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← New Life Church Bristol

2024-03-31-accounts

New Life Church BristolNew Life Church Bristol Report and AccountsReport and Accounts

year ended 31 Marchyear ended 202 14

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 24 Congleton Road St George Bristol BS5 7AP GOVERNING DOCUMENT Declaration of Trust dated 29th January 2013 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1150750 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Mrs S Hall (Chair) MANAGING THE CHARITY Mr D Summerhill Mrs M Moorcraft Mr R Penska Mr R Brown BANKERS Barclays Bank INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB INDEX Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-8 Trustees' Report Page 9 Independent Examiner's Report Page 10 Receipts and Payments Account Page 11 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 12-13 Notes to the Accounts

Page 1

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

Introduction

New Life Church Bristol (NLCB) was registered as a charity on 8 February 2013 and this annual report covers the period for the year ended 31 March 2024. The church has continued to meet at Frenchay Village Hall for Sunday morning meetings during the year with mid-week meetings being held in the homes of church members. During the year the church has continued to reach out to people within the Frenchay and wider community, be involved in city wide projects and missions as well as providing grants and gifts as need was identified. Richard and Kim Brown in their role as Pastors continue to be employed by the Church enabling the links with other churches and the community to be strengthened as well as providing time for teaching and pastoral work within the church. Dave and Nicky Summerhill, together with Richard and Kim, work together combining their differing gifts and abilities to provide an effective leadership team. This report sets out the many achievements of the church against our stated objects.

Objects and activities

The stated objects of New Life Church Bristol are:

• The advancement of the Christian faith through engaging in worship, bible-based teaching, and the furtherance of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs set out in the Trust Deed. This includes extending our work to other areas of the world.

Our principal activities to achieve these objects for the public benefit are:

Further information on these activities and how they have delivered public benefit is described under the section Achievements and Performance below.

Achievements and Performance

The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on Public Benefit and the guidance for charities for the advancement of religion when making their decisions and planning activities. The activities and achievements are set out below.

Page 2

Church services

The church continues to meet at Frenchay Village Hall on a Sunday morning with a small team arriving early to set up the back drops, equipment and PA in time for the worship team to start practising just after 9 o’clock. The service begins at 10.30 and involves spirit-led worship, bible-based teaching, and prayer ministry as well as the opportunity to meet and develop supportive relationships. Sunday services functions well through the significant volunteering contribution made by members serving in the setting up and packing away of equipment, the worship team, PA function, welcome team and coffee rota.

Opportunities are always available for the congregation to share what God has been revealing to them, this may include testimonies as well as the preached word. Our services occasionally vary in style with an ‘Open Mic’ service having no planned preached word but encouraging the wider congregation to share what God is speaking to them about. Another format was entitled ‘Unplugged’ where the set up was deliberately stripped back, with a smaller worship team, minimal PA and no backdrops with the service starting with brunch around tables. Once a month this simpler style means we become less dependent on the infrastructure and also reduces the workload for the teams setting up. This year we planned a special thanksgiving service on the weekend of the Kings coronation and during January we held an ‘Encounter’ evening with the purpose of giving time and space for the Holy Spirit to speak to us through an extended time of worship. The evening was a powerful time with other local churches joining with us and further evenings are planned for the coming year.

All our Sunday morning services are open to the public and we always give a special welcome to any visitors to our meetings since one of God’s words over the church was that we would be an oasis for people to come and be refreshed and receive what God is saying to them. As our website states our prayer and hope is that the church will be a place where people will be made to feel welcome and included, where they find a place to belong, come to believe in Jesus and become all they can be. We are happy to accept that their visit may be once or may be for a short period but this year we have seen a few people commit to a longer-term relationship with us and get involved with the running of the church.

Much of the teaching on a Sunday was brought by the leadership team with other members also being given opportunity to preach as God inspired them. During the year the leadership invited several visiting speakers including Dave Mitchell, Pam Scott-Cook and Tim Dobson from Woodlands Church that we are associated with. Teaching from Sunday mornings is available to the public through podcasts on the church website.

