## **Minutes of 62[nd] Annual General Meeting of the Trustees of Southcote Family Church, held on Sunday 8[th] June 2025.**
The meeting followed the Sunday service and was preceded by a buffet lunch.
**Opening Prayer and thought** – Norman read Psalm 36:5-10. We are encouraged to have a “right judgement”, in the name of the One God, now and forever. Norman then opened the meeting in prayer.
**Present** : Norman Lindsey, Graham Edge, Linda Edge, Helmut Haines, Pete Cole, Barry Young and Judi Charters.
**Apologies** : none, as all were present.
**Appointment of Chair and Secretary** : as both Norman and Judi were prepared to stand again, and as there were no other nominations, both were re-appointed. Norman was proposed by Pete and seconded by Graham, and Judi was proposed by Norman and seconded by Pete.
**Minutes of the last AGM:** agreed as a true record.
**Matters arising from the minutes** : a major change in the running of the church has been the sudden departure of Henry Ohakah, our Pastor, at the end of December. Since that time, the Leadership and Leadership Support Team have managed all the affairs and the running of the church, with support from outside, especially Kennet Valley Free Church, for which we are eternally grateful!
**Financial Report** : A report from Graham Allen, our Treasurer, clearly shows that the church’s finances are in a healthy state, still enabling us to give around 18% of our income to our regular charitable causes. There is now no Pastor salary to pay out each month, which obviously means our balance should remain healthy.
**Leadership Report** : Judi and Graham, as members of the Leadership Team, presented the report, outlining how matters have progressed since the departure of Henry –
- There have been adjustments made to the structure of the Leadership, based on skills and abilities. The Leadership Team will now have 5 members and the Support Team 4, utilising to full effect the individual skills of each member and taking into account where each feels comfortable.
- Attendance at Sunday services averages around 30-35 people, with a small number of people coming for a the first time.
- Coffee and Chat on Wednesdays is well attended and much enjoyed.
- Attendance at Friday Prayer Meetings varies, but is still considered an essential part of church life.
- Graham has taken on the task of obtaining visiting speakers for Sundays and the church has benefitted from having a wide variety of messages brought, with different styles of preaching. One or two member of the Leadership Team are beginning to occasionally take on a preaching role.
- Open Church, a comparatively new initiative that takes place once a month, is evolving.
- An Away Day is planned for August, for the Leadership to set a clear vision for the church.
- The Pantry, mentioned in last year’s minutes, has been set up in the church and runs every Tuesday afternoon. After much effort from a few people to prepare the area in the church, the Pantry opened in May. This is proving to be an excellent outreach into the community, and it is hoped that in time it will attract some of its customers into church services and activities. In conjunction with the Pantry, Communicare, a Christian organisation helping people with money issues, form-filling and so on, will be operating from the Pantry. A recently appointed Parish Nurse will enhance all of these ventures by getting to know where the needs are in our community. Torch organisation, another Christian initiative that works in our area to help with practical issues, is attracting volunteers from within our congregation.
**60[th] Anniversary** : preparations are well underway for the church’s 60[th] Anniversary on 19[th] and 20[th] July. Around 80+ people are expected to attend on each day, with many travelling considerable distances to be with us. The first two Pastors of our church will be playing significant roles in the celebrations. A Cream Tea will be held on the preceding Wednesday, for neighbours of the church.
**AOB** : none.
**Date of next AGM – Sunday 7[th] June 2026.**
**Reminder of Policy Review Meeting – 25[th] January 2026.**
The meeting closed in prayer.
**Southcote Family Church 2024/2025 Summary of Accounts at 31 March 2025**
## **Balances**
|Co-op
Lloyds
Lloyds 32 Day Notice
Cash
Balance at 1 April 2024
Income
Expenditure
Balance at 31 March 2025
**Decrease**|£10,007.34
£2,097.75
£62,234.69
£5.16
£74,344.94
£81,915.69
£38,266.60
£45,837.35
£74,344.94
£7,570.75|
|---|---|
## **Notes**
Balance has decreased slightly this month. Major expenditure this month was our annual insurance bill for next year which was balanced by a large regular annual donation from one member and an additional one off donation to be used to help fund our 60th Anniversary Celebrations.
We finish the year, still with healthy reserves overall. Our overall balance is expected to begin to increase again until we recruