Wem Baptist Church Accounts For The Year Ended 31 December 2023
Wem Baptist Church Trustees Annual Report 2023 The trustees present their Annual Report and financial statements for 2023 Aitns and Purposes of the Charity As an independent, Bible-believinu church. Wem Baptist Church'q purposes are (as staled in the Church's Consiillltion}-. "(al Ihe advancemeni of ihc Chri81ian faith in accordance with the Church's B&si.s of Faith. primarily. but not exclu5Trvely. in Wem and the %urroundino ncighbourhood: and {b) such other charitable PU4KTrses as shall. in the opinion of thc members of ihe Church in general meeting. turther the wvrk ol the Church." As a church. we committed to spreading ihc B Tblc s mc.4S¢ige concerning Jesus. lo develop people's knowledoe of hitn. and to encourdue them to worship. irusi and .%erve him. We seek to encnurdge £15 many as possible 10 follow Jesus'5 exarnple of love and compassion in serving each other the wider communily. As in ?022. financial giving remained strong and ihrough Ehe Grace of God ihe church had no difficulties in meciing regular financial cofftmittnents. Objectives and Activities The Trustccs have read the Charity Commi55ion guidanLt on public bencfil and are sati.sfied thai the activities described below cleatly demonslrate ihai the charily is Providing a benefi¢ 10 (he public. To fulfil the aims and PUFPOSCS of the Church &s statcd above. a variery of activities are provided for both the benefit of church members and for the benefil of tnembers of ihe public. Our weekly Sunday 5erYices, at 10.00 am and 6.00 pm. centrdl io our church life. and are open lo the whole Lomi)iunily. They are advertised in local publications. on the Church'5 own and other web.siIcs. on ihe Church's Faceb(x)k P<ige. ¢thd ouL%ide ihe church building. We Seek to encourage attendance by members of the widei community by making these gatherings Inendly. informal and joyful OLcasions. In addiiion. Ihese service.8 ale stieamed" and re accc5sible io all via the Internet. whilst recurdings of them are available LTrn ihe Church'q
webgiie. During mosi Sunday morning qervices "Junior Church- is run. which 1% opcn io all primary school-aged childrcn. Therc is also a Bible cl&s% for iho8e in sch(KTrl years 5. 6 and 7. The Church provides a variely of midweek praver and Bible sludy meeting% in encourage fellowship and growth in the CThristian faiih. both on ihe Church prcmises and in the homes of some members. Once again. these meetings are open io all and arc advertised on ihe Church, website and in the Chuich'5 weekly new.s sheei. One hou.4e group ha5 used Zoom lo further I'acilitate altendance for all. Agc-appropriate tnidweek ¢lub.4 are also provided for children and young people from boih "ChurLh" families and fron) the wader comTnunitv. The youih leader% held a particularly suLces5ful 'Bontire nioht, on one the tncmber s lands. Teenagers from several local ev<illgelic<il churches attended ihi.% eveni. During iem)-titnc. a weekly pareni and t()ddler group is also run bv the Church. This maiiily serve.8 familie% froTn (he community. Pareni.s, grandpentS and child minders very much appreciate the aciivities. songs and stories 0[gl$ed for the tod(llers and ihe adults enjoy the refreshments and the time to talk and Share. We believe it 15 very important for children to have plenty of opportunities io and play with others ol Iheir own age. On Wem Market Day (Thursday) the chuTch welcomes the comtnunity for coffee. tea and cakes. This is nol a profil-making oprtUnity. li is an opportuniiy io build links with people who do not attcnd Sunday worship. It 15 siaffed by a Con11t(ed and enthusiasiic &Yroup of church volunteers who are always available to provide a listening ear to ¢ho%e who lonely or Iroublcd. Where possiblc. the Church responds to invitaiions from local primary and secondiuy schools. radio staiion5 and othcr oruanisations to leach ihc me5sagc of the Bible. We have provided speakci& for Thouvht for the Day. ai the local sccondary school. Thom&% Adam%. Wem. We dre graiefuL for thi.s link with the community. From time to time. the Church offets Lourses to all who are inlere51ed in finding out more about the chri.stian Faith. Wc also offer occasional course.4 in persondl financc with niaterial supplied by 'ChTiStiart.s Againsi Povctly., Individual pa.storal and spirilual advice are offered to people living in the church'5 locality. We cunducl ma]ageS and funeral% in accordance wilh the teaching of ihe Bible. We support n]issionary and evangeli4liL work in North Shropshire. naiionally and itklcrnalionally. Ihis year we have supported d leaLhcrl missionary in Kenya. For around fifty years Wem Bapiisi church has organtged a Holiday Bible Club. In ?0?3 this
