Horwich Evangelical Church Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1 January — 31 December 2024
Reference & administration details
Horwich Evangelical Church is Registered Charity number 1153620. The Church is situated on Wright Street, Horwich BL6 7HU. The correspondence address is 15 Barncroft Drive, Horwich BL6 6NZ
The church was established under a Trust Deed in 1936 under its original name of the Gospel Hall, and was renamed as Horwich Evangelical Church in 1977.
The Trustees of the church are:
Paul Martin Chapple, Shaun Cooper, Michael Dewhurst, Keith Downham, Ray William Haughton, Eric Kent (Secretary & Treasurer), Christine Savage, Michael William Wilson.
The Elders, who are responsible for the day-to-day leadership and running of the church, are:
Paul Chapple, Shaun Cooper, Michael Dewhurst, Ray William Haughton, Andrew Holt (appointed March 2025), Robert Stanley Heath, Eric Kent.
The independent examiner of the church accounts is Martin Horton FCMA MiP, Rivington Accounts, Bank House, 6-8 Church Street, Adlington, Chorley PR6 4EX.
The legal title in the land was transferred to the Official Custodian for Charities in trust for the charity on 21 May 2003.
Structure, governance & management
The charity was set up under a Trust Deed which was adopted on 19 June 1936. New Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees as required.
Aims and Purposes
The Trustees of Horwich Evangelical Church have the responsibility of ensuring that the church building is kept in proper repair and insured, and permitting the building to be used by believers for the conduct of meetings for the worship of God, for the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the fellowship and edification of believers, and for the holding of Sunday school and other meetings, to advance the Christian religion for the benefit of the public in accordance with the Statement of Doctrines and Practices appearing in the Trust Deed.
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Objectives and Activities
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e Provision of a place of worship, plus adjoining rooms for social activities and religious instruction of children
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e Conducting worship services (all open to the general public), including preaching of an evangelistic and teaching nature
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e Conducting religious ceremonies (dedication of infants, adult baptism, marriages, funerals)
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e Conducting meetings for Bible study and prayer
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e Arranging activities for local children and young people
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e Visiting the sick and lonely, and giving comfort to the bereaved
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e Provision of a weekly luncheon club for the elderly
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e Supporting missionary and outreach work (by financial support and prayer) e Participating in local inter-church projects which address the needs of the community, including a food bank
Financial Report
- Horwich Evangelical Church (excluding the Wright Place Luncheon Club) The accounts for 2024 showa surplus of £5,517.38. This reflects the generous giving of our congregation during the year.
Receipts
Total receipts for 2024 were £33,124.16.
The income of the church was derived mostly from donations (Sunday offerings, standing orders and online giving) from members of the congregation. In 2024 this totalled £22,905.46.
‘Gifts’ (£715) includes donations totalling £300 from the Luncheon Club towards the cost of gas & electricity, and a contribution of £373 from a neighbour towards the cost of a fence repair.
‘Other Offerings & Gifts’ (£2,735) represents gifts received which were designated for other Christian charities, notably our Christmas Fund which is used to help people less fortunate than ourselves. We also had an appeal for the Leprosy Mission.
‘HMRC’ (£4,354.46) represents money reclaimed from HMRC for donations made under the Gift Aid scheme...
‘Interest’ (£1,960.40) consisted of £1,615.90 from our Cambridge & Counties 1-year Bond (paying 5.2%) plus £344.50 from our Virgin Money Deposit Account (paying 1.35%).
In October 2024 we re-invested £32,605.90 in a new Cambridge & Counties 1-year Bond at 4.6%.
Giving to our Christmas Fund at Christmas 2024 was again generous. By the end of 2024 the Christmas Fund stood at £2,040, and the final amount distributed to charities in January 2025 was £2,200.
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Expenditure
Total expenditure for 2024 was £27,606.78.
As usual, the largest item of expenditure was ‘Donations to Christian Work’ (£9,871.50). This represents contributions to Christian workers and agencies engaged in evangelism or relief work in many countries, including the beneficiaries of our Christmas Fund. Early in 2024 the Christmas Fund from Christmas 2023 (totalling £2,100) was distributed to four charities working among needy and disadvantaged people either locally or in other parts of the world: Bolton Hospice, Urban Outreach, Mopane Tree (Namibia) and Mary’s Meals.
Other significant items of expenditure were:
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e ‘Gifts to Members’ (£2,800), which represents support for Jonathan Kent in his ministry training.
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e ‘Youth Work’ (£425.89), which includes expenditure for Junior Church, Tea n Tots’ parent & toddler group, and DBS checks.
