## Annual Report 2026 ## **Zion United Church** Sharing Christ’s love in Frampton Cotterell, Coalpit Heath and beyond Blessed to be a blessing ## Contents - 4 Pastoral Statistics 5 Church Elders 6 Vision Statement 8 Minister’s Report 10 Church Secretary’s Report 13 Safeguarding Report 14 Pioneer Report 16 Pastoral Team Report 17 Church Administrator’s Report 18 Property Team Report 19 World Mission Group Report 21 Worship & Teaching and Fellowship Group Report - 22 Youth Work Report 25 Assembly Team Report — Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath - 26 Assembly Team Report—Winterbourne 27 Prayer Team Report 28 Prayer Chain Report 29 Working Home Alone Lunch Report 29 Ladies Circle 2 - 30 Zion Fellowship Report 31 Feeding Fromeside Food Hub and Pantry Report 32 Zion Sunday Lunch for those Living Alone Report 33 Saturday Friends Report Please see the separate booklet for the Treasurer’s Report and End of Year Statements. Please see separate document for 2026 appointments 3 ## **Pastoral Statistics** Number of members and adherents: 161 (139 are Church Members) Average weekly attendance at worship: Live services in Zion - am: 65 pm:12 Via YouTube - on average 8 views per service Number of housebound in the fellowship: 3+ Average age of congregation and the spread of ages:64 (from 0 to 95+) Number living within 1 mile of the church: 120 Number of Elders – 7 Number of baptisms/dedications (infants/believers) in the past year: 0 Number of people coming into membership: 0 Number of fellowship funerals in the past year: 3 Number of weddings this year: 0 Number of children/youth attending Creche/Junior Church/ Sunday Morning Youth/ Sunday Evening Youth: 19 ## **The Elder's meeting members and Trustees are as** 4 ## **follows:** ## **Elders/Trustees:** Sam Blackwell Wendy Magee Ian Payne Sue Payne Pam Pitt Sue Porter Catherine Whiteman **Primary Treasurer** Allan Sully ## **Deputy Treasurer** Debbie Millar **Church Secretary** Helen Francomb ## **Minister** Rev Sharon Lovelock 5 ## **Vision statement for Zion United Church 8[th] March 2026** **Tagline:** Zion United Church - a beacon of faith, hope and love ## **Vision:** Zion United Church is Christ-centred. We are rooted in prayer, love and Scripture, where people of all ages grow as disciples and together ignite hope in the church and the community. ## **Mission:** Our mission is to encourage faith, hope, love and joy as we grow as apprentices of Jesus. We aim to nurture welcoming and hospitable spaces for worship, prayer, connections and spiritual conversation. We seek to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6: 8). **Our Mission Action Plan for 2026-2029** We will focus on: (in no particular order) Discipleship Evangelism Being prayer centred Discerning gifts Building bridges between all Zion groups and the community Setting the community on fire Communicating with the community Being considerate of barriers 6 **With the Spirit leading us, this will lead to ‘best outcomes’ which are:** - The heart of Zion is secure and solid so that its focus is outward looking and we are integrated in to the community. - Gods transformational love being known in the whole area/community - A whole range of ages who are rooted securely in their faith - Diverse Christian community - People are excited to meet together to pray and listen to God. 7 ## **Minister’s Report Zion AGM 2026** Once again, my heart-felt thanks to all who have contributed to the reports this year. Please do spend time reading through them and praying for the life and mission of the church, being encouraged as you do so. This year the Elders have spent time considering what is at our heart. The following tagline, vision and mission statement have come from our shared reflection and prayer. We will spend time to clarify how we reached these words when we meet together at the AGM- please do come along if you can. Please also find attached to the reports the document outlining the Mission Action Plan for 2026-2029 and what we envisage to be the ‘best outcomes’ as we seek to live this out in our whole-life discipleship. The words below will be the lens through which we make decisions as a church and will enable us to focus on where we are being led by God’s Spirit. Please do let us know any thoughts or comments you have- it is great when we share together. **Tagline:** Zion United Church - a beacon of faith, hope and love **Vision:** Zion United Church is Christ-centred. We are rooted in prayer, love and Scripture, where people of all ages grow as disciples and together ignite hope in the church and the community. **Mission:** Our mission is to encourage faith, hope, love and joy as we grow as apprentices of Jesus. We aim to nurture welcoming and hospitable spaces for worship, prayer, connections and spiritual conversation. We seek to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6: 8). 8 May we be the beacon of faith, hope and love as we continue to navigate through the joys, challenges, changes and seasons of church and everyday life together. 9 ## **Secretary’s report** The year since our 2025 AGM has been another busy one in the life of Zion with times of joy and fellowship as well as sad times as we have said farewell to some of our members and friends. Rachel Spence has completed one year in her Community Pioneer role and is now well into her second (of a 3 year project)and continues to make contacts and relationships in our community as well as specific involvement with e.g. Brockeridge Toddler group, our Food Hub,T4F Messy Church, visiting local schools, making contact with the uniformed organisations, Thankful Thursdays (for children & parents/carers)during school holidays. Our thanks to Rachel for all her enthusiasm and building relationships within our community. Our membership number is currently 140 as well as around 30 people who regularly attend our Sunday services, but are not members and there are many who attend our various groups and activities e.g. Zion Fellowship on Monday afternoons, Food Hub, Saturday Friends and our Fellowship Groups. The Zion Church Family has a number of Nonagenarians (90–99 year-olds)-in summer 2025 we held a tea party for 6 members &friends who celebrated their 90[th] Birthdays during the year, and