OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Unlimited Church

2024-12-31-accounts

UNLIMITED CHURCH ANNUAL REPORT 31ST DECEMBER 2024

Charity Number - 1149371

Page 1

TRUSTEE’ REPORT

The trustees present their report and account for the year ending December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered charity number: 1149371

Registered Office:

2 Velwell Road, Exeter, EX4 4LE

Trustees: Revd M Clayton Mrs L Clayton Mr D Frye Mrs S Sullivan Mrs S Squance (Resigned Oct 2024) Mr T Squance (Resigned Oct 2024)

Unlimited Church's activities are based at:

Unlimited Church St Mary's Arches Church Mary Arches Street Exeter EX4 3BA

The Bishop of Exeter officially recognised Unlimited and licensed it as a Bishop's Mission Order (BMO) on 4th March 2012.

Page 2

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT........................................................... 4 MEMBERS......................................................................................................................... 4 GOVERNING DOCUMENT................................................................................................4 RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES................................................... 4 TRUSTEES/LEADERSHIP MEETINGS.............................................................................4 TRUSTEE INDUCTION AND TRAINING...........................................................................4 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE RISK MANAGEMENT.............................................5 PUBLIC BENEFIT.............................................................................................................. 5 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES........................................................................................5 2024 LEADERS’ REPORT...................................................................................................... 6 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR............................................................................................ 6 1. A FAMILY ON A MISSION............................................................................................. 6 2. UNLTD COFFEE............................................................................................................6 3. STUDENTS & YOUNG ADULTS................................................................................... 7 4. GROWING TEAM & LEADERSHIP............................................................................... 7 5. FINANCIAL SITUATION.................................................................................................7 6. LOOKING AHEAD..........................................................................................................7 REVIEW OF THE YEAR'S ACTIVITIES..................................................................................8 SAFEGUARDING...............................................................................................................8 WORSHIP & PRAYER....................................................................................................... 8 SUNDAYS.......................................................................................................................... 8 UNLTD COFFEE................................................................................................................ 9 SCHOOLS & COLLEGE OUTREACH............................................................................... 9 LEADERSHIP TEAM/TRUSTEES................................................................................... 10 STUDENTS......................................................................................................................10 HANGOUTS..................................................................................................................... 11 UNLIMITED CHURCH STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024.............................................................................................................12 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS........................................................................................................ 13 BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024..................................................................14

Page 3

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

MEMBERS

Members of the church who are willing to express their formal commitment to belonging to Unlimited can sign up as legal members. To become a member, they need to agree to the following, which we believe are the core marks of belonging to the church:

GOVERNING DOCUMENT

In 2020, Unlimited Church became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and submitted a new governing document, which was approved by the previous directors and Members.

RECRUITMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF TRUSTEES

Trustees (leaders) are voted in at the Annual Meeting by the members for three years. At the AGM, at least one-third of the leadership will step down to ensure consistency and in line with the charity’s statutes.

TRUSTEES/LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

The trustees/leadership team meet every month.

TRUSTEE INDUCTION AND TRAINING

All trustees receive an induction pack and safeguarding training. They also undertake specific training where appropriate.

Page 4

FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE RISK MANAGEMENT

The trustees seek to maintain a broad base of funding sources, including grants, donations and payments for services rendered. Budgets are put in place at the beginning of the year in order to restrict spending in each area, and these budgets must be adhered to unless agreed upon at a leadership meeting. By implementing adequate and tight cost controls and providing ongoing financial management information, the financial risk to the charity is kept to a minimum.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The trustees of Unlimited Church in 2024, to the best of their knowledge, complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit as published by the Charity Commission, as they exercised their powers and duties. They have also been mindful of any risks to which Unlimited Church is exposed and have sought to address them.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Unlimited Church's purpose as a charitable company is to promote:

1. The Christian faith as part of the Church of England and in accordance with the values and tenets of the Anglican Communion, summarised in resolution 11 of the third Lambeth conference, following the Chicago-Lambeth quadrilateral, namely.

2. The relief of financial hardship by making grants of money or providing or paying for items, services or facilities.

3. The relief of sickness and the preservation of health by such means as the directors may determine the advancement of education and training.

Page 5

2024 LEADERS’ REPORT

As I enter my third year leading Unlimited Church (UNLTD CHURCH) & UNLTD COFFEE , 2024 was defined by growth, deepening relationships, and new opportunities to serve the city .