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e ‘Outreach’ (£573.75), which includes the cost of Good News papers and Life magazines.
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e ‘Heat and Light’ (£3,775.28) reflects a significant decrease in Gas & Electricity prices due to a change of supplier
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e ‘Copyright Licence’ (292.72) covers display of words, and playing of music and showing of films.
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e ‘Maintenance’ (£2,821.85) includes window replacement (£1500), fence replacement (£815.28), and routine servicing of the alarm and heating boiler.
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e ‘AudioVisual Equipment’ (£324.72) represents the wireless microphone installation.
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e ‘Other Assets Purchased’ (£1,972.80) includes the cost of replacement interior doors (£1,650) anda filing cabinet (£322.80).
Balance Sheet
The net result was a surplus of £5,517.38.
The balance at the end of the year was £67,055.67. Of this, £5,538.23 was held in our TSB Business account (including our Christmas Fund), and £41.92 was held in a cash float for catering expenses. Of the remainder, £32,605.90 was held in our Cambridge & Counties 1-year Bond, and £28,869.82 was held in our Virgin Money deposit account.
Some of this money has been set aside to cover events and situations which may arise in future, such as building refurbishment or the employment of staff.
2. Wright Place Luncheon Club
Total receipts of the Luncheon Club for 2024 were £4,415.
This was derived from the £4 per week (increased from £3 at the beginning of 2024) which we charged each diner, as well as a grant from Horwich Town Council towards the cost of our Christmas lunch.
Total expenditure of the Luncheon Club for 2024 was £4,131.92. This included the cost of supplies for the lunches (£3,132.49) and £250 for the cost of entertainment. ‘Gifts’ includes gifts to charities supported by some of our guest entertainers, as well as small Christmas gifts for our diners. .
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The net result was a surplus of £283.08. The balance at the end of the year was £1,796.68. All funds for the Wright Place Luncheon Club are held in our Virgin Money account (formerly Yorkshire Bank).
Activities during 2024
Worship, prayer & teaching
All our Sunday morning services begin at 10.30 and are open to the general public. A good number of people attend the services, with several joining us in the past year. We invite a number of guest speakers, often representing the various Christian ministries which we support, but we also leave sufficient Sundays free for the Elders and other members to preach. We plan a preaching series on Luke’s Gospel for early 2025.
On Sunday evenings we have sometimes met to watch recorded talks from the Keswick Convention and Spring Harvest.
Our Bible Study & Prayer Meetings are held either in church at 11am on Wednesday mornings or on Zoom at 7pm on Wednesday evenings (on alternate weeks).
We ran enquirers classes for people who would like to know more about the Christian faith, and a preparation class for people considering baptism.
We held a dedication service in June for the dedication of 2 infants. We held a baptismal service in November for the baptism (by immersion) of 4 adults.
Saturday morning prayer meetings are arranged occasionally to pray for the work of the Church.
Pastoral care
The Elders provide pastoral support to the congregation, and we have developed a pastoral plan to try to make sure that everyone is covered.
Building maintenance & refurbishment
The building has been maintained during the last 12 months with regular visual inspections of the premises both inside and outside.
Internal equipment such as boilers, security alarms etc have all had their annual service and are in full working order
Various repairs have been made to the building such as wooden window frames being replaced by UVPC ones in the junior church room and all of the toilets. There has also been the replacement of doors that lead from the main hall into the side room. These have now been upgraded and have toughened glass. They are more secure to comply with the churches child safety policy
The rotten barge boards at the rear of the building were due to be replaced last summer but unfortunately this has still not been done. The builder has been contacted
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to complete the work as soon as possible. These are mainly cosmetic and at the moment are not causing any problems with the building structure.
Junior Church
We tend to have between two and eight children per week and at the moment we’re using the ‘All in one’ Sunday school material.
There is a créche and toys for parents and babies. It became difficult with two teaching classes so now there’s just one from age 4-14 then the youth will move into main church after that. We still offer guidance and other invites to activities to the teens.
There are three teaching teams of two adults on rotation.
Tea ‘n’ Tots Playgroup
Tea n Tots is free of charge and aimed at parents and carers with pre-school children as outreach and support in our local community.
Sessions are well attended and with a free booking system operated through an online platform, the 20-25 places per session are generally full, with a waiting list. The sessions are well supported by volunteers from the church.
Some families have started attending church after joining Tea n Tots, so this is serving well as outreach in to the community. We hope to occasionally plan a Family Service on a Sunday to which we can invite parents and children.