in April we held a tea party for 3 who are 90 in 2026. We have also said sad farewells to a number of members & friends (past &present) since the 2025 AGM. Colin Edgcombe, Mike Murphy, Jan Sloss, Denis Bradbeer, David Massey, Brian Ball, Dennis Popham and Rose Sztyjuljak. We also had news that one of our former ministers (1977-1986) Rev. John Crossley, had passed away, aged 99 in December. Not all had their funeral services at Zion and we also remember those who have lost loved ones and whose funerals were elsewhere. We give thanks 10 for their lives and faith and offer our prayers and condolences to their families and friends. May they rest in peace and rise in glory. Adam Biddlestone left our membership during the year to move to pastures new, but continues his online Christian book sales. We also prepared to say farewell to Moira & Nick Ruff in April/May 2026, as they move back to Cardiff for family reasonswe thank them for their contributions to the life of Zion over the past 12 or so years and may they be blessed in the future. Zion office continues to be busy and Sarah Rees our Administrator has completed a full year and is well into her second year in the role. My thanks to Sarah for all her work, diligence and support and for being the “face “of Zion. Thanks also to our cleaner for all her diligence with our church buildings. Our services and events during the year have gone well with the festival times of Harvest, Christmas and Easter as well as social events such as the Curling evening in February (very topical in a winter Olympics year!), several board game evenings, and the “Big Sing” for Christian Aid in December. We have also run an Alpha course during the year and a Youth Alpha. Currently we have a number of young people 11-18 but only a very small number of under 11’s, however, primary school age children do have some Christian teaching through e.g. the Assembly Teams. I was reminded of the verse we have illustrated by a completed “jigsaw” in a frame on the wall in the Beacon near the sanctuary entrance, 1 Corinthians 12 v 27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. I would like to say “Thank you “ to all those whose serve and contribute in so many ways-Host teams; coffee/tea making; our worship group musicians, pianists/organists; sound and AV desk; Holy Communion preparation; fellowship group leaders; pastoral team, prayer team, chain &ministry; those tending our grass & garden areas; worship & teaching team and all those who lead worship/preach; 11 Zion Fellowship; Property team; World Mission Group: Food Hub ;Safeguarding leads; Junior Church &Young People’s groups; Assembly Teams; Saturday Friends; and all who move chairs & tables etc; Food Hub; church decorators/flower arrangers for festival times/special occasions. Sadly, Ladies Circle has come to an end after many years and we give thanks for all the many years of meeting & friendship shared by this group which originally started in the mid 1960’s as “Young Wives” at Wesley Methodist Church. Some of the group will continue to meet informally for occasional “keeping in touch” daytime meetings. In the Eldership/Trustee team we welcomed Pam Pitt, Sue Porter and Catherine Whiteman to the team after election at the May 2025 AGM. Sam Blackwell will have completed a 3year term in May and is eligible for re nomination and election if he wishes, for a further 3 years. We also have capacity for 3 new Elders/Trustees at this year's AGM. Following the AGM, in June 2025 Alan Sully became our Primary Treasurer and a Trustee as Debbie Millar wished to stand down as main treasurer and coopted Elder, but remains a Deputy Treasurer and a trustee. Please pray that we will have new people willing to be nominated and elected as Elders/Trustees this year. Finally, my thanks to the Rev. Sharon and the Elders/Trustees for their support and help in the past year. It is a privilege to serve as your Church Secretary & co-opted Elder/Trustee and I am willing to continue (with the AGM &Trustees’ agreement)as we look forward to the year ahead ,which will have its challenges, e.g. the Hall and what we are able to do to give it a new lease of life for the church & community, as we continue to seek opportunities to bring God’s love and blessing to one another and our wider community. Helen Francomb 12 Safeguarding Report 14 ## **Pioneer Report Rachel Spence** In the summer of 2025, I was pleased to be present at the Beesmoor Road car boot sales sometimes as a seller /shopper and always as a chaplain/conversation person. Holiday time Stay & Play & Pray became Thankful Thursdays. In the summer holidays we held four weekly sessions in The Beacon providing a packed lunch for everyone. I’m grateful for those who helped facilitate these gentle spaces. Sometimes Thankful Thursdays are on other days if dates aren’t convenient. The Brockeridge baby and toddler group continues to thrive and their three parties: summer, Christmas and Easter held at Zion mean we can talk about church life with the parents/carers. During the summer holidays in July/August we kept open for 3 extra Mondays for those with children who had not started school. I have set up a prayer network for local church toddler group leaders; we met June 2025 & January 2026 and are taking part in a national initiative to send sheep (not real ones) to parliament to highlight the important role of church led toddler groups. I’ve continued on the Tuesday Open the Book team and Rev Sharon and I enjoyed taking RE lessons at Watermore Primary. The children always have interesting questions. Feeding Fromeside Food Hub is a significant part of my week and I continue to link with South Gloucestershire Food Partnership to ensure food hub is literally on their map. I have continued as a team member at Messy Church which is a ‘Churches Together 4 Fromeside’ monthly gathering for all ages. It is intended to be a place where all are discipled through creativity, worship and a sit-down meal. It is held at St Saviour’s Church Hall on the first Saturday of the month. I suggested to the team that in April ’26 Messy Easter could include a Walk of Witness from St Saviour’s Church up to Zion so despite the blustery weather we had a great time carrying our banners and were pleased to arrive at Zion to a warm welcome. 