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>44,800<br>112<br>8,913<br>53,825<br>61,946|
||**44,800**<br>**112**<br>**8,913**<br>**53,825**<br>**61,946**|



19 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **8. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS** 

|Prepayments<br>Other Debtors|Unrestricted Designated<br>Restricted<br>**Total**<br>**Total**<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>**31-Dec-22**<br>**31-Dec-21**<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>308<br>2,793<br>-<br>3,101<br>2,112<br>5,209<br>395<br>-<br>5,604<br>4,491|
|---|---|
||**5,517**<br>**3,188**<br>**-**<br>**8,705**<br>**6,603**|



## **9. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR** 

|Accounts Payable<br>Accruals and Prepaid Income<br>Payroll Liabilities|Unrestricted Designated<br>Restricted<br>**Total**<br>**Total**<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>Fund<br>**31-Dec-22**<br>**31-Dec-21**<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>367<br>-<br>-<br>367<br>4,470<br>1,270<br>2,458<br>2,294<br>6,022<br>12,220<br>165<br>-<br>-<br>165<br>2,126|
|---|---|
||**1,803**<br>**2,458**<br>**2,294**<br>**6,555**<br>**18,816**|



## **10. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE IN MORE THAN ONE YEAR** 

There were no Creditors or Accruals falling due in more than one year during this financial year (2021: None). 

## **11. STAFF COSTS AND NUMBERS** 

|**2022**<br>**£**<br>Gross Wages and Salaries<br>65,054<br>Employer's National Insurance Costs<br>-<br>Pension<br>985<br>Other<br>1,378<br>**67,416**<br>Employees who were engaged in each of the following activities:<br>(Full time equivalent )<br>**2022**<br>**TOTAL**<br>Activities in furtherance of organisation's objects<br>1.75<br>Management and administration<br>0.25<br>**Total**<br>**2**|**2021**<br>**£**<br>68,240<br>-<br>857<br>370|
|---|---|
||**69,467**|
||**2021**<br>**TOTAL**<br>1.5<br>1.0|
||**2.5**|



No employees (2021: None) received emoluments in excess of £60,000. Staff are paid through the PAYE system. 

20 



## **BLESS COMMUNITY CHURCH (A COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022** 

## **12. DIRECTORS AND OTHER RELATED PARTIES** 

No payments were made to directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a trustee or any person connected with them. 

Donations received from the trustees and related parties during the year were £12,772 (2021: £14,730) 

## **13. RISK ASSESSMENT** 

The directors actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining the free reserves stated, combined with the annual review of the controls over key financial systems carried out on an annual basis will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The directors have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks. 

## **14. RESERVES POLICY** 

See Report of the Directors. 

## **15. PUBLIC BENEFIT** 

See Report of the Directors . 

21