Tuesday Fellowship
The Winter & Spring sessions of the Tuesday Fellowship have continued with a steady attendance number. We have a regular group who attend most weeks with lively fellowship, and friendships continue to grow. We have been encouraged by ladies joining us from our Luncheon Club.
All our speakers bless us enormously. Although the talks are not always deeply theological, we do see ‘seeds’ being sown. The Bible (1 Corinthians chapter 3) says: So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour. We pray that through the Tuesday Fellowship and other activities of the Church, many people will become part of God’s family.
Mission
We have continued to support several Christian ministries by regular monthly donations: House of Ants (in Mozambique), Congo Children Trust (Kimbilio, in DCR Congo), Slavic Gospel Association, James Bovenizer (children’s evangelist), and now also the Mopane Tree (Namibia). We also make frequent gifts to other charities such as Silk Road Ministries and Urban Outreach. We are continuing to give some support to Jonathan Kent in his ministry training.
Outreach
We offer Good News papers and Life magazines free of charge to members of the church and the Luncheon Club (to read and pass on to friends), as well as distributing newspapers to houses near the church. We also have 2 boxes on the railings outside the church containing leaflets and booklets.
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Website & Facebook
The website is modern and well laid out containing details of our church activities and recordings of our Sunday morning sermons. The Facebook page has also been kept up to date and has been used to advertise events such as Sunday Club and Tea n Tots to the wider community.
Social activities
We had a church picnic — indoors, as the weather was bad.
Luncheon Club
The Wright Place Luncheon Club met almost every Monday except Bank Holidays. We have a membership of about 30 diners. Most of our diners are not members of the church, and there is a waiting list of people who would like to join. The Club offers a 2-course meal with a cup of tea or coffee, followed by entertainment. We have an excellent team of volunteer helpers, mostly members of the church. Feedback from our diners continues to be very positive.
Other activities for the local community
We occasionally held events on Sunday evenings which were open to the public, including a showing of the ‘Jesus’ film.
Working together with local churches
We attend Covenant services and Lent services and other events arranged by Churches Together in Horwich & Rivington.
We collect Christmas shoeboxes for International Aid Trust. We work with other local churches to address the needs of the local community, including collecting items of food in a ‘Grub Tub’ for distribution to needy local people by the Storehouse project (part of the Urban Outreach charity).
Public Benefit
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e Provision of a place of worship
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e Provision of worship services (all open to the general public)
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e Preaching of an evangelistic and teaching nature, which helps followers to develop a spiritual relationship with God, offering comfort, peace and a sense of purpose as well as a moral and ethical framework for living
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e Provision of dedication, adult baptism, marriage and funeral services
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e Contributing to the spiritual and moral education of children
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e Supporting missionary and outreach work
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e Giving comfort to the bereaved, and visiting the sick and lonely e Providing a luncheon club for the elderly e Providing a Parent & Toddler Playgroup
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e Participating in local inter-church projects which address the needs of the community
Approved by the Trustees on 19 May 2025 and signed on their behalf by Eric Kent and Michael Dewhurst
Horwich Evangelical Church
Balance Sheet
Period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
| As at | As at | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31/12/2024 | 31/12/2023 | ||||
| Reserves | |||||
| Starting balance | 61,538.29 | 57,196.21 | |||
| Income | 33,124.16 | 29,939.52 | |||
| Expenditure | 27,606.78 | 25,597.44 | |||
| Surplus / deficit | 5,517.38 | 4,342.08 | |||
| Closingbalance | 67,055.67 | —-61,538.29 | |||
| Current assets | |||||
| TSB Business Account | 5,538.23 | 5,731.24 | |||
| Cambridge & Counties | 1-year Bond | 32,605.90 | 30,990.00 | ||
| Virgin Money Deposit Account | 28,869.62 | 24,775.12 | |||
