Bromsgrove Baptist Church New Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 2JD
01527 877190 www.bromsgrove-baptists.org.uk Charity Number: 1154922
## **Charity Commission Annual Report 2021**
Our year began in another national lockdown due a peak in cases of Covid-19 which meant that we needed to revert to holding our Sunday morning worship online once again. As the year progressed, the lockdown restrictions were lifted and we are able to enjoy coming together in person to worship God and spend time in fellowship.
## **Aim & Purposes**
Bromsgrove Baptist Church’s aim is that that through all of our church activities, as well as through involvement in our wider communities, all people will come to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Jesus has so much to offer all people, whether life seems easy or not.
We are seeking to demonstrate the love of God for all people through the way in which we live our lives of faith in unity together.
With the Bible to help everyone understand who God is, we believe that we are guided by God’s Holy Spirit to be an expression of the community that God longs to see throughout the world.
## **Objectives & Activities**
When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.
We believe our purpose as a church is to be “Offering the transforming love of Jesus Christ in the realities of life”. We hold that closely through our core values of “Belonging”, “Growing”, “Serving” in the words that we speak, as well as in our care for each other, and support for our local community.
BELONGING
I Corinthians 12.12-27. Acts 2.42-47. John. 13.31-38
Ouf vision is to be a communty of God's people living out compassionate care.
offering generovs hospilalty, and embraclng ways ol gracious belonging.
We will do Ihis by:
Lovlng each other as famlly, caring for the whole person, and lovlng our nelghbour
as ourselves.
Belng open th our welcome to ensure that everyone feels al home and thows
that Ihey are valued in our community.
Gimng priollty to those in need os we release time an(J resources to the meet the
needs of those around us.
Demonstrating our commitment lo Jesus through baptism and our commitment lo
each other through Covenant Partnership.
Respecting view-points and opinions different to our own as we willingty explore
dlversity logether, and respond to each other In Chrlst-like ways.
SERVING
Joshua 1.6-9, Acts I:l-I I, Ephesians 4.1-16
Our vision is lo be a community of God's people who are living out a courageous failh
as we engage in innovalive oulreach and intenlional mission.
We will do this by:
Helping each other lo discover the unique ways in whlch God has gifted and
equipped us so that we can all serve him as he intends.
Ajlowing God to challenge us through the Holy Spirit to embroce fresh ways of
being church, even when that feels risky.
Evangelistically meeting the needs of our local community as we seek to be church
away from our buildings, sharing the love of Jesus in creative and imaginative ways.
Supporting the mission and minislry of Chvrches Togelher in Bromsgrove and
responding to opportunities for community engagement / development as they
arlse.
Partnering with olhers beyond ourselves (locally and globollyl who are seeking to
achieve God's Kingdom purposes in ways and places that we can't do or go to on
our own.
**Achievements & Performance**
## **Belonging:**
We have continued to enable people to understand that Bromsgrove Baptist Church is a place where we belong together in Covenant Partnership. As the first Covid-19 lockdown began in March 2020, we put in a place a “Staying Connected” plan to ensure that we maintained regular contact with those who were the most vulnerable and isolated. This plan proved to be so successful that it has continued throughout 2021 and will remain ongoing.
After another unusual year which has again included national lockdowns, it is less easy to comment on the number of those who continue to be fully connected to our church. The graph below shows a small decline in the later part of the year when we bid farewell to some of our friends.
The strength of our belonging together is seen in the outworking of church life, not in numerical data. To that end, it is through all that we share together, and through all that we offer to others, that we truly demonstrate that Bromsgrove Baptist Church is a place to belong together, where the depth of our love and care for each other, and those who are currently beyond our church community, is unquestionable.
## **Growing:**
We have continued to live stream our worship services as part of our regular Sunday morning setup which was particularly important as we entered the new year in lockdown. We met in person as soon as we were able, bearing in mind those who were particularly vulnerable to Covid-19; we continued to uphold safety measures to reduce the risk of transmission.
We have continued with learning to adapt to new forms of communication such as ‘hybrid’ meetings and the live streaming of our services. Through the creative use of technology, we have been able to continue connecting with each other and learning together.
## **Serving:**
We have continued to ensure that the needs have been met for anyone shielding or isolating due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has included delivering groceries and copies of printed church materials and also making regular phone calls to those who are more likely to be lonely.
This has taken a huge commitment from our church family, reflecting just how much we do consider ourselves to be here for other people, not just ourselves. We have done all that we can to serve people with the compassion and grace of Jesus Christ.
Our ongoing support of Bromsgrove Youth & Community Hub (The Hub), which operates out of the basement area of our premises, has continued to be vital.
## **Leadership**
Our leadership priority is to enable others to actively participate in the life of the church. Our Minister and Deacons form our core “Leadership Team”, alongside whom we affirm others in “Co-ordinator” roles.
## **Financial Review**
## Overview
2021 was a positive financial year for the church. The congregational giving was higher than budgeted at the start of the year. We also had a rebate on the electricity bill. We did not spend as much money as expected because of the pandemic. Please refer to the attached accounts for details of income and expenditure during the year.
