REGISTERED COMPANY l¥t7MBER: 084762311 (EnglaDd and WAle>) RECISTERED CIIARrrY NUMBER: 11526S9 Transforming lives, shaping communities The Tbe ViDe Maidstone Trustees, Report and Financfial Statements 31 December 2023 cowrE]WTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR EI¥DED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Page Report of the TTU I to 5 Ind¢pendeDt ExaDthier's Report St*temeol of FinADcla] Aedvldes Balanee Sh¢tt Notes to the Fknthci*l StxleJDents 10 to 18 Det¥lkd Ststement of Flnan¢Sxl A¢tlvities 19 REPORT OF THK TRUSTEES FOR TttE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2D23 The trusl¢es who are also directors of the ehtirity for the purp￿5 of the Comptini¢s Act 2006, present th¢ir report th¢ fin￿Cial statements of the cbarity for the year ended 31 D￿ernber 2023. The trustees bave adopt￿ the provisio of A¢¢ounting and Reporting by Charities.. Ststement of Recommcnded Practic¢ applicable to charities pr¢paTing their accounts in aceordance with the Fitiancial Repotting Stattdard app]icable in th¢ UK and Republic of [r¢la1￿ (FRS 102) (¢ff￿tive l Jgnuary 2019). Rwtered Compatty DutDber 08476230 (England and Wales) Re￿tered Charfty nwnber 1152659 R¢￿tered office Boughton Lane Maidsknne Kent ME15 9QF Trustees Betb Bagbford (appointed l January 2024) James B8shford Dave Creasey Nick Davies Andy Elphinstone knthony Hargtave Karen U)uden Andy Musgrave Rob Williams coMp￿Y Se¢ret*ry Brian WilliaTnS Indep¢ndeDt Examlner Andr¢w Hatker FCCA Collards 5.9 Eden Street Kiagston.upon.Thames Surrey KTI IBQ Pagc I REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The Vitie Maidstone is a charitsble cornpany Iirnited by guaTantee. The comp8nywas forn￿1 on 5th April 2013 and w&s subsequently regist¢r¢d as a charity. The Elders of The Vine MaidstODe are the members of th¢ company and ￿ve respoftLqiI)ility for spiritual ov¢rsight and leadersl)ip. At 31st Decemb￿ 2023 tbe elikTS were Dave Crea5ey> Nick Davies, Martyn Gibson andBen Williatn5. Tony Faulkner resigned as an elder and nth¢r with effect from 7th Novemb¢r 2023 and after the year end. Ben Williams resigned as an elder and member with effect from 31st JaDW 2024. Th¢ members appoint the Tnjstets. who are also th¢ Directofts of the conhpany. OBJECr￿Es The chaTity's objectives are for the public benefit #Dd are to advanc¢ the Christian faith in Maidstone, other parts of the Uniied Kingdom and the world fijlfil sucb other cTrwitable puwses conn¢¢ted with the work of the chaTity &8 the Tn￿ may from time to time think fiL As a Churc￿ fillfilling the call of Go& meeting our ¢haTitable obje¢tiv¢s and providing the public benefii required of lls. we are focused on bTknging good Jews to people. Our aim is to pro¢laim the good news that Jesus ChTiSt wne to seek 4Dd to save andwe slTive to show the loveofGodin actio￿ meetitigp¢ople in th¢xrD¢edand engagingwiththe community wheTe w¢ are plac￿ to provide encourng¢meDt and I￿pe. We believe in ev¢ryone working togeth¢r. with GO￿ to se¢ his kingdom coming to Maidstone and beyoll The heart of what we do is Seen in our SuTMlay services. The key components ofworsbip. teachitig. prayerand fellowship provxde a foundation for fi￿llIng our charitable objective'lo adva￿¢ the Cbristiao faitb". However. faith bas to be seen in action and is the springboard for reacbtng out into our conllnwty and showing the love of God iti Dumerous ways. People always have and WAII ¢ontinue to be at the heart of all we do. W¢ have been delight¢d to see new people attd falnilies join us. enTichiDg our fellowsbip and expanding our existsng etlmic diversity. Tefle¢ting the changing face of Mai(L5tone's population. This I￿S been a joy and it very ¢n¢owa8ing to be abl¢ to nm several'%velcome ￿ the Vine" evenings in 2023, to enable those people n¢w to us to learn mor¢ about the church and our aims and vtsio In addition to the main Sunday s¢ryice5 is the cotititived activity of Small Community groups which h¢lp people build ¢ODllection and r¢lationships in the fellowsbip. Also, a fortnigbtly Sunday aftunoon infomMI gathering at our Nortbumberland Road sit4 providing opportullities for fellowship aDd sharttig. bas fiowished and bas drawn in n¢wcomers IiviDg oll tbe Sb¢pway estate. At Cbristmas tin)¢. it waspleasing to see a full chur¢h as we ceIebrnt￿thC birth of J¢sus, both inanev¢niDgCarol serYi¢¢ 4Dd also at a moming event aimed at families and iDvolvillg participation from o TrDge of ages. On¢ of the delights of any year Is th¢ waypeople'$ T¢lationsbtp wxth God starts and ￿ntinUeS. Assoeiat¢d witb that is the opportUDity for people to give public t¢5timony to their faith by being baptised by inUnmiOD. 