Children’s Work

With no regular children attending our meetings, any visitors’ children were provided with toys and activities at the back of the hall where the church was meeting. Separate meeting facilities were available at the hall if required. Although we have no regular children’s work on a Sunday, members of NLCB are part of a team who provide ‘Open the Book’ sessions in Frenchay Primary school every other week during term time. This involves acting out bible stories as part of the school assembly. At Christmas the church was able to bless the school by paying for 4Front Theatre (https://www.4fronttheatre.com) to present their Christmas production to the whole of the school.

The Children’s work was staffed by volunteers and training is provided as required under our safeguarding policy. The policy is reviewed annually by the appointed Safeguarding Officers and the Trustees.

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Teaching and discipleship

Part of advancing the Christian faith is to deepen the church’s understanding of the bible and what it teaches. Our Sunday morning services included a number of teaching series covering such areas as the life of Moses, the seven ‘I AM statements’ of Jesus, the Lord’s Prayer and we are just starting to explore the Nicene Creed. As well as teaching on a Sunday, lively discussions took place midweek answering questions and clarifying principles as they were raised. The groups differed in their style and content to suit the needs of members.

In July, the Leadership and Trustee team had an away day together and one of the outcomes from this time was the decision to raise the profile of prayer within the church. During the Autumn, Nicky, supported by Dave’s publication skills, created a prayer booklet which was given to every member of the church. This resource was used to guide a period of 21 days of prayer which took place in January supported by teaching on the Lord’s prayer and additional prayer meetings including a women’s and men’s prayer breakfasts. It was a powerful time of drawing close to God and a great way to start the year.

In July the New Wine conference took place in Kent and a group from the church attended in person. The event provided a wealth of teaching, encouragement, and spiritual direction as well as a time to relax and have fun together, even though the weather was wet. As well as providing support and direction throughout the year, New Wine also organised a leaders’ conference in February in Harrogate which was titled ‘Holy, Healthy and Humble’ and was attended by the leadership team and included worship, bible teaching and messages on current issues. It is an important time for encouraging leaders and to hear what God is saying to the church generally as well as renewing connections between leaders.

Overseas linked churches

The Church has continued its strong links with the Path of Life Ministries in Zambia which is led by Pastor Maureen Luwi. Pastor Maureen is responsible for leading a number of churches within Path of Life Ministries in Zambia based around Solwezi and the surrounding areas. NLCB provided financial support to Path of Life Ministries to enable them to extend God’s kingdom in this part of the world, deepening the faith of the people in the churches and reaching out to those in need. Financial support was provided for emergency repairs to a water tank and additional security following a break-in. Funds were also provided to the church in Mwinilunga which is part of Path of Life Ministries. We maintained regular contact with Pastor Maureen through WhatsApp and continued to support her as she developed her ministry following the unexpected loss of her husband in 2021. NLCB also provided funds to the church in Lusaka led by Pastor Joseph Kapaso to support the needs of widows and orphans.

A team of five, led by Dave Summerhill, visited Zambia in June spending time with the churches in both Solwezi and Lusaka where Dave had the opportunity to preach. The main purpose for the visit was to provide a work party in Solwezi to paint the church and school and provide gifts and mealie meal to the children and families of the school and church. The gifts and mealie meal were funded through contributions donated by NLCB members and presented to the families by the team.

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The Beacon of Power Academy School which the church helped to establish in Solwezi, provides an opportunity for those children to attend primary school who normally would not do so due to social and family reasons. Although state education is now free in Zambia, we continue to support the primary school as the state primary schools are significantly over subscribed. Through our support the primary school has increased in size and now occupies the classrooms previously used by the secondary school. By March 2024 there had been a significant increase in students from around 150 to over 205.

The primary school is financially supported by the Church and by sponsorship from individuals. Donations by individuals have been classed as restricted income and are titled School4kids. The funding the church provides not only provides a high standard of education to some of the most vulnerable children but also supports their families for example through the provision of mealie meal, a staple part of their diet.

There is currently no plan to visit Zambia in 2024/25 but regular contact will be maintained with Pastor Maureen and Pastor Joseph in Lusaka.