15 31[st] October we held a ‘bat themed hunt ‘out the front of Zion with facts about bats and the light up rainbow wings. We gave out over 200 tracts and sweets. It’s so good to be amongst the community and showing the light of Christ as hundreds of people pass by. Ministry with Blackberry Park development included trying a play day in scorching heat and a play day in torrential rain. Despite the weather the two young people who came enjoyed our sessions. The Together 4 Fromeside carol singing on Blackberry Park was well attended and well received. In January 2026 I began a group for anyone who wanted to meet for a walk. WWJD: Walking, Wondering, Journalling & Doodling. We meet Wednesdays 1:30pm and walk for about 45mins, noticing God in nature. There is always the option to doodle or draw during the walk or once we’re back. I’m very grateful to Sheila Gibson who has showed up for all 12 sessions even though it rained during the first 7. I would like to thank everyone who has joined me on any of my pioneer initiatives and/or prayed for the ministry along the way. 16 ## **Pastoral team report AGM 2026** This year we have said thank you and farewell at Zion to Nick and Moira Ruff who have both gifted so much to us as a church and community. We pray God’s blessings on them as they move to Cardiff. Nick was the chair of this team and will be missed. Moira also has contributed much to the pastoral work at Zion including among our young people. We are blessed to have been joined in the team this year by Sue Porter, Tony Thexton, and Mary Drew, with Neil Gibson joining us at our next meeting. Pastoral care is carried out in various ways within the church and the team does not carry out all of the care within it but does provide a particular focus for part of that work. We seek to be aware of pastoral needs within the church family – members, attendees, those engaging with church activities, as well as in the wider community. We aim to offer support, and in our meetings (4 times per year) we may suggest one of us to oversee pastoral support for a particular person or area of concern. We support 17 and take part in events and activities arranged by the team especially around Easter, Harvest and Christmas including special services, the distribution of pastoral cards and gifts, as well as offering communion. We seek to care for those who are bereaved, and at out AGM we spend time to pause to remember loved ones who have died. We are also seeking to share ‘coffee, friendship and conversation’ with those who join with Sunday morning worship online, by meeting with them after Church on Zoom from time to time. If you become aware of a pastoral need- for a visit, a phone call, some support- please do make Sharon aware, or one of the team listed in the appointments section of this AGM report. ## **Church Administrator Report** The hours spent in the office continue to be busy with responding to emails, room bookings, sending out the weekly email and liaising between the many groups that use the church. The hall continues to be well used by regular users, but external groups have generally preferred to book the Beacon or the Sanctuary. A great many volunteers also take on many of the tasks involved in the running of the church, so many thanks to all of you. Special thanks go to our cleaner for keeping the buildings in such good order and to the Property Team for all the maintenance and gardening. The office is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. 01454 776618 office@zuchurch.co.uk 18 Sarah 19 ## **Property Team Report** Regular maintenance and repairs have continued over the past year, unfortunately as the buildings are getting older the repair load is increasing. We have had a couple of volunteers to work on the gardens around the Sanctuary which are looking beautiful this spring. The Property Group continues to meet and manage the maintenance and repairs; however, we still need a leader as there is currently no one person specifically representing or leading the group. The current property issues therefore continue to be dealt with by the Finance and Property team collectively, with a proportion of the works being carried out by external companies. More resources/volunteers are still required to share the workload in this area. Recommendations for some decorating in some places from the recent Quinquennial report still need volunteers from Zion to be actioned. Possible improvements to the level of lighting in the Sanctuary continue to be an aspiration. Plans for the future of the hall and the most optimum solution moving forward are being progressed and we will keep everyone updated as we move forward, waiting for the option appraisal to be completed. Expenditure is anticipated this year on decorating, routine maintenance and repairs, as well as progressing the future of the hall to a point where a clear plan is in place. As always, if anyone notices anything that needs doing, please put it into the property book that is held in the office. Please talk to any team members if are interested in being involved with the property team. Current Team members: Ian Payne, Eric Bray, Katrine Green, Phil Parish and David Beales. 20 ## **World Mission Group Report** The World Mission Group has two main aims: 1. To bring the suggested allocations of the World Mission budget to the Church Meeting . 