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

1. A FAMILY ON A MISSION

UNLTD Church remains committed to being a multigenerational family, wholeheartedly focused on reaching the unreached young people of Exeter , especially those with no prior church connection.

This mission is more important than ever. 86% of people in the church in the UK made a faith decision before the age of 25 , and this is also a stage where many wrestle with identity, mental health, and life’s big questions. At UNLTD, we have continued to prioritise and invest in this mission , offering young people a space where they can explore faith, find belonging, and encounter Jesus.

2. UNLTD COFFEE

UNLTD COFFEE went from strength to strength in 2024. The coffee trailer continued to be a powerful tool for outreach and a way of ‘being the church’ in the local community .

Our volunteer team (mainly students) have played a crucial role in ensuring that every interaction is warm, welcoming and prayerful . Seeing students take ownership of this vision and rally behind it has been particularly inspiring.

Page 6

3. STUDENTS & YOUNG ADULTS

Our student work continued to develop. We experienced a year of gradual growth within our student community, however, we only had a couple of new students join the church in September/October 2024 from the new intake of students. Our core group of students have been deeply engaged during term times - especially through UNLTD COFFEE and the Thursday Night Students & YA Hangout .

4. GROWING TEAM & LEADERSHIP

One of our biggest challenges in the foreseeable future will be human and financial provision . However, in 2024, the team grew from just me (and my wife Laura) to now also include:

This expanded team has been a huge blessing and has enabled us to take bolder steps in mission, outreach, and community engagement.

5. FINANCIAL SITUATION

Due to the nature of our mission, going all out for the largely unchurched and younger generations, our financial situation shifted significantly. Whilst reducing spending to an absolute minimum , we still faced a significant shortfall and continue to draw heavily on reserves .

This remains an urgent prayer point moving into 2025, as we continue to trust God for provision and stability.

6. LOOKING AHEAD

As we step into 2025, we do so with expectation and faith . God has been faithful in every season , and we believe He is preparing us for even greater things.

With a growing team, a deepening culture of discipleship and fresh opportunities to serve Exeter , we remain committed to reaching the next generation with the hope of Jesus .

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey, whether through prayer, serving, giving or simply showing up. You are part of what God is building here. Thank you!

Rev. Matt Clayton April 2025

Page 7

REVIEW OF THE YEAR'S ACTIVITIES

SAFEGUARDING

Until her resignation in October 2024, Sophie Squance held the position of Safeguarding Lead as well as Trustee. Following this, Laura Clayton assumed the position of interim Safeguarding Lead. Looking forward to 2025, we are looking to appoint a new Safeguarding Lead shortly.

Throughout the year, safeguarding remained a standing item on the agenda for all trustee meetings, with regular updates provided on developments and training requirements. Efforts are underway to revise safeguarding processes and procedures within the organisation, ensuring all necessary training is completed and signage is up to date.

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Worship and prayer have remained central to church life at UNLTD, especially during our Sunday gatherings. As a community, worship holds deep significance for us. Many rely on these moments to help discern truth, and we are committed to creating space for everyone to genuinely encounter God.

We were incredibly fortunate to have a committed worship team who give so much of their time to lead us and bless both the church and wider community through what they do.

During 2024, we made a shift in how we actively lead and participate in prayer during Sunday services. At the end of the talk, we take a moment of silence to wait on the Holy Spirit, and then encourage people to simply turn to the person next to them and ask, “How can I pray for you?”. While we’re still a small church and most people know each other, we want to move away from the idea that only the ‘experts’ pray. We want to make it easy for everyone to receive prayer, and just as importantly, to feel equipped and encouraged to pray for one another.

SUNDAYS

A key change in 2024 was moving our Sunday service from the afternoon at 16:00 to the morning at 10:30. This shift helped us grow, particularly among families with school-aged children and teenagers. It’s also created more opportunities for community and social time after church, which we’re excited to build on in 2025.

At UNLTD, we believe in keeping things simple, so we have four key elements

  1. Family time: before, after and during the service

  2. Worship: In 2024, we cut down the length of worship to three songs.

Page 8

3. A talk which includes a discussion in the middle.

4. Prayer: We’ve moved from a ‘come to the front’ model to ‘turn to the person next to you and pray’.

Something we heard frequently in 2024 from new people is how welcome they felt. Whether being greeted with a bacon sandwich, freshly brewed coffee or just the relaxed vibe, it has often caught people by surprise, in the best way.