2023 saw us able to celebrate with and encourage those people who wue b¢iDg baptis￿. W¢ were pleased to all Alpba cows¢ for those Dewly seeking lo understalldmoTe about God and tbe ￿]stian fait￿ as well as Freedomin C￿l￿tcOUrse thath¢Jp$people build a base for developin8 theirrelationsbip with Go As io every year. in 2023 the fim¢tTODillg of the churth was only possible becawe of the large number ofpeople serving in nwnerous and diverse voluntary roles acro88 church life. P8ge2 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR Ef4DED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Activltles- eonthiued On Suttday mornings this is p8rticui8Ay evident with a number of teams involved ID serving iti nMDy w2yS to faci]ita¢e the worship setviee. T¢ams serve on a rota basis to welcome people on arrival. lead worship, lead the serviee, WO￿ with the younger chilthen t¢¢nagers. PTeach, manag¢ th¢ venue, operate audio visual and iDternet provision and provide r¢fre5hments after chur¢h. We tbank God for the willingDe55 and contribution of All those who give up their time to serve Othe￿ on Sundays 8nd throughout the The work ao)ong the older generdtion has ¢ODlinued to flourish this year. with regular meetings for people to gather 4Dd spend time together. as well as spe¢i41 wents s￿h as outings oul a Strawbe￿ afternoon tea and a Chrisltw meal. We bave always been awar¢ thai people in the conllnunity 4round us can encounter difficulties and clJalleDging ¢irwmstances. The illCr￿ed cost of living and economic uncertainty in 2023 added to the straitis in f4rnili¢s and underlined the need to reach out in practical ways, sbowing the lov¢ of God in action. Once again. the twin airn5 of meeting our chaTitable objective and providiDg public benefit were met Our food baDk has again been very ective in 2023. With excellent siipport from both the chur¢h f¢llowsbip aDd external grants, tbis work bas incre&sed and dtversifie4 reflectitig tbe need in tbe community. Apart from the norn]81 food bank provision. we hav¢ b¢¢n able to provide su￿￿arket vouch¢r5, blaDkets and hotwaterbottles. At Christttw we laid on a spread of ChristtEW foodsttrffs for wple who hav¢ been food baDk users to choos¢ items that would suit their family tts addition to the foodbank ae¢¢ss. to tb05e comiagwe bAveprovided wid¢r support Such as awarn] welcojne. a ]istening ear and belp with government fornL8. ThroughouL our desire is to help p¢ople in a manner that demonstrates the lov¢ of God in a tall￿￿le way. ConJmuDity involvement contintied to expand in 2023. Our resource hub was a valuable source of household lten￿ alld clothing to those in ne¢&" our community eafé saw numbets increase" the monthly men's bre4kfast atlwted more people and a knitting and sewing CiTcle flouris1￿d. We continuedourworkwithchristians Agait)stPovertycfAP'? agaiDstthebackwundofdiffieult conditions forfamily finances. Part of thig was WOTkiDg with a stabrtory agency to provide practical guidance to vu]ncrnble peopl¢ OD the managetllent of household fJnaDces. One dimension of us beiDg part of the wider conmurrity wa5 allory tv￿ local church￿ to US¢ OUT buildings for some of th¢ir activities. This aided their work 8nd ministy at a time when their spa¢¢ availability was challenging. Our WO￿ with children and youttg people contillued to be very healthy - vigorous and Doisy! On Sundays our Kingdom Kids wups flourished. importantly the voluDleer staffing base has in¢r¢as¢d and ll¢W teachillg material has been working well. Sunday activitie$ for ¢hildr¢D iDclude *acbing. singing and ￿tivIti￿ an4 after the Sunday services, it is norn￿ to se¢ ¢hildren pmudly showing off their ￿aft