2. To raise awareness of World Mission issues in the Church community and congregation. The members of the group are: Helen Francomb (Chair), Chris Burley, Rev. Sharon Lovelock, Mary Drew(secretary), Nigel Simister, Alan Sully (Church Treasurer), Helen Crook. The group meets 2-3 times a year as well as e mail conversations as needed. The World Mission budget is calculated as 10% of the Church’s income in the previous year (2024 in relation to this report) and these donations were approved at the 20th May 2025 Church Meeting (not AGM) £s Christian Aid 1200 Tearfund 1200 Network Counselling 1200 New Futures Nepal 1200 Turnaround Bristol 900 North Avon Foodbank 1000 Arise Kapumpe 1000 Home for Good 1000 Heal Palestine 1000 Ugandan Methodists 1000 ## **Total 10,700** 21 “Emergency fund “ 1,800 ## **Total Budget 12,500** At the WMG November 2025 meeting it was decided to donate the remaining £1,800 between Jamaican relief following the recent hurricane and the Sudan crisis. £1,200 was donated to the URC’s Jamaican appeal (donations were match funded) and £600 to Sudan via UNICEF. Not from the WM budget, but during the year, other charitable donations were made e.g., collections at Harvest and Christmas services and other occasions Christian Aid “Big Sing” in December, at our Lent lunch to WaterAid, Together 4 Fromeside Mutual Aid Comfort & Joy appeal at Christmas, our Feeding Fromeside Food Hub at various services and events,. Charitable fundraising continues to be a challenge in difficult financial times, but Zion has continued to do what we can, as a Church and individually and we give thanks for all people’s generosity . Back in 2022/23 ,the allocations ,were streamlined and simplified -all the charities are well known ones we have supported for many years and we have members of the congregation/WMG who have links with those charities. One change in process since the May 2025 CM is that in future the WM allocations will also be presented to the Elders (as the Trustees of Zion as a charity) prior to the Church Meeting In a large church, individuals will all have their favourite charities and causes, but as a Church we need to be focused, making meaningful donations and links. The monthly Prayer Diary continues to be produced by Eric Ruff and provides daily focus on all sorts of World issues, charities and concerns both at home and wor 22 ## **Worship and Teaching Team Report** Members: Rev Sharon Lovelock, Sue Payne, Chris Burley, Sue Charters, Kate Colechin, Jane Crane, Rosemary Dark, Wendy Magee In the last year we have been blessed with a number of different preachers with some in-house but a few from the circuit and from our T4F partnership. We have studied Unanswered Prayer (24/7 Prayer), Post Resurrection stories, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Advent LICC, Rivers of Justice (Ruth Valerio) , Surprised by Hope (Tom Wright), The books of 2 Timothy and Titus, Fruits of the Spirit, and Jesus’ Apprentices (based on the Elimination of Hurry). We aim to provide a variety of different sorts of studies which are used in Sunday preaching as well as material for the many fellowship groups. The fellowship groups themselves are going well with two new groups starting in the last 2 years which is great. Some meet weekly others fortnightly and some monthly. There is always room to join if anyone wished to join with a number of different days, times and frequency available. The elders have been challenged to look at discipleship as one of our key markers to work towards and we are thinking of ways to encourage this. Rev Teddy Kalongo has led us in 4 weeks on Colossians at Zion which has been livestreamed to the whole circuit as a separate study not linked to the fellowship group. We will await feedback and continue to explore new and other ways to lead and teach and worship. Our worship on a Sunday is varied and diverse just like our congregation and there is richness in the diversity and yet unity that we share as one body in Christ. 23 ## **Youth Work Report** We have two age groups for our young people’s work at Zion; Sunday Morning Youth and Sunday Night Youth. ## **Sunday Morning Youth (11-16)** Sunday Morning Youth meet during the morning worship at Zion. We join with the whole congregation for the first 15 minutes, before heading off to the Ryecroft Room (upstairs above the Beacon) for drinks and biscuits, games, activities and Bible studies. Over the last year we have looked at the New Testament letters from Romans to Jude, giving our young people an overview of what the writer has to say in each letter and why. We have recently started a new topic, helping our young people develop good godly character and what this means in the communities they are part of. Our young people have also enjoyed several socials including walking to the farm shop for drinks and cake, film and fish & chips night, bowling and a pancake party (joint with Sunday Night Youth). It is amazing to see our young people continue to grow in their faith, learn what being a Christian means and develop their personal relationship with God. Team: Paul Colechin, Jon Lugg, Trish Partridge, Pam Pit and Rachel Simister. ## **Sunday Night Youth (14-18)** 24 Sunday Night Youth meet in the Beacon on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays of the month (term time, 7.00 – 8.30pm). Our aim is to build friendships, encounter God and have plenty of fun - through games, refreshments and discussion. Over the last year we have been concentrating on the Alpha Youth series looking at topics like What Does Real Love Look Like, Does God Heal Today, What Does a Relationship with God Look Like. In January we held a special Holy Spirit evening allowing the young people and leaders to enjoy a time of prayer and reflection with the help of themed prayer stations set up in the Sanctuary. The evening ended with Holy Communion led by Sharon. We have also enjoyed social times together including our summer BBQ, Christmas Party and Pancake Party. Team: Sam Blackwell, Jon Lugg, Moira Ruff, James Taylor, Stevie Thornley and Catherine Whiteman. Moira will soon be stepping down from the group, so thank you Moira for being part of the team and encouraging and supporting our young people on their faith journeys. You will be greatly missed by both the young people and other leaders. This does mean that we will be looking to recruit at least one new leader for Sunday Night Youth – so if you have an interest in working alongside our young people in an incredibly rewarding experience do speak with any of the team. No previous experience is required; you just need a good sense of humour! ## **The Mix** Both our Sunday Morning Youth and Sunday Night Youth join together to attend the Mix at Woodlands Church in Clifton. This is a church service designed for young people that meets 4 times a 25 year. It is a wonderful opportunity for our young people (and leaders!) to join in with a church full of other young people from across Bristol, worshipping together and listening to God’s word. ## **3Generate** In October 2025 Sam, Sharon and Paul took 10 young people to 