Pastoral care

The Church meets during the week to provide a time for informal discussions on Christian teaching, prayer, support to those in need, reaching out to the community as well as social activities and events. One mid-week meeting a month involves the whole church, a couple of weeks in small groups and some weeks are unplanned and kept free for members to outwork their own outreach activities.

The Spiritual Leadership provides support and advice where required to enable people to work through challenges and issues. The church continued to partner with Kintsugi Hope, who are a UK charity (Charity No. 1175529) seeking to make a difference to people’s mental wellbeing. Although the Leadership team take responsibility for pastoral care, we encourage all members of the Church to reach out to those in need showing the love of God in practical ways. A fund for those in need was available to provide financial assistance to those both inside and external to the Church as the need was identified.

Support to the Frenchay Community and wider Bristol area

Part of outworking our objects is to reach out to those in need within the community and be a witness for our Christian faith. At the end of April the church, in conjunction with Bristol Noise (a Bristol based event showing God’s love to communities, (Charity No.1134099)), spent the weekend carrying out work in the community including developing some of the outside space at Frenchay Primary School, working on gardens in Lawrence Weston and various maintenance tasks at the Village Hall where we meet. During the year Church members have also assisted with filling gift bags for prisoners which were given as presents at Christmas organised by a Christian charity called Sixty-One (Charity No. 1159302).

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The Church has also supported the needs of the homeless by providing practical help to the Bristol Churches Shelter project (part of inHope, Charity No. 298528). This involved working with the City Council to provide shelter for the homeless from 1[st] October 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 using bed and breakfast accommodation. NLCB provided lunch-time support and main meals as well as donations for essential supplies. The impact of the project on both the homeless and the volunteers involved was significant as the volunteers were able to draw alongside people and show unconditional love and compassion to some of the most vulnerable people in the city. Further support for the poor has also been provided through gifts to foodbanks and to specific individuals.

Links were maintained with other local churches and wider church networks both in Bristol and nationally which kept the church aware of city wide and national needs which we could contribute to. Through these links the church was able to support needs within the city through inHope and provide grants as needs were identified.

Outreach activities and Mission events

As mentioned previously, during the year a team from a number of churches in the Frenchay and Stapleton area which included members of NLCB, provided ‘Open the Book’ sessions in Frenchay Primary school every other week during term time. Other outreach activities included encouraging individuals to reach out to their neighbours and friends showing them the love of God.

Together with Frenchay Parish Church, NLCB hand delivered 3,000 Christmas cards to the local community. These cards were specially designed to spread hope and the positive message of Christmas to the local community.

Development of a project to support the homeless in the local area

During the year we have been working with Hope Into Action (HiA) (https://bristol.hopeintoaction.org.uk) with support from Resound Church, to obtain a property to provide accommodation for the homeless. Once a property is purchased the church will be responsible for decorating and furnishing the house and providing trained members of the church to act as befrienders to enable the tenants to work through their vulnerabilities and look to live stable and positive lives moving forward. The client group that is on our hearts to support is young adult care leavers. A service level agreement will be put in place to govern our relationship with HiA.

Provision of grants

The vision of the church is to support those who are in need and further the gospel of Jesus Christ. Tithes and offerings continued to be received by the Church enabling it to provide financial assistance to other organisations as well as covering the running costs of the church. These included Christian ministries such as New Wine, Kintsugi Hope, Mullers, Sixty-One and inHope Bristol. Small gifts are also given to individuals as need was identified.

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The objects and purposes of the Trust are the framework within which the above activities operate and they are measured through an ongoing process of monitoring and evaluation both by the Trustees and the Leadership team. Leadership and Trustee meetings take place around every six weeks and depending on need.