wofK. The variolls youth wups continued to attra¢t bigb Dumbers with roeetings provsding opporiunities for yOUDg people to meet wÉth their frien(b in a safe envirotllnenl enabling engag¢ment with Christian teacbing and d]￿u￿S1On and having a variety of both intemal and external activities. A higblight of the year was the sumtner Newday ¢v¢nl when we took a large group of teenagers andleadersto aweekofwonhip.tr¥hing and fim intbe con)pany 0fthous￿d5ofQthcrtCe￿agerS from ar0￿￿ the county. Ext¢mal to the church we rtiaintained Our￿Cellent school re]atiotiship$ with local primary and secondary schools. helped by good co)]llections with key members of school staff. Our involvement in 2023 in¢lud¢d le550ns on ChU￿b and CODununity and the importance of tbe Bii)le at two primary sthools and the contitiu¢d mentoring of teenagets referred from a secondary school. Th¢ menloring is desiglled to help yOUDg people develop social skills aod self-wortb. Pa8e3 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Aetfvities- eontiDued One of the partherships to higblight is with the Probation Service wbich h¥s developed a rn(del to support women who find themselv¢s subject to wimitial justice sentenc¢4 nwiy of whom have ¢xperienced domestic abus¢. This model has seen th¢ development of a Brthfast Club. whicb means that the women who attend can ae¢¢ss a Tange of s¢rvices in ott¢ place includitig a￿¢55 to services that th¢ thurch provides. eg CAP. This tyKkl of supporting vulnerdbl¢ women h&% been Dationally I¢￿gnIsed within the Prob*ion Servi¢¢ as a mod¢l of excellence. Th¢ activities within the f¢llowship and in the eoJllttvJrrity are locally basei however, w¢ aTe also committed to the support of mission activities both in the UK and oversw" these involvements help us to look Iwond our local siluation and to the ¢all frotn yes￿9 ￿ go into au the worl¢ as Tecorded in Matthew 28 verse 19. Internationally we provided SLW>Ort for wups working with children in KeDy4 Uganda and Romani4 as well as those engagtng with disadv8ntag¢d and vulnerable girls in Brazil and the support of widows in Nigeri& In addition, we maintained ¢ODtsct with ¢hurches ill Eg￿t and Germany wbere w¢ have built r¢latioL8hips ov¢r yeaT5. Building and sustaining relationships with ov¢rseas mission ¢ontacts is all importantpart of mission 5UPWTrrt andp¢riodic ovetse&s visits knve long be¢n the ￿ornI and preparntion was made for the trÈp to Egypt in February 2024. TheViti¢ alsobelonyty Relatiottai missio￿ afamity ofchur¢hes in the UKand overs¢a4 that addsto oMrbToad external perspective. In additio￿ in ourregion, we provid¢ support to a ¢harity working in schools and to the well-r¢garded Street Pastors which aids those D¢¢ding help in the niBhdif¢ economy of Maidstone and other towns. The TTUStees have the rwonsibility to oversee and provide a fr8Jnework for the prddical, legal and regulatory needs of th¢ thurc]L Th¢ scope of the Trustees, WOTk is very wide and key areas of oversigbt include finance. safeguardill& health & saf¢ty. data protection and building maintenance aDd develOpn￿t. There is a plethora of policy documents and there is a structt]red timetable to review policies each year. to ¢ThSUTe ourpoli¢ies are cutr¢DL usable and fi¢ forpuw. Setting aDDuai budgets is akey proce&s each year for the Tn￿￿¢S &s part of the pnthDt Dwement of church finall¢￿. Flowillg from the toplin¢ budgetnumEKts are departrnent budg¢ts wbich assis¢ in monitotitig and Dwiagitig wenditure througb the year. The TnJstee5 and the Eld¢r5 wntinu¢d ￿ work tog¢ther. uniting the spiritual and the practieal &spects of chu￿￿ life. An excellent Telationship between the two groups ensures that future planning is both manageable and managed. Througb the y¢ar there wer¢ opportuniti¢s for the Trust¢¢s and th¢ Elders to sp¢nd time disawing and praying through long¢r Safeguarding has long b¢en a very itnportant n)att¢rfor the Vxn¢ ¥lld 2023 saw our child prot¢thion andvulne￿le adults po]icies rewritten and revised. Also. there w&$ ar¢orgaDization ofre5ponsil)ilities within th¢ safeguarding lea￿ buildin8 on the ex¢¢llent work that had gone before. DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) checks