3Generate, the Methodist children and youth camp held at Birmingham NEC. 3Generate is an event for children and young people aged 4-18 which includes various activities, workshops and worship sessions designed to help young people explore their faith, develop leadership skills and make a positive impact in their communities. The theme for the weekend was "Journey of a Lifetime," focusing on exploring faith journeys, navigating discipleship and discovering "next steps" in a life of faith. It was an amazing weekend where our young people were able to build friendships, encounter God and spend time worshiping with other young people from around the country. If you want to know more about Zion’s youth work, or would like to get involved, please come and talk to us. Jon Lugg (Sunday Morning Youth lead) & Catherine Whiteman (Sunday Night Youth lead) Missing younger children’s report 26 ## **Open the Book Assembly Team-** ## **Frampton Cotterell and Coalpit Heath** Alison Bray, Neil Gibson, Sue Porter, Rachel Spence (Zion), Rosie Williams (St.Peter’s), Lucy Rogers (St. Saviour’s), Beth Brookman (Salem) Another wonderful year of sharing Bible stories in a dramatic, interactive & fun way with Frampton C of E, The Manor & Watermore primary schools: we’ve covered Abraham, found a wife for Isaac, retold Christmas & Easter, & we’ll finish with Jacob’s Ladder. The children love to help us, & at Christmas the teachers were excellent howling wolves on Bethlehem’s hills! We try to make our assemblies fun for everybody & have a great & growing rapport with the schools. Sadly, this year Tony & Mary Thexton (Zion) stepped down & we do miss them, but we are grateful that they’re there to help in emergencies. Sally Bellamy (St. Peter’s) also stepped down & Lucy has been ‘resting’, but we look forward to her return very soon. However, we were delighted that Sue Porter joined us- or should I say, rejoined, as Sue was a member over 20 years ago! Working across our T4F churches is fantastic- & we have lots of fun both rehearsing & performing! In Term 6, we shall be presenting Leavers Books to Year 6s on behalf of T4F- as well as being a useful resource as the children move up to secondary school, we hope they will remember our assemblies in years to come. We are actively looking for new members so if you would like to find out more, please have a chat with any of our Team members. Equally, we appreciate your prayers for us & for our schools. Alison Bray (Team Leader) 27 ## **Open the Book Assembly Team-** ## **Winterbourne** **Members:** Caroline Burgess (Zion), Paul Sherlock, Gill James, Patricia Love, Tina Evans, Pearl Conway (St. Michael’s Winterbourne) and Kate Kernaghan (Freedom Church Bristol). It has been another enjoyable year of outreach within the three local Primary schools we visit, Elm Park, St. Michael’s and Hambrook. We continue with Bible stories from The Storytelling Bible through the Open the book programme which the children as well as us always look forward to bringing to life. We have a break this Term, but return again in early July when we look forward to handing out a copy of the ‘It’s Your Move’ booklet to all our year 6’s moving on to secondary education. This is made possible thanks to the generosity of all the churches within Together for Fromeside. The feedback we have received from both staff and pupil’s is very positive about the book. We welcomed two new members this year Tina and Paul and say thank you to Jeff who has stood down. Thank you to all the churches for both your monetary and prayer support! Caroline Burgess- Co-ordinator for The Local Assembly Teams 28 ## **Zion Prayer Team Report 2026** Team members: Jane Crane, Rosemary Dark, Helen Francomb, Rev Sharon Lovelock, Wendy Magee, Sue Porter, Eric Ruff and Tony Thexton. The aim of the Prayer Team is to encourage, support and nurture all of our Zion church family in prayer both corporate and personal. We have continued to contribute to worship and prayer throughout the year such as Peace Vigils, hosting the opportunity to use Advent and Easter windows for times of prayer and reflection and involvement in worship at various times. We are always happy to receive suggestions for new prayer initiatives. Tuesday Prayers continues weekly in The Beacon at 9.15 a.m. open to all, do come and join us. Our thanks go to Eric who continues to provide us with a monthly Prayer Diary, an excellent aid to our daily prayer. He is always delighted to receive contributions. Recently a small group went to Harnhill Retreat Centre for a Lent Quiet Day, an extremely valuable time of reflection and refreshment. Many thanks to all who are part of the wider network of Prayer at Zion serving on the Prayer Ministry Team and Prayer Chain and encouraging prayer in Fellowship Groups and small groups. Our care for one another is hugely enhanced by this prayerful and supportive ministry. We pray that across our church community we may continue to appreciate prayer as an increasingly important and cherished part of our walk with God, both personally and as our Zion family. 29 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumst ances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV) Jane and Wendy ## **Prayer Chain** The members of the prayer chain are Diane Allen, Jean Bradbeer, Mary Drew, Jean Lowe, Wendy Magee and Kath May. We have requests very often some times daily and they can be for something very small or something that overwhelms you. It is such a privilege to pray for people and our church at Zion is very much focussed on prayer. I have been missing from prayer chain and prayer ministry recently owing to bereavement but I will be returning in May. I have certainly felt the love of my church family in these last difficult weeks for which I am very grateful for. We are here for you so if you don't want to use the prayer corner after Sunday worship please give us a ring. It doesn't really matter who you ring first we all either text or phone each other until the whole chain is involved. Jean Bradbeer jeanbradbeer@gmail.com 30 ## **Lunch for Those Working from Home** As a group we meet once a month, in someone’s home, giving those who work at home an opportunity to spend a lunch-hour together. Everyone brings their own food