con8isled 4 days ot aclivities cenircd on a scrÉe.4 of Bible storics. li is held in the e]Y Pdrt of August and is aiiended by 80-100 local chtldren from the community. It is greatly appreciaied by borh adults children. For the few years. we have link'ed io Ihe governmenl's 'Holiday Aciivilies and Fwd Pr00re. to provide aclivity and food for free school mca15 and SEN children town. The children enjoyed Bible stories and Chri%lian ieachinu ai the appropriate level. On the Friday of the week. a parenL% evening with refreshments was held. Ii was very well attended. The Trustees. responsibilities The Trnstees are responsible for ihe mainienance of ihe church building in Chapel Street. Wcm, and the Manse in Staiion Road. Wem. They Jlso havc oversight of the Icgal and financial integrity of the charity. The Chuich has insurance policies in place covering asseis and potential liabilities which could lse and meeis it% legal requiremenl5 in this area. The Trusiee.8 have aorccd several w)licies which in pldce reviewed revv1[Y including the Child Proiection Policy and the Hcalih and Safely Policy which both reviewed nually. The Tn]stec5 have put in place a comprehensive range of employment policies and continue io highlight ihe imponancc and ielevance of thc Dald Protection procedures. The Trustces meei four times a ye. These mcctintrs are fornially rccorded, and these rccords are available for in%pectioD by the Charity Cotntnis5ion and the Independent Examiner. Achievements and Performance The Church does noi measurc the success of its miDi51ries mainlv in number%. includinu [anCIal numbers. bul in le%$ tangible ways like owth of individuals ill their Chrisiian faiih and in opponunities to share ihe Chrislian go8pel with members of the con]munily. Such "success" is difficult io measure. but the Tru5lce4 rejoice in anothcr year when thc Gospel of Jesus Christ has been ghared with ihc iown of Wcm. Thi% year we have pwvided free lileraiute ouiside the chuiLh building in Chapcl Street. Thi5 includes Bibles. book5- and leaflets. Thcsc h<ive proved popular aT]d hundreds of items have been taken. We are encouraged io find that they have not ihen been dropped in the street and have not contributrd io liltering. At(endance at the Sunday seryices in Wem average around 11)0 in ihe mornings and around 45 in (he eyenings. Much of the woik of ihe church was carried out by a large number of volunteer5 who, amonust othei ministrie5. serve &s musicians. Home-group leadcri. lay preachcrs. childrcn.s dnd youth Icaders. visitors to the sick and elderly. church maintainers. administrators. and so on. We give thanks lo Ihe Lord tor their faiihful and fruiiful efforts. This ycdr our Pastor. Nath&U] Burley. who led many of the services. conlacled those in need of pasloral support and chaired the Trusiees and the other decision-making meeiings. The church's adminislralor, rinancial administraiof ¢ind cleanei were employed on pan-iime contracts. We are very grateful
¢0 ihern especially as ihcy give extra timc voluntarily. Wem BdP(isi Church coniinues io seek io support thosc facing fInancial challcngcs. Thc church buTrlding is d collection tKTrini for the local food bank. The Deacons hold a fund which be called upon by the church leaders to support those in financial need. Overse&s mis.sionary work was alw supported lasl year. with continued finance given to a nuniber of organisations. The details of the support given are included in the Treasurer'g Report below. By conviciion, Wem Bapiist Chtlrch is a welcoming group which Ixtrih encourages the comTnunity into our building and seeks io suppon Ihe town of Wem by geiiing involved in ihose events that are compaiible with our values and beliefs.
Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31 st December 2023 Summa of the Year At the start of 2023 the church had a heatthy opening cash Fjosilion of over £47,000. A summary of the 2023 church linances is as follows: Incorne £115,100 {budget £90.7581 Mainly due to increased offerings. gift aid. reslricled donations and a grant to assisl with legal costs in relation to the trust. Expenditure £96.826 (budget £99,433} Savings on expenditure were made in several areas including Chapel Slreet and manse expenses {£6,OOOJ. Funds are ring-fenced lor polential manse kitchen upgrade. Surplus £18.274 {budgeted deficit £8.675). Closing bank balance £65.429. Other Causes A total of £12,320 was distributed during 2023 as follows and included gifts lo Operation Mobilisalion, Checkpoint Christian Youth Trust, Teach Beyond, Plalform 67 and the Friends ol Wem Cemetery. In addilion. a fLJrther £9.624 was generously given by Church members via restricted offerings, to a variely of Christian charities. Reserves Polic The Managing Trustees maintain a balance on unreslricted funds of £10,000 to cover emergency situations that may arise from lime to time. Conclusion The Church enlers 2024 with a solid cash balance of over £65.000. Whilst a deficit budget has once again been lonnulated. this is based on a prudenl view of income and will nol impact on the reserves policy as covered above, The Managing Trustees are grateful to everyone involved in the management of the church linances and recognise God's continued financial provision to Wem Baptist Church.