Our pre-service hangouts were (and continue to be) full of life, with people gathered around game consoles, ping pong, table football, and the café tables. It’s all part of helping people feel at home and creating a space where everyone can connect and feel like they belong. We also made the most of the change of service time to arrange social events after the service, including lunches at the Claytons' home after church during the warmer months.

UNLTD COFFEE

UNLTD Coffee is our coffee trailer, which enables us to serve our local community and provides many opportunities for outreach with young people in Exeter. UNLTD Coffee continued to run in Bury Meadows Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays during 2024. Due to its proximity to Exeter College Hele Road campus, we were able to connect with many college students and staff, university students and local residents.

The resource of the coffee trailer, which has been embraced and supported by the Exeter Council, Exeter College and the local community, has enabled so many conversations with young people, and we take real responsibility and recognition in the influence we have with the younger generations in Exeter. We saw the significance of this grow over 2024.

The main challenge faced in running UNLTD Coffee was a lack of volunteers, who are integral to running the coffee trailer each week. We have served thousands of coffees throughout the years, and often have a large queue of people. We firmly believe that UNLTD Coffee is an essential missional resource for us, and so we are expecting and hopeful for more volunteers in 2025.

UNLTD Coffee also led to a closer working relationship with Exeter College, having been asked to speak at the Cathedral Carol Concert and being invited to work on events with the Students' Experience and Wellbeing teams

SCHOOLS & COLLEGE OUTREACH

School and College chaplaincy was impactful during 2024. Due to UNLTD COFFEE, we've built a fantastic relationship with Exeter College, and a small team worked with them to help deliver parts of their welfare program through the Wellbeing team. Through UNLTD Coffee, we regularly met students on the fringe of college life and started a free hangout space for the students called Toastie Tuesday, which grew in popularity over the years.

Page 9

The Director of Teaching, Learning and Development, Dee Rowett, wrote,

"We've relished the opportunity to partner with Unlimited Church over the course of this academic year as part of our wider student support for wellbeing and enrichment at Exeter College. Unlimited Church has been flexible and creative in their approach to working with us and have been involved in a variety of events, including offering free hot chocolate at our Christmas Fair, UNLTD coffee van at our Extracurricular Fair, and contributing to our programme for the annual Festival of Carols. The team, particularly Matt Clayton, have been a joy to work with and we hope to continue the partnership working in the future.”

Joe Greenhalgh, Assistant Headteacher at St Luke’s School, wrote,

“Matt has become a governor at St Luke's secondary school, chairing the (Christian) Ethos Committee - helping build faith and living in line with their Church of England values. Matt has already been a huge support to St Luke’s, offering encouragement and helpful feedback as chair of the governors’ ethos committee. He has also spoken at our carol service and in assemblies, communicating winsomely and engagingly to give students the opportunity to explore Jesus’ message.”

LEADERSHIP TEAM/TRUSTEES

The Leadership Team/Trustees have seen some changes in 2024. Sophie & Tom Squance resigned and decided to depart the church in late 2024 after being in the Unlimited community for a long period of time. Whilst their presence and involvement have been missed, we supported their decision to move on from Unlimited to find a new church family.

The current leadership team/trustees consists of Matt & Laura Clayton, Sarah Sullivan and Dan Frye. We are actively looking for other church members to join our leadership team and also trustees, so there can be balanced and fruitful conversation and decision making within our organisational structure

STUDENTS

Unlimited has successfully re-engaged the student community through a range of initiatives, including weekly hangouts, Sunday services, and a unique offering of late-night activities. One notable event was our Freshers Party, which welcomed students with free food, an inflatable surf machine, tote bag painting, and exciting games like FIFA, table tennis, and pool. This provided an excellent opportunity for students to socialise in a relaxed and enjoyable environment.

As the church is conveniently located outside the nightclub ‘Fever’, the church attracts a diverse crowd, including many university students who may not have considered stepping into a church before. These students often join in for the food and games, and it becomes an opportunity for them to engage in conversations about Christianity and being part of a caring

Page 10

community. The welcoming atmosphere encourages dialogue and fosters a sense of belonging among students who may be seeking connection and support.