and the host provides tea, coffee or soft drinks. It’s a very fluid arrangement, with whoever is hosting choosing the date and time, and there is no need to book or to come each month. There is no charge. It’s not a formal meeting, more a chance to chat and enjoy some company. Numbers vary from 2 to 7 and it would be lovely to provide a ‘lunch-break’ for more. If you are interested in joining in do look out for future dates in Zion’s weekly email. Catherine ## **Ladies Circle** Our Ladies Circle has now unfortunately had to come to an end, due to circumstances after many years. We had a varied programme in 2025 – Bringing up Triplets – Hedgehog Rescue – Life on a Farm 50’s and 60’s, bringing back so many memories of those years - Food Hub – Air Ambulance. We ended our year with a Christmas buffet with entertainment which we all thoroughly enjoyed. The good news is, we have a “WhatsApp” group “Keeping in Touch” very kindly set up for us by Denis Bradbeer and organised by Jean. We now meet on 4[th] Wednesday in the month in the Beacon for tea and biscuits and a catch up with everyone, which has been very successful. Gill Underhill 31 ## **Zion Fellowship Report** Zion Fellowship meets on Monday afternoons from 2.30-4.00pm in the Beacon, managed by Wendy Magee and supported greatly by Nicola Bell, Kim Coles, Peggy Colbourne, Jean Murphy and Sonia Taylor. Members are generally of retirement age and both sexes. The group can be seen as an outreach one, but prioritises friendship. Currently there are 33 members on our books and weekly we usually have a steady attendance of 20 plus – a mixture of those who attend Zion, other churches or not at all. This year we were sad to lose our regular member Jan Sloss. We always welcome anyone who would like to come occasionally or for a particular speaker or event. Meetings each week open with prayer but then have varied content, led either by those who help, visiting speakers or groups. This past year we have held Christmas and Easter Services, both of which have now become a yearly occurrence, led by Sharon. Musical afternoons are popular and we have recently enjoyed a puppeteer. We also run a variety of craft activities, quizzes and games. Last August we had a 100[th] Birthday for one of our ladies. ‘Subs’ remain a modest £1.50 weekly, including refreshments. The group has been able to support various charities, including Wendy’s niece’s charity in Zambia and the Leprosy Mission. Do contact Wendy if you’d be happy to come one Monday and share with us or know of anyone who is hiding a talent! 32 ## **Feeding Fromeside Food Hub - Pantry and Café** The Food Hub has had another successful year and we have been seeing consistently more people using the Pantry since January with probably about half of our Food Hub Friends coming just for the café. There is a cheerful ‘buzz’ in the Beacon whilst people have their lunch, cake and a drink. Friendship groups have developed and it is lovely to see people chatting together. We are still operating on a ‘Pay as you are able’ basis and our funds are keeping up with demand. This has been helped again by some larger cash donations from within the wider community, along with the regular gifts that people make, both financially and with items placed in our donation boxes. Last year I wrote about all we do at the Food Hub and how it’s run so I’m not repeating that here, but do ask me if you have any questions, or come along and try it for yourself – I was told recently that we are a friendly bunch! We have had a few new volunteers this year and everyone continues to be extremely committed to the Food Hub and our team. The volunteers are a pleasure to work alongside and I know they genuinely enjoy helping out in this way, which makes my role as co-ordinator much easier. Our Parish Council Community Award for “outstanding service to the community of Frampton Cotterell” was a wonderful recognition of all we do together at the Food Hub. Sue Charters 33 ## **Zion Sunday Lunch for those Living Alone** For a good number of years, since the early 2000’s, a group of around 10 -12 people who live alone have met once a month at The Badminton (formerly Badminton Arms) in Coalpit Health for Sunday lunch after the morning service, at 12.30pm. The group currently is mainly, but not exclusively, widowed ladies and there are 14 who regularly attend, but not everyone attends every month (holidays, unwell etc.) and we book a table for 10. We usually meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month, but this varies e.g. we aim to avoid the potentially very busy weeks-Mothers’, Fathers’ days, Sundays in December etc. The date and how to book a place is published in the weekly Friday e mail. The Badminton serve a very good Sunday carvery and have a small portions option, and meals from the main menu can be ordered as well. It works well as we do not have to pre-order and they allow the group to pay for their meals individually at the till (very few places do this-for a group of 10 most want deposits, preordered meals and no separate payments)-this is not an “advert” but an explanation of why we go there! We do have to let them know, however, if numbers drastically reduced as they can give us a smaller table, hence the need to book a place or let the coordinator know if unable to attend. Helen Francomb, co-ordinator. 