## Reserves Policy
Bromsgrove Baptist Church does not have a formal reserves policy. We are mindful of the guidance to retain sufficient reserves in order to be able to close the church in an orderly manner should this be required.
## **Administration Information**
Bromsgrove Baptist Church is situated on New Road in the town of Bromsgrove. The correspondence address is: Bromsgrove Baptist Church; New Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 2JD.
Those individuals who have served on our Leadership Team for all or part of the period of this report are:
- Mrs Sian Anderson (co-opted to provide Administrative support)
- Dr Claire Curtis
- Dr David Law
- Rev Paul Lewis
- Mr Simon Miles
- Mrs Rose Pauley
- Miss Morgan Robinson
- Mrs Jean Spencer
## **Approved by the Leadership Team on 18/10/2022 and signed on their behalf by Rev. Paul Lewis.**
## **Bromsgrove Baptist Church - 2021 Accounts**
## **Summary Accounts**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Actual '20 Budget '21 Actual '21
Income (see below) 131,169.01 120,055.00 135,589.91
minus
Expenses (see page 2) 130,922.66 120,082.00 108,634.54
TOTAL 246.35 - 27.00 26,955.37
Funds holdings: Start 2021 End 2021
Restricted funds: £ 35,401.52 £ 37,238.87
Designated funds: £ 43,672.00 £ 51,672.00
£ 79,073.52 £ 88,910.87 Funds change: 9,837.35
Accounts change: 36,792.72
..
Bank Accounts: Start 2021 End 2021 should be
CAF Cash £ 53,577.28 £ 90,365.20 equal to:
CAF Gold £ 47,983.35 £ 47,988.15 ..
£ 101,560.63 £ 138,353.35 36,792.72
Income Actual '20 Budget '21 Actual '21
Offering 92,612.52 90,000 99,287.14
Gift Aid Refund 21,329.20 18,200 20,982.86
Church Rental Income 13,077.00 8,750 9,225.54
Bank Interest 38.47 25 4.80
Trusts and Dividends 82.10 80 84.20
Other Income (tickets etc.) 4,029.72 3,000 6,005.37 A
- - -
Stategic change - from contigency fund
TOTAL INCOME 131,169.01 120,055 135,589.91
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page 1
|**Church Expenses**
**Bank Charges**
**Cleaning**
**Rubbish Collection**
**External Preaching Fees**
**Fees, Subscriptions and Licenses**
**Insurance**
**Heat, Light and Water**
**Photocopier**
**Communication Services**
**Stationery & Consumables**
**Repairs and Renewals**
**Audiovisual Systems**
**Strategic change - to funds**
**Miscellaneous**
**Ministerial and Manse Expenses**
**Stipend, NI and Pension**
**Staff Salary, NI and Pension**
**Expenses incl. Travel, Conf etc.**
**Cnl Tax, Water, Gas, Elec, Phone**
**Repairs and Maintenance**
**Manse Insurance**
**Property Rental Cost**
**Major Repairs and Renewals**
**Major projects**
**Mission and Evangelism**
**Children's Work**
**Church Events**
**Literature / Advertising**
**BMS**
**Home Mission**
**AHAVA**
**Hope & Kindness Kenya**
**Meninadanca Brazil**
**Novimost Bosnia**
**Compassion**
**National Mission**
**Mission Visit Subsidies**
**Miscellaneous**
**TOTAL EXPENSES**
**Expenses**|**Actual '20**|**Budget '21**|**Actual '21**
96.50
2,850.00
906.88
50.00
1,848.77
4,327.57
7,533.72
1,140.92
1,131.75
718.12
1,745.91
B
499.00
8,375.00
C
-
**31,224.14**
40,188.30
3,050.68
785.33
3,229.42
112.46
400.24
-
**47,766.43**
6,415.20
D
**6,415.20**
2,026.39
1,717.65
237.69
5,250.00
5,750.04
1,500.00
E
1,500.00
1,500.00
1,500.00
672.00
1,500.00
F
-
75.00
G
**23,228.77**
**108,634.54**|
|---|---|---|---|
||60.00|**60**||
||2,872.50|**4,700**||
||906.88|**950**||
||150.00|**150**||
||1,891.16|**1,950**||
||4,083.94|**4,300**||
||7,522.84|**8,190**||
||414.24|**800**||
||1,102.08|**850**||
||699.62|**1,500**||
||2,623.98|**5,000**||
||990.98|**2,500**||
||31,038.22|**5,000**||
||260.00
**54,616.44**|**-**
**35,950**||
||45,961.10|**40,000**||
||-|**-**||
||425.99|**1,500**||
||3,852.86|**3,300**||
||596.25|**1,000**||
||379.41|**410**||
||1,450.00|**-**||
||**52,665.61**|**46,210**||
||1,828.00|**10,000**||
||**1,828.00**|**10,000**||
||1,498.24|**4,500**||
||3,799.62|**3,500**||
||260.75|**750**||
||5,100.00|**5,250**||
||5,500.00|**5,750**||
||1,250.00|**1,500**||
||1,250.00|**1,500**||
||1,250.00|**1,500**||
||1,250.00|**1,500**||
||654.00|**672**||
||-|**1,500**||
||-|**-**||
||-|**-**||
||**21,812.61**
**130,922.66**|**27,922**
**120,082.00**||
Page 2
**Start 2021**
**End 2021**
## **Funds of Money held within Church Bank Accounts**
**Income Outgoing**
## **Restricted Funds**
(Restricted Funds may only be used for the purposes that they are provided.)