Financial Review & Reserves

At the beginning of the year the charity had unrestricted balances of £51,680. Financial giving by church members continues consistently and with no permanent premises, running costs are low and the Trust was able to give out to meet needs as identified by the church and agreed by Trustees. Total income from tithes and offerings during the year was £70,708 with total expenditure of £59,442. In addition to this income, we received £8,960 in year in restricted donations all relating to Schools4kids which contributed towards the £15,935 expenditure incurred for the project. The difference was financed through an income transfer from unrestricted funds of £6,975. A balance of £2,628 remains within the School4kids restricted balances and this will be utilised to contribute to expenditure in 2024/25.

The Trust continues to pay a salary to Pastor Richard Brown and Kim Brown for the work they do in the church to outwork the Trust objects. Payments adhere to regulations for new living wage levels and tax. During the year funds continued to be invested in the work in Zambia to support the Spiritual Leadership, churches and the running of the school. The Trust was also able to respond with gifts to organisations, charities and individuals as agreed by the Trustees in accordance with Trust objects. Gift aid has been received and has contributed to the balances held.

No fees are charged for services provided by the Church and our operating costs were lower than income by £4,291, after the transfer for Schools4kids. This was due to the contributions made by three of the Zambia team to the cost of their flights which were paid for in the previous year and also due to banking issues which delayed payment to the school and church in Solwezi. Payment will now be made in 2024/25. Unrestricted balances held at the end of the year total £55,971 and these will cover more than 12 month’s on-going commitments; £25,000 has been estimated as the balance that needs to be held. A two-year budget has been set and future budget plans will include salary costs for ministry, income and expenditure for the Hope into Action project, training and administration, support for furthering the Christian gospel, investment in Africa, support to the local community and to individuals and organisations as need is identified. The budget and future commitments will be regularly reviewed by Trustees to ensure balances do not increase significantly and funds are used appropriately in accordance with the needs identified by the Spiritual Leadership team.

Structure, governance and management

The Church is governed under the Declaration of Trust which established New Life Church Bristol as a charity on 29[th] January 2013. The minimum number of Trustees is three; there is no maximum. The Trustees are required to meet four times a year in person or through electronic means agreed by them. New Trustees are appointed by the Spiritual Leadership and Trustees and take into account the skills that a person could contribute through their qualifications and experience to the furtherance of the objects and management of the charity. In total there are 5 Trustees and during 2023/24 there were no changes in personnel. All Trustees have a copy and are familiar with the Declaration of Trust and the Charity Commission publication CC3 – the Essential Trustee – what you need to know .

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The spiritual governance and leadership of the Charity rests with the Leadership Team and they are responsible for appointing their successors. The responsibility of the Trustees is for the management and administration in accordance with the objects of the Trust and the general law. The Trustees fulfil their legal duties taking into account the spiritual direction of the Charity set by the Leadership Team who themselves act in accordance with the Trust Deed and general law.

During 2019 we decided to formally associate with Woodlands Church (Charity No. 1125029), a large church within the city. This relationship has been strengthened through the year and NLCB are able to draw on their advice and resources as required.

The links with the Path of Life Ministries in Zambia is an important part of the Church’s mission. In June 2023, Dave Summerhill led a team of 5 people to carry out some painting works at the school and church in Solwezi and to meet up with leaders in both Solwezi and Lusaka and preach in both churches. The finances for the school are overseen by Peter Moorcraft, a member of New Life Church Bristol. The church is also in the process of setting up a formal agreement with Hope into Action covering the development of a homeless project in collaboration with Resound Church.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

Charity Law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. Richard Brown is a Trustee and receives a salary as the Pastor. All other payments to Trustees were for the reimbursement of appropriate expenses with no private benefit received. All conflicts of interest are disclosed and recorded.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on 8th July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

S.HALL

S Hall – Chair of Trustees

Page 8

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of New Life Church Bristol for the year ended 31st March 2024 on pages 10-13 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable 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 in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Jaimée Young

Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: 10th July 2024

Page 9

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

Notes
Income receipts
Donations, legacies and grants
Gift aid receipts
Other
Total receipts
Payments
2
3
Total payments
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
Cash funds as at last year end
Cash funds at this year end
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before
transfers
Grants paid in relation to charitable
activities undertaken by others
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly		 General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
55,227
-
15,168
-
313
-
70,708
-
70,708
-
43,107
-
16,336
-
59,442
-
59,442
-
11,266
-
6,975