34 ## **Saturday Friends** Our group consists of people who live on our own. We have a small planning group of Joan Clark, Sonia Taylor and Diane Alan. We now have a DBS check and are able to organise outings from Zion. As usual we hire the Green Community Transport to visit local places of interest. Previously we joined with Jean Drew’s group in Winterbourne to go by coach to Highfield Garden Centre near Gloucester, followed by lunch in a nearby Carvery. In winter months we usually meet in the Beacon on the last Saturday of each month from 10.30am to mid-day. In February we had a pleasant outing to Nailsworth Garden Centre, which included a varied selection of shops. In March many of us joined to hear the Mel Eveleigh Jazz Trio in the Beacon, which was very much enjoyed by everyone. Our next outing is to Tintern Abbey and old railway carriages containing a museum and a café on the platform. With blessings Diane Allen 35 Zion United Church Frampton Cotterell End of Year Financial Statements Year ending 31" December 2025 Summary The figures contslned In the balance sheet as at 310 December 2025 Sh(￿ that the '8eneral fvnd (the mon*s available for day-ttrday church runnlng costs) slts at £143,959. an increase of £14.212 on the position in 2024. While the Income and expenditure figures for 2025 show a surplus of £15.088 it needs to be noted that the expenditure for 2025 is defiaent in staff costs for the last quarter of 2025 by approxlmately £16,(m. In addition, Income was boo￿￿ at the end of the year by a slgnificant extraordlnary donatlon wlthout whlch there woukl have been a deficlt for the year. However. there are a number of caveats whlch must be constdered as we look fDrward over the comln8 year. a) The sl8nlficant bequest whkh contributed to the funds for 2025 condudes In January 2026 and will therefo￿ reduce our regular morbthly income. b} As the average age of the congregation increases over time, there will be a Ilkelihood of downward pressure on the diurth income. cl The impact of 8enerdl price inflation on our expendlture budget wlll continue to be fe Whlle the overall funds of the church remaln healthy and have benefftted from an uptick in glvlng at the end of the year. the treasurers will continue to monltor trends to address the rlsks to both income and expendtture identtfted above and to ensure that adequate notice can be given of the Impact for the near future and any remedial action that 15 requlred. The Community Ploneer continued to serve throu8houtthe year in the communlty. The CP2 Fund cU￿entlY sits at £40,11% and remains funded through to 2027. The church attounts also hold the funds of the Monday Fellowship Gmup. These fund5 allow the group to fiourish and currentty sits at £4.08L Each Thursday, the'Food Hub, continues to support the wider community. Thls is funded by regular givtng from some church members a5 well as donatlons from those who attend. The current funds are £8,250 and thus should ensure the Food Hub to be 5ustslnable for the foreseeable fU￿re. In summary. the churth finan￿ ￿rnaIn healthy and provide a de8ree of confidence that the finances will be able to support the thurth activithes for the foreseeable future. The Treasu￿[5 will continue to review the s[tuali(￿ to ensu￿ k￿8 term siistslnabilty Is maintained. This report d 28th Febrnary 2026 rim ry Treasurer- Churth End of Year Finan¢%41 Statement 2025 lof This report dated: 16th March 2026 I rewF to the members on my examinalion of Ihe occounts set on poges 3 to 11 The Hd￿5 act as TIl￿ee$ orld (re respJrni)le Ihe kYeFKrakn of the occounts. I report in respect of my exaninolion of occcrfjnts CaTied wt under section 145 of the Charite5 Act I I'the Act"} and in c(￿yIng out my exam￿￿￿On. I have followed the ap￿ttable Directions given by the Chority commi￿on under seclion 145151{bl of Ihe Act. I have completed my examination. I confrm that no Mat￿la1 matkn hove come to my <)ttention in connection wth the exorrination Vth￿h gtves me Cal￿ to belleve that in. any moteriol respect: accounting records not kept in accordance wllh 5eclion 13) of Ihe Act or the occ(xJnts do not accord with the acc(xJnting rec￿d5 I have no concems and have come across no other in connecfÈon wtlh Ihe exomination to which attention should be drawn in ￿ler to enobb o Kxoper Und￿Stan(￿ng of Ihe accounts to be reached. &gned: This repcxl VAJS signed on: .......... A K Green- Independent Chcytered Acc(xmknt 74 Longford. Yate, Sovth Gloucestershire. B537 4JW 2of12 Prlorswr fitnd8 ￿rtd% funds fiwxl$ lund$ 127.OTI 21,757 - 1q834 158.911 13. 13,745 17 111 4.743 10.346 12.397 Toi*l In¢<¥n - 171735 185,347 Raisry fiJThJ8 1X>g47 28.rn - 159.T20 145.912 131JW •197 1U34 X753 transfor 14lla8 (1,5551 Tra￿l¢Tr 14.888 1981 17.W 14.8n {15.627J (17M (14,8rn use 14149 (816) 1W4 34763 129mO 181181 146A28 6¢756 1K710 18S,181 3of12 - 143.W 129.747 0•419nat•d Bequ&8t FLmd 10) 40.1 40,1L 41.398 F¢)od HL 4.1>1 4.(01 3045 Tog•therfi)r FTh (o) 1.422 Tatsi 14W 54756 - 194na 1841BI 4of12 Balanu Sheot dolallod Cla•s and ¢ode M2121M5 tr111212024 CuTrntas8•ts 176,7(XJ 181340 8503 22.104 19.931 18W1 Li1￿1￿ Z04 198,715 184181 1&534 151,800 Z01 186.181 198.715 184181 143,959 129,747 (o) 54,756 55.3n 198.71S 185,181 5of12 Stat•ment of A988ts and LiabillUo• (ty code) Cwr*rtA•8•t. Ca•hAt B•Th*Arnl In - 176.7(K) 165.340 14.884 22,1 19,931 T¢Jtsi 14U - 19(805 185371 (o) 4788 198,715 185,181 Genw81 Iunrtttrkaed) 143, 143.E69 129,747 ).1( 40.1( 41.398 Restrth. FHB Restrkl￿. MFG 4.101 4,081 (o) (o) {53> (53> T1%￿ 141 IX710 18&181 6of12 Fund movement summary Fund COMP 2.042 042) {0) CP2 41 18m6 21. 40,1&% 41* 1&836 21 40.106 4.861 5306 4161 8.250 3.945 4,081 4081 T4F (o) {0) 164 17 153) 164 17 {531 Unr¢8trictwJ 129,747 148.CS3 118251 (15,627) 143.950 8ub40tr18 129.747 14S.1193 116354 11462n 143,9Sg 7of12 14.751 14 14751 1468B (o) iHou 228 228 CNldYouth Tot* 184181 17&735 164aY2 19B.718 8of12 Anatysls of kncom¢ and expwthire Th1• La8t Jwr INCOME AND ENDCh¥ME￿ FRO 0110. Offertory (wg B* 75.878 n.456 0112. Offwtary 5.W 6,509 1101.Gfft*M onolfert 20.118 20.116 24.705 11￿2. Donalk 12.895 2.567 1104.8 11.41rA) 11.4(KJ 24.¢163 4F) 1106. Appea8 ard Oth8r Org8 1201 1400. thythx.Ythrth & Children 1,CQO 1.380 1em- HHI HOU￿ I 1800. CP2- Grants 15.157 15.151 13,689 1801 . COMP. Dwli¢ 1810. CP2 E)ondio 3.720 11.e65 19)1 . Coffee 148.834 158.911 1201- Hi 11A11 11.811 11,594 1205. Beacon Hye 1151 1801-'HII Hw. 13,n9 13,745 17 111 17 111 1103. 88nk lfilernst CFB 9of12 2.T16 &432 21￿- Grart8 1,967 I￿0. Hub 5,206 6.514 4743 10.346 12.397 1440gJ 1n.TJS 1W347 IOof12 31112 33.112 28.881 7.S(Kl 7￿] 7. 24.749 24.749 32.(Y22 7.033 6.899 8.932 7.569 2402. Gas 1.403 2.532 t.413 1.413 1,312 s.￿ 10,344 719 719 876 2407. ChuTh* Swvm $231 2411. M&￿$t•￿ Exp•rw8 125 2420. Colfee 2.HalGes 1.616 2fj03. Hal &ocby* 2601 . Jtmiw Chwth 120 173 2602. Yujth & Chld 2701 . Evanuelbm & Oubwth 4TJ 4n 2750- Food Hub 4A61 - 4￿1 2802-Tralnkng 2803.￿￿11￿ 11.4 11. 10.928 531 531 3(1)1 . Chur¢h ProF*ty &877 5.103 5.103 3010.A￿￿O ivtsu 1?41 1.341 1284 20A73 11,042 liof Exp*thn on th&li*l&¥ll¥111o• Tot•l• 11¢196 14751 4773 . 1&,720 148.912 156 184- 482 682 ExpwMltsn¢knKItrAth 116364 14.751 29.197 . 