Unlimited organises socials where students can come together to watch movies or go bowling, further strengthening the sense of community. Combined with increased social media activity and initiatives like the coffee van stationed weekly in Bury Meadows Park, these efforts are expected to draw even more students into the Unlimited community. This multifaceted approach underscores Unlimited's commitment to reaching and supporting the youth in Exeter, ensuring that the church remains a welcoming and inclusive space for all.

HANGOUTS

Hangouts are small groups of the church family which meet each week, either in homes or out somewhere in the city for a social time together.

This year, we have focused on wider church social hangouts and also a regular student Hangout group meeting at Matt & Laura’s house weekly on a Thursday evening. The groups have helped students get to know each other better and build a stronger sense of community as a church! It’s been a valuable time to meet, pray for and encourage one another.

Signed of Behalf of the Trustees

Rev. M Clayton

Date:

Please note, this report has been written on behalf of the trustees and will be signed off at our next meeting. If there are any amendments, all members will be notified.

Page 11

UNLIMITED CHURCH STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

2024
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Total
Income and
Endowments
from
Donations
and Legacies
£
£
£
Donations and
Legacies
24,529
-
24,529
Expenditure on
Charitable
Activities
28,805
-
28,805
Net (income/
Expenditure)
(4,276)
-
(4,276)
Net movement in
funds
(4,276)
-
(4,276)
Cash at bank
and in hand
(31st Dec)
26,381
7,655
34,036
TOTAL FUNDS
BROUGHT
FORWARD
34,975
7,65542,630
TOTAL FUNDS
CARRIED
FORWARD
30,781
7,655
37,636		 2023
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
£
£
£
27,352
-
27,352
28,522
-
28,522
(1,170)
-
(1,170)
(1,170) -
-
(1,170)
31,236
7,655
38,630
38,054
7,655
45,709
35,135
7,65542,790

Please note that the statement of financial activities and movement in funds are preliminary records and have not yet been checked or verified by an independent examiner.

Page 12

MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

At 1/1/24 Incoming Resources Transfer At
resources expended between funds 31/12/24
Unrestricted 30,975 24,529 28,805 - 26,381
funds
Restricted
funds
Vicars 975 - - - 975
discretionary
fund
Building 6,680 - - 6,680
improvements
Total 7,655 - - - 7,655
Assets 4,000 - (800) - 3,200
Debtors - 400 - - 400
Total Funds 42,630 - (4,276) - 37,636

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

Grant funding towards improving the existing Mary Arches church building to make it more suitable for the mission of the church

VICAR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

Honorariums received or work done by the vicar outside of Unlimited Church. This funding can be used at the vicar's discretion to support the growth of the church, its leaders and members.

Page 13

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

NOTES 2024 2023
£ £
Fixed assetsTangible assets 3 3,200 4,000
Current assets
Debtors 1 400 250
Cash at bank and in hand 34,036 38,630
Creditors: amounts falling due - 351
within one year
Net current assets 38,630 34,436
Net assets 42,630 37,636
Funds
Unrestricted funds 30,975 26,381
Restricted funds 7,655 7,655
Total funds 37,636 42,630

The accounts have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the special provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The statement of financial activities has not been delivered to the Registrar of Companies.

Page 14

Unlimited Church

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024.

1. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practivce applicable to Charities preparing accounts in accordance with FRS 102, The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (as applied to small entities by section 1A of the standard). The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets, other than freehold land, at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual value, of each asset evenly over its expected useful life, as follows:

Equipment

20% on cost

Taxation

The company is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for the particular restricted purposes.

Pensions

Contributions to defined contribution plans are expensed in the period to which they relate.

Page 15

2. Employees 2024 Number 2023 Number
Average number of persons - -
employed
3. Tangible fixed assets Equipment
Cost £
At 1 January 2024 12,000 11,387
At 31 December 2024 12,000 11,387
Depreciation
At 1 January 2024 7,387 5,387
Charge for the year 2,000 2,000
At 31 December 2024 9,387 7,387
Net book value
At 1 January 2024 4,000 6,000
At 31 December 2024 3,200 4,000
4. Debtors 2024 2023
£ £
Other debtors 400 -
5. Creditors: amounts falling due 2024 2023
within one year £ £
Taxation and social security costs - -
Other creditors - -
6. Other information
Unlimited Church is a charity registered in England.
Its registered address is:
2 Velwell Road, Exeter EX4 4LE

Page 16