**----- Start of picture text -----**
£ 1,693.66 £ - Mission Visits £ - £ 1,693.66
£ - £ - BMS £ - £ -
£ - £ - Home Mission £ - £ -
£ 750.00 £ 375.00 Fellowship Needs -£ 122.21 £ 1,002.79
£ - £ - Youth Worker £ - £ -
£ 9,482.48 £ 154.60 Little Wonders -£ 191.62 £ 9,445.46
£ 20,969.86 £ - 1000 Days £ - £ 20,969.86
£ - £ - Youth & Community Hub £ - £ -
£ 2,392.00 £ 3,574.88 Holding Fund -£ 1,942.60 £ 4,024.28 H
£ 113.52 £ - SBHS CU -£ 10.70 £ 102.82
£ 35,401.52 £ 4,104.48 -£ 2,267.13 £ 37,238.87
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Designated Funds**
|**Designated Funds**|**Designated Funds**|**Designated Funds**|**Designated Funds**|
|---|---|---|---|
|(Designated Funds are set aside for a proposed purpose but may be redirected to general (unrestricted) funds if required.)||||
|42,172.00
£|8,000.00
£
Contingency Fund|-
£|50,172.00
£|
|1,500.00
£
**43,672.00**
**£**
**79,073.52**
**£**|-
£
8,000.00
£
**12,104.48**
**£**
PA/IT Failure Contingency|-
£
-
£
**2,267.13**
**-£**|1,500.00
£
**51,672.00**
**£**
**88,910.87**
**£**|
## **Notes for 2021 accounts**
|**A**|**Other Income**|||
|---|---|---|---|
||Funeral donations (Various)|£|1,495.00
|
||General donations|£|110.00
|
||Sprout Quiz Income (covering costs)|£|85.56
|
||Sprout Income|£|239.95
|
||Sparks Income|£|180.00
|
||Stipend overpayment|£|0.20
|
||Southern Electric refund|£|2,615.66
|
||Church expenses overpayment refund|£|14.00
|
||2020 Panto Income|£|125.00
|
||2021 Panto Income|£|1,140.00
|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**6,005.37**
|
|**B**|**Repairs and Renewals**|||
||Solihull Sparky - monthly electrical cover (12 months)|£|473.88|
||Fire Alarm Batteries|£|78.85|
||Gorilla tape (P.Lewis expenses)|£|10.99|
||Fire Alarm repair|£|90.38|
||New keys|£|17.00|
||Light bulbs|£|41.34|
||Church front door lock repair|£|54.00|
||Fire Alarm and Emergency lighting service|£|403.47|
||Tanking annual service|£|576.00|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**1,745.91**|
|**C**|**Strategic Change - to funds**|||
||As budgeted - to contingency funds|£|5,000.00
|
||Money not spent on major projects in 2021 - to contingency funds|£|3,000.00
|
||Transfer to Fellowship funds|£|375.00
|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**8,375.00**
|
|**D**|**Major Projects**|||
||Church car park railings - wall repairs|£|235.20
|
||Church car park railings repairs|£|6,180.00
|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**6,415.20**
|
## **E AHAVA**
Donation transferred to Holding fund to be paid in 2022 due to challenges making payment in 2021 (see note H)
## **F National Mission**
Donation made to Christians Against Poverty
## **G Miscellanous Mission**
|**G**|**Miscellanous Mission**|||
|---|---|---|---|
||CVM Gift|£|75.00
|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**75.00**
|
|**H**|**Holding Fund -**is made up of|||
||Funeral donation to Cancer Research|£|204.00|
||Funeral donation to AHAVA|£|417.50|
||Donation to Toilet Twinning from Sprout Quiz|£|153.58|
||2020 Donation to AHAVA|£|1,250.00|
||2021 Donation to AHAVA|£|1,500.00|
||2021 Pension contributions for S.Anderson|£|499.20|
||**TOTAL**|**£**|**4,024.28**|
BROMSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
CHARITY NUMBER 1154922
PERIOD OF ACCOUNTS 1 January 2021 to 31 DEC EMBER 2021
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charity's Act 2011 (the Charity's Act) and that an independent examination is needed
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charity's Act
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145 [5] {b} of the Charity Act) and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
## **Basis of independent examiners statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention
- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act.
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met ; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Signed** K R Moore
**Date 18**[th] **October 2022**
## **Keith Roger Moore KLM Accounts**
## **Independent Examiner**
## **15 Shenstone Road**
## **Great Barr**
Birmingham
**B43 5LW**