160.202 14(894 of Zion United Church Frampton Cotterell End of Year Financial Statements Year ending 31" December 2025 Summary The figures contslned In the balance sheet as at 310 December 2025 Sh(￿ that the '8eneral fvnd (the mon*s available for day-ttrday church runnlng costs) slts at £143,959. an increase of £14.212 on the position in 2024. While the Income and expenditure figures for 2025 show a surplus of £15.088 it needs to be noted that the expenditure for 2025 is defiaent in staff costs for the last quarter of 2025 by approxlmately £16,(m. In addition, Income was boo￿￿ at the end of the year by a slgnificant extraordlnary donatlon wlthout whlch there woukl have been a deficlt for the year. However. there are a number of caveats whlch must be constdered as we look fDrward over the comln8 year. a) The sl8nlficant bequest whkh contributed to the funds for 2025 condudes In January 2026 and will therefo￿ reduce our regular morbthly income. b} As the average age of the congregation increases over time, there will be a Ilkelihood of downward pressure on the diurth income. cl The impact of 8enerdl price inflation on our expendlture budget wlll continue to be fe Whlle the overall funds of the church remaln healthy and have benefftted from an uptick in glvlng at the end of the year. the treasurers will continue to monltor trends to address the rlsks to both income and expendtture identtfted above and to ensure that adequate notice can be given of the Impact for the near future and any remedial action that 15 requlred. The Community Ploneer continued to serve throu8houtthe year in the communlty. The CP2 Fund cU￿entlY sits at £40,11% and remains funded through to 2027. The church attounts also hold the funds of the Monday Fellowship Gmup. These fund5 allow the group to fiourish and currentty sits at £4.08L Each Thursday, the'Food Hub, continues to support the wider community. Thls is funded by regular givtng from some church members a5 well as donatlons from those who attend. The current funds are £8,250 and thus should ensure the Food Hub to be 5ustslnable for the foreseeable fU￿re. In summary. the churth finan￿ ￿rnaIn healthy and provide a de8ree of confidence that the finances will be able to support the thurth activithes for the foreseeable future. The Treasu￿[5 will continue to review the s[tuali(￿ to ensu￿ k￿8 term siistslnabilty Is maintained. This report d 28th Febrnary 2026 rim ry Treasurer- Churth End of Year Finan¢%41 Statement 2025 lof This report dated: 16th March 2026 I rewF to the members on my examinalion of Ihe occounts set on poges 3 to 11 The Hd￿5 act as TIl￿ee$ orld (re respJrni)le Ihe kYeFKrakn of the occounts. I report in respect of my exaninolion of occcrfjnts CaTied wt under section 145 of the Charite5 Act I I'the Act"} and in c(￿yIng out my exam￿￿￿On. I have followed the ap￿ttable Directions given by the Chority commi￿on under seclion 145151{bl of Ihe Act. I have completed my examination. I confrm that no Mat￿la1 matkn hove come to my <)ttention in connection wth the exorrination Vth￿h gtves me Cal￿ to belleve that in. any moteriol respect: accounting records not kept in accordance wllh 5eclion 13) of Ihe Act or the occ(xJnts do not accord with the acc(xJnting rec￿d5 I have no concems and have come across no other in connecfÈon wtlh Ihe exomination to which attention should be drawn in ￿ler to enobb o Kxoper Und￿Stan(￿ng of Ihe accounts to be reached. &gned: This repcxl VAJS signed on: .......... A K Green- Independent Chcytered Acc(xmknt 74 Longford. Yate, Sovth Gloucestershire. B537 4JW 2of12 Prlorswr fitnd8 ￿rtd% funds fiwxl$ lund$ 127.OTI 21,757 - 1q834 158.911 13. 13,745 17 111 4.743 10.346 12.397 Toi*l In¢<¥n - 171735 185,347 Raisry fiJThJ8 1X>g47 28.rn - 159.T20 145.912 131JW •197 1U34 X753 transfor 14lla8 (1,5551 Tra￿l¢Tr 14.888 1981 17.W 14.8n {15.627J (17M (14,8rn use 14149 (816) 1W4 34763 129mO 181181 146A28 6¢756 1K710 18S,181 3of12 - 143.W 129.747 0•419nat•d Bequ&8t FLmd 10) 40.1 40,1L 41.398 F¢)od HL 4.1>1 4.(01 3045 Tog•therfi)r FTh (o) 1.422 Tatsi 14W 54756 - 194na 1841BI 4of12 Balanu Sheot dolallod Cla•s and ¢ode M2121M5 tr111212024 CuTrntas8•ts 176,7(XJ 181340 8503 22.104 19.931 18W1 Li1￿1￿ Z04 198,715 184181 1&534 151,800 Z01 186.181 198.715 184181 143,959 129,747 (o) 54,756 55.3n 198.71S 185,181 5of12 Stat•ment of A988ts and LiabillUo• (ty code) Cwr*rtA•8•t. Ca•hAt B•Th*Arnl In - 176.7(K) 165.340 14.884 22,1 19,931 T¢Jtsi 14U - 19(805 185371 (o) 4788 198,715 185,181 Genw81 Iunrtttrkaed) 143, 143.E69 129,747 ).1( 40.1( 41.398 Restrth. FHB Restrkl￿. MFG 4.101 4,081 (o) (o) {53> (53> T1%￿ 141 IX710 18&181 6of12 Fund movement summary Fund COMP 2.042 042) {0) CP2 41 18m6 21. 40,1&% 41* 1&836 21 40.106 4.861 5306 4161 8.250 3.945 4,081 4081 T4F (o) {0) 164 17 153) 164 17 {531 Unr¢8trictwJ 129,747 148.CS3 118251 (15,627) 143.950 8ub40tr18 129.747 14S.1193 116354 11462n 143,9Sg 7of12 14.751 14 14751 1468B (o) iHou 228 228 CNldYouth Tot* 184181 17&735 164aY2 19B.718 8of12 Anatysls of kncom¢ and expwthire Th1• La8t Jwr INCOME AND ENDCh¥ME￿ FRO 0110. Offertory (wg B* 75.878 n.456 0112. Offwtary 5.W 6,509 1101.Gfft*M onolfert 20.118 20.116 24.705 11￿2. Donalk 12.895 2.567 1104.8 11.41rA) 11.4(KJ 24.¢163 4F) 1106. Appea8 ard Oth8r Org8 1201 1400. thythx.Ythrth & Children 1,CQO 1.380 1em- HHI HOU￿ I 1800. CP2- Grants 15.157 15.151 13,689 1801 . COMP. Dwli¢ 1810. CP2 E)ondio 3.720 11.e65 19)1 . Coffee 148.834 158.911 1201- Hi 11A11 11.811 11,594 1205. Beacon Hye 1151 1801-'HII Hw. 13,n9 13,745 17 111 17 111 1103. 88nk lfilernst CFB 9of12 2.T16 &432 21￿- Grart8 1,967 I￿0. Hub 5,206 6.514 4743 10.346 12.397 1440gJ 1n.TJS 1W347 IOof12 31112 33.112 28.881 7.S(Kl 7￿] 7. 24.749 24.749 32.(Y22 7.033 6.899 8.932 7.569 2402. Gas 1.403 2.532 t.413 1.413 1,312 s.￿ 10,344 719 719 876 2407. ChuTh* Swvm $231 2411. M&￿$t•￿ Exp•rw8 125 2420. Colfee 2.HalGes 1.616 2fj03. Hal &ocby* 2601 . Jtmiw Chwth 120 173 2602. Yujth & Chld 2701 . Evanuelbm & Oubwth 4TJ 4n 2750- Food Hub 4A61 - 4￿1 2802-Tralnkng 2803.￿￿11￿ 11.4 11. 10.928 531 531 3(1)1 . Chur¢h ProF*ty &877 5.103 5.103 3010.A￿￿O ivtsu 1?41 1.341 1284 20A73 11,042 liof Exp*thn on th&li*l&¥ll¥111o• Tot•l• 11¢196 14751 4773 . 1&,720 148.912 156 184- 482 682 ExpwMltsn¢knKItrAth 116364 14.751 29.197 . 160.202 14(894 of