Temain a key component ofthevine's safegwding Tegime and DBS theck8 ¢ontinued forthose involvcd in working with cbildren alldvuillerable adults. Th¢ latterlinked in very well with the review of our vulnerable adults policy. All regulatory obligations w¢re met in 2023. As iti thepasL therew¢re ao incidents orconcems that required reportiDgto external bodies su¢h as the Charity Conllllission or the He41th & Safety Executive. Ill 2023 the Vine had a snTrll fittancial deficit. Totsl ineome was £368.937, up from £335,451 in 2022, while total expellditure was £372,719 ￿ from £370.766 in 2022. A shortfall ID 2023 wa5 expected aTxI budget&A as costs rose fas*r than giving in¢ome. However. other fa¢tOT& including additiottal incom4 meant that the churrh w88 very close to breakeven for the year. Poge4 REPORT OF TI[& TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 FINANCIAL REVIEW-conthiued Within the income figures, the regular monthly giving was higher in 2023 than in 2022, comitig iti strongly in the fJTSt half of tb¢ year and somewhat lower in th¢ S￿Ond half. We give thanks to God for His provision an MiDi5ty costs MissioD SUPPOrt grants Otber mission related costs P¥stowal Trnining Events 186379 26853 31280 $08 4435 178,445 27.535 27225 3.937 3,334 11 694 21,448 73,487 1141HI 12,896 1.726 15,487 83,537 12.400 12,289 655 3.510 686 Depreciation Governance costs {including insur8n¢e) Vehicle (van) c4)sts Traidcrnft 372 719 Stsff costs cover all employees whether involved ill direct ministy or support functio￿. ET INCOMEI(EXPENDfnTRE) Net iti¢oMrJ(¢xp¢nditt￿e) is Stated after ch8rgingl(¢rediling).' 2023 2022 Deprecialion- owned auets sU￿1￿s OD disposal of fix¢d assets 11400 100 12,400 140 TRUSTEES, REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS Mr David Creasey. a trust¢¢ldirector. and Mrs Susan Crewy r￿e1ved salaries in their capacities as pastoral #nd administrative staff of the cljarity during the period of £43.148 and £L2.146 (2022: £41,105 and £IO.663) r¢5pectively. No other r¢mun¢ration was paid to any other trnste¢ during the year nor to any person connected with thenL Employer's pension ￿￿trIbutiOnS were m&le ill addition to the above total& Truitefj, expenges There were no tn￿te£s, expen8es paid for the year ended 31 De¢ember2023 nor for the year ended 31 De£ember 2022. Pagc 13 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS- contiDued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEIKBER 2023 STAFF COSTS 2023 2022 Gross wages and salaries Employer's NI Employer's P¢Dsioll Contribution 165,033 &128 158.170 7.711 18 2023 The avernge monthly number of employees during the yearwas as follows 2022 No employees received etllohllnents in exce&s of £60.(K)O. 2022 COMPARATIVL8 FOR THE STATEMENT OF FtNANCIAL ACrnITfiES UnT¢5tricted Restricted Total funds fund fimds Donxtlon$ gnd legaeies Gifts underGiftAid Scheme Other Contnl)Utions Grants rec¢ivable Charitable a¢tiviti lieceipts from activities Events 198.794 44,851 3.003 12,513 7,938 .267 2,100 1,375 206,732 46,118 5,103 13,888 14.441 10.693 32.752 14.441 10.693 37.362 4,610 Investment income 464 650 Total 317,511 17,940 335,451 EXPENDrruRE OIY Charltsble activitles Ministy Mission Support costs 180,439 35,193 180,439 45.322 10.129 Tot*1 357.637 13.129 370.766 Net galD8lOosw) on Invejtments NET ll¥COMEI(EXPENDTfuRE) (40,126) (38,680) P8gc 14 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEME￿rs. conthiued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 2022 COMPARATIVL8 FOR THE STATEMENf OF FJI¥ANCIAL ACTivrriES. conthilled Transfer betsveeD fttllds 22 (22) Net movem¢Dt ill fllndJ (40.104) 1.424 (38.680) RECONCILIATION OF FUM)S Totsl fulldj brought fonv*rd 520227 167.194 687.421 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 480.123 168 618 648.741 TANGIB￿ FIXED ASSETS Freehold property #Dd fittiDgs Totals COST At l January 2023 and 31 December 2023 DEPRECIATION At l January 2023 Charge for y 113,667 43,171 156,838 12 At 31 December 2023 12 169 ET BOOK VALUE At 31 Dewnber 2023 493 At 31 December 2022 io. C￿b and settlements pendlng At l January 2023 Gain on investllmts Disposal Is￿93 191 At 31 December 2023 NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2023 At 31 December 2022 There w¢tt no iDvestttwit assets outsxde the UL P¥15 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS- continued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 11. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FAILING DUE WITIIIN ONE YEAR 2023 2022 Trade debtor8 Prepayments and a¢¢n￿l incorne 3,438 3.359 12. CREDITORS: AMouNfs FALLING DUE wrrHIN ONE YEAR 2023 2022 Social se¢urity and other taxes Accru￿ exj 3,177 2,827 13. MOVEKENT IN FUM)S Net movement ill fimds between At 31.12.23 At 1.123 Unrestri¢ted 4811,123 (1,760) 478J63 Restricted fund8 Restricted income fuDd 30225 138 978 09 16,084 47287 119 91 R¢8trleted Intome FuDds Restricted Getterdl Fund- to utilizx grants received re]aiing to the operdtions of the Vine's cornmwiity outrwh. Due to the substantial inflow of external donations and 8tants in recent years for cOm￿ty pwpose. all such ineA)me is now Teflected in tbis Fund until it is spent. RestrActed Mission Fund- missions in U84nda and Kenya rtreive donations given to support work ID those countries. Restrleted A￿¢t Funds Chapel Churcb Streel ￿8¢- tbe chapel building is held utth trust deedwhith identifies the propert￿5 use and the u8¢ of any moni¢s raised from th¢ Sale of the prop¢ty. Ziwa IDCOtD¢ FuDd- Teceiv¢8 donations to provide individual Sponsotsbip support forchildren ree¢iving education at the Ari5¢ and Shine A¢ad¢my in Ziwa Kenya. During the yearthe open-end¢d illvestment company investsn¢ntwa5 sold and at th¢ year end the fuTKls were held in an interestb¢arillg bank accounL Pa8e 16 NOTES TO THI FINANCIAL STATEMEr￿s. conthiu¢d FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 13. movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: Incoming Resources Tesource$ expended Gains and Ioss¢8 Movemettt ID funds Ullrestrlcted funds G¢n¢ral fiwds 330905 (332.665) (1,760) Rejtrltted futtds Restricted income fiu Restricted ass¢1 funds 38,032 (37,1154) 978 809 191 191 TOTAL FUNDS 36 191 91 2022 Comparntives formovement iti fiwds Net movement in funds Trdnsfet3 between At 31.1222 At l.1.22 Unrestric¢ed G¢n¢ral funds 520227 (40.126) 480,123 Restricted fun R¢stri¢ted income fund R¢stric*d asset fund8 22.436 7.811 (22) 30225 138 393 167 194 168618 TOTAL FUNDS 687 421 2022 Compardtive net movement in included in th¢ #bove aTe as follows: ID¢oming Resoure¢s Gains and Movement losses u￿r￿triCted fun Genetal funds 317.511 (357.637) (40.126) Restrleted fuD R¢stricted income fuThl R¢8tric¢ed asset fim(ts 17,940 (10.129) 7.811 65 TOTAL FUNDS 335,451 (370 76 PaBc 17 NOTES TO THE Fll¥ANaAL STATEMENTS- contiDued FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECKMBER 2023 14. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES There w¢re no related paty transactions for the year ended 31 December 2023. AS. RESERVES The Reserve FuDd total is based on aD analysis of contraetual commiluwlts in tb¢ areas of payToIL utilities. site cost obligations. IniDisty aod mission SP¢Dthg alld coqJordt¢ costs. P4¢18 DETAILED sfATEMENT OF FINANCIAL A￿IlqTI￿s FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 21123 21123 2022 INCOME AND ENDOWMEiwrs Don*tlons legaefies Gifts un(lerGiftAid S¢h¢me Othergifts ContnThutioDs Legacies Grants receivable 219,701 5£988 35 loo 206.732 46.118 5,103 Illvestmellt Bank itit¢resl receivable Incom¢ from listed investments 294,099 271,841 2,497 145 650 ClwAt*bl¢ actlvltles Receipts from activities Events O¢ber income 2,642 1.114 16,422 11,748 14.441 10.693 71196 62.496 Totsl ruouree8 368937 335.451 EXPENDITURE Staff costs 186279 2A453 31,28 508 435 694 21,448 73,487 11400 11896 93 178,445 27,535 27,225 3.937 3.334 1.726 15.487 83,537 12.4 12,289 655 3,510 686 Mission SUPPOrt grants Otber miSSiOD related costs Pastoral Training Events Depreciatioo Governance costs (includin8 insul￿) Vehicle (vgn) costs Traideraft 37 Net kn¢ome before g81n$ and 105 (3,782) (35J15) Re8]ts¢d recognlsed g*ini and lomes Realised gain&l(losses) on fixed asset inve81mellts 191 65 Net Incom¢ 91 This page do¢J llot forn? p8rt of thr 5¢atu¢ory fir￿]￿ stthrllents Pagc 19