-
4,291
-
51,680
-
55,971
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
8,696
264
-
8,960
8,960
135
15,800
15,935
15,935
6,975
-
6,975
0
2,628
2,628		 2024
£
63,923
15,432
313
79,668
79,668
43,242
32,136
75,377
75,377
4,291
-
4,291
54,308
58,599		 2023
£
General
Funds
£
55,227
15,168
313
70,708
70,708
43,107
16,336
59,442
59,442
11,266
6,975

4,291
51,680
55,971
63,396
16,425
39
79,860
79,860
45,206
46,668
91,874
91,874
- 12,014
-
-
12,014
-
66,322
54,308

The notes on pages 12-13 form part of these accounts.

Page 10

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

A Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access
B Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity
Other debtors
C
Liabilities
Fee for Independent Examination
D Assets retained for charity's own use
Music and PA equipment
Computers and IT
Other general equipment		 General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
55,971
-
55,971
-
13,239
-
-
13,239
-
822
-
822
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
funds
£
2,628
2,628
1,088
-
1,088
-
-		 2024
£
58,599
58,599
14,327
-
14,327
822
822
Current
value
£
3,800
7,111
2,764
13,675		 2023
£
54,308
54,308
15,432
8,937
24,369
1,080
1,080
2023
value
£
3,422
5,459
2,788
11,669

The asset values refer to the original purchase price.

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf

by S. HALL date 8th July 2024 --------------------------------------------------------

The notes on pages 12-13 form part of these accounts.

Page 11

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

1 Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
2
Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly
Charity Admin
2,917
-
Rent
3,337
-
Leaders expenses & Ministry
5,219
-
Equipment
6,434
-
Salary
14,111
-
Gifts
169
-
General admin plus printing
353
-
Insurance
600
-
Stewardship Examination
1,080
-
Church Hospitality / housekeeping
701
-
Children/Youth/Students
533
-
Worship
-
-
Community Outreach
799
-
Travel and expenses (including Africa trip)
6,853
-
43,107
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
135
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
135		 Total
2024
£
3,052
3,337
5,219
6,434
14,111
169
353
600
1,080
701
533
-
799
6,853
43,242		 Total
2023
£
2,805
2,892
5,319
2,643
11,942
306
120
578
744
496
122
122
1,036
16,081
45,206

3 Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others

Path of Life Ministries
Lusaka Church
Grants to Individuals (Africa)
School 4 kids
Sixty:one - Prisoner gift bags
in-Hope (Bristol)
New Wine Trust
FFTP Individual
Mullers (Bristol Churches City Fund)
Other UK charities		 3,800
-
3,800
12,180
750
-
750
5,023
6,470
-
6,470
5,400
-
15,800
15,800
16,050
1,000
-
1,000
1,200
500
-
500
1,075
1,000
-
1,000
5,500
1,466
1,466
1,000
-
-
1,000
-
350
350
240
16,336
-
15,800
32,136
46,668

Page 12

NEW LIFE CHURCH BRISTOL

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024

4 Transactions with related parties

Richard Brown was paid £7182 which includes mobile phone expenses (2023: £6206) and Kim Brown

was paid £6927 (2023: £5736) for their work as Church leaders as permitted by the governing document.

5 Movement of funds

ement of funds
General funds
Designated funds
Restricted funds
School4kids
Zambia projects
TOTAL FUNDS		 Balance at
31 March 2023
£
51,680
51,680
2,628
-
2,628
54,308		 Receipts
£
70,708
70,708
8,960
0
8,960
79,668		 Payments
£
-59,442
-59,442
-15,935
0
-15,935
-75,377		 Transfers
£
-6,975
-6,975
6,975
6,975
-		 Balance at
31 March 2024
£
55,971
55,971
2,628
-
2,628
58,599

The School4kids fund supports the setting up and running of a school in Solwezi, Zambia for those children who are unable to attend school due to financial and family reasons.

Occasional gifts are made to Pastor Joseph in Lusaka for use in his ministry.

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