| Cash in Hand | 41.92 | 41.93 | |||
| Total Current assets | _67,055.67«64,538.29 | ||||
| Represented by Funds | |||||
| General Fund | 64,758.65 | 59645.02 | |||
| Christmas Fund | 2,040.00 | 1.670.00 | |||
| Tuesday Fellowship | Fund | 257.02 | 223.27 | ||
| Delci Santos Fund | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Total | 67,055.67 | 61,538.29 |
Horwich Evangelical Church
Statement of Financial Activity Period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| income | ||
| Donations | ||
| General Offerings | 22,905.46 | 20,284.75 |
| Tuesday Fellowship Offering | 453.84 | 417.88 |
| Gifts | 715.00 | 407.23 |
| Other Offerings & Gifts | 2,735.00 | 4,276.00 |
| HMRC | 4,354.46 | 3,443.76 |
| Total donations | 31,163.76 | 28,829.62 |
| Investment income | ||
| Interest | 1,960.40 | 1,109.90 |
| Total investment income | 1,960.40 | 1,109.90 |
| TotalIncome | 33,124.16 | 29,939.52 |
Horwich Evangelical Church
Statement of Financial Activity Period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ; Expenditure |
ne | ||
| Expenditure for Christian work | |||
| Gifts to Christian Work | 9,871.50 | 10,202.75 | |
| Gifts to Members etc | 2,800.00 | 2,418.00 | |
| Speakers’ Expenses | 490.00 | 630.00 | |
| Youth Work | 425.89 | 100.93 | |
| Outreach | 573.75 | 567.40 | |
| Total expenditure forChristian work | 14,161.14 | 413,919.08 | |
| Admin & maintenance costs | |||
| Heat & Light | 3,775.28 | 5,164.82 | |
| Building Insurance | 1,432.85 | 1,473.21 | |
| Copyright Licence | 292.72 | 278.30 | |
| Maintenance etc | 2,821.85 | 2,128.19 | |
| Cleaning | 1,250.00 | 1,275.00 | |
| Catering | 286.60 | 334.92 | |
| Water Rate | 487.53 | 447.94 | |
| Misc Expenditure | 551.69 | 556.99 | |
| Total admin & maintenance costs | 10,898.52 | 11,659.37 | |
| Otherexpenditure | |||
| Church Website | 249.60 | 0.00 | |
| Audio/Visual Equipment | 324.72 | 0.00 | |
| Other Assets Purchased | 1,972.80 | 18.99 | |
| Total otherexpenditure | 2,547.12 | 18.99 | |
| TotalExpenditure | 27,606.78 | 25,597.44 |
(an activityWrightof Place Horwich LuncheonEvangelica C l ubChurch) Statement of Financial Activity Period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| income | ||
| Receipts | ||
| Receipts for Dinners | 4,188.00 | 3,179.00 |
| Total receipts | 4,188.00 | 3,179.00 |
| Grants | ||
| Council Grant | 200.00 | 150.00 |
| Total grants | 200.00 | 150.00 |
| Other income | ||
| Gifts | 27.00 | 83.00 |
| Total other income | 27.00 | 83.00 |
| Total Income | 4,415.00 | 3,412.00 |
| Expenditure | ||
| Expenditure for Diners Supplies Entertainment Gifts |
3,132.49 250.00 577.49 |
3,023.91 625.00 564.39 |
| Total expenditure for diners | 3,959.98 | 4,213.30 |
| Other expenditure | ||
| Other Expenditure | 171.94 | 34.96 |
| Total otherexpenditure | 171.94 | 34.96 |
| Total Expenditure | 4,131.92 | 4,248.26 |
| Current assets | ||
| (Virgin Money) | ||
| Starting Balance | 1,513.60 | 2,349.86 |
| Surplus / Deficit | 283.08 | -836.26 |
| ClosingBalance | 1,796.68 | 1,513.60 |
Bank House 6-8 Church Street Adlington Chorley Lancashire PR7 4EX enquiries@rivingtonaccounts.co.uk 01257 429252
rA Rivington Accounts
Eric Kent
_ Horwich Evangelical Church C/o 15 Barncroft Drive Horwich Bolton BL6 6NZ
22nd January 2025
;
Dear Eric,
This letter is provided in connection with the preparation of the financial statements of Horwich Evangelical Church for the year ending 31% December 2024 for the purpose of expressing an opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view of the results and financial position of the Church.
Financial Statements
We confirm to the best of our knowledge and belief that the accounts are prepared by volunteers with relevant knowledge and experience and we have carried out an inspection of supporting documentation sufficient to satisfy ourselves that the financial statements reflect an accurate view of the financial position of the Church.
The reserves at the 31% December 2024 were £67,056 (excluding the building or any other assets that have been written off to expenses) plus £1,797 in the Luncheon Club.
Assets and Liabilities
In addition to the financial assets listed in the accounts, the Church also owns the building which has not been reported in the accounts. It would be useful to know the value of the building, or at least the land for the purposes of the accounts in order to give a more accurate reflection of the financial position of the Church. This could be done by a property valuer/ estate agent but this may incur a cost.
We are not aware of any liabilities that are due to be paid by the Church.
Yours sincerely,
NOW Martin Horton FCMA Director
Registered in England and Wales. Company Number 07063497. Registered office: Bank House, 6-8 Church Street, Adlington, Chorley, PR7 4EX. www.rivingtonaccounts.co.uk | www.rivington-accounts.com | 01257 429252