Structure, Governance and Management Weni Baptist Church is a charilable unincorporated associalion. The way Ihal Ihe church is governed is sel out in the church's constitution thal was revised and agreed on 20th September 2022. The members ol the church elect elders and deacons lo govern, manage and serve Ihe church, and together Ihese acl as Managing Trustees for the charity- During 2022, one of the elders was a full-lime paid worker las paslorl. Three of the Deacons, {the general administrator, financial administrator and cleaner) were also employed part-time. The church's constitution allows for this, wilh suitable safeguards tor the avoidance of conflicts of interest. The church is attiliated to Ihe Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC}, The holding trustee for the manse and the Chapel Street premises is the Church Growth Trust. Administrative Infomalion Wem Bapiisl Church is sÉtuated in Chapel Street, Wem. Shrewsbury, Shropshire. SY4 SER. Wem Baptist Church's Charily Regislralion Number is 1149374. hllanaging Trustees who have served in the period 1s1 January 2023 until 31st December 2023 as follows: Nathan Burley - Chairman lon Berry- Vice Chairman Robin Townsend (appointed 5th June 2023) Lorna Dakin- Administrator Ashley Bone Elizabeth Dakin Graham loynes John Paul Towers (appointed 4th December 2023) Lyn Towers - Financial Administrdtorrfreasurer (appointed 4th December 2023)
Declaration The Managiry Trustees declare that they have approved the above report. Signed on behalf of the Managing Truslees (1}- Full Name= Nathan Philip Godfrey Burley Chair of the Tfustees Signed on behaFf ol the Managing Trustees {21= 7JZI Full Name- Elizabeth Patricia Dakin Truslee & Chair ol the Dea(x)ns
Independent Examiner's Report to the Management Committee of Wem Baptist Church on Ihe Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 Basis of independent examiner's report We report on the accounts ol Weffl Baptist Church for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Group's officers are responsible for Ihe preparation ol the accounts. The Group's officers consider that an audit is not required for this year and Ihal an independent examination is needed. 11 is our responsibility to.. examine the accounts lo follow the general directions for Ihe conduct of an independent examination to stale whether particular matters have come to our attenlion. Basis of independent examiner's slatemenl Our examination was carried oul in accordance Wllh general directions for an independent examination. An examination includes a review ol the accounting records kepl by the committee and a comparison of the accounts presenled wilh those records. 11 also includes consideration ol any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as a comrniltee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently we do not express an audil opinion on the view given by ihe accounts. Independent examiner's slalemenl In connection with our examination. no matter has come to our attention- which gives us reasonable cause to believe that in, any mateTial respect, the requirements to keep appropriate accounting records; and lo prepare accounls which accord with the accounting records and comply with applicable financial reporling standards have not been mel- or lo which, in our opinion, attention shouEd be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Community Accounting Services Lld 7 Napoleon Drive Shrewsbury SY3 SPH Date: 2010912024
Wem Baplisf Church omtr & Expenditure Accounts lor the Year Ended 31 December 2trXJ Unrestricted Funds 2023 RestCted Total Funds Funds 2023 Total Funds 2022 2023 Iti¢ome Olferings Gill Aid & Bank Inte$1 Granis Donations Refreshments Bookstall Church GfOUPS Other Income 74.270 15.164 7,926 74,270 16,236 73.659 Y6.387 1,390 10.213 1.587 158 1,265 1.072 8,872 9,913 2,589 132 132 Totsl Incorne 1D4,156 10,944 115.100 106.051 Expenditute Running costs Wages Pension Travel & relocat*Jn expenses Conference Expenses Repairs & Maintenanc8 Light & heat Insurance Rates Legal & prolessKn IniJepeThl8nl examin Telephone Publicity Cornpulef eosts & 8quipTrsent LiceKes Bookstall Evangelisrn chIre & Youth Refreshments DonatlOnS to other causes Training Deacon's gifts Printing & Stationery Subscriptions Gera1 expenses 34289 1054 2.741 465 324 10,617 3.559 1,319 1.319 5.498 3,290 4,059 5,498 4,059 3.781 10.018 1,633 1.917 2.134 739 146 78 2.293 1J60 21.954 729 592 3, 732 1.917 2134 739 146 192 920 1,676 786 19.775 550 405 825 1.000 2.355 l293 9.624 soo 700 1373 2.3n Tolal Exp8nses 87.2W2 9.624 96.826 102,707 Nei Incoming Resour¢e5 Before Transfers 16.954 18,274 3.344 Transfer Behveen Funds Net Incorning ReSOUTce8 16,954 18.274 3.344 Fund balance breughl forward at 1 January 2023 46.541 614 47.155 43.811 Fund 8alance Carried Fonvard at 31 December 2023 63,495 1,934 65,429 47, 155 The statet ol financi actNiilies indL#Jes al gairs wxl bsses recognised in the year. All Irthming rÈsources and resources derive fr(yn conliwit¥J ac11vit.
Wem Baptist Church Statement ol Assets lor the Year Ended 31 December 2023 Unrestricled Bestrlcted Funds Funds 2023 2023 Total Funds 2023 Cash al bank 63.495 65,429 Signed on behalf of the eharity's trustees Nathan Phllip Godfrey Burley Chair ol th• Trusiee$ Date 32 [aOZ Eliubeth P3trieia Dakln Trustee & Chair of the Deacons MJL Date 27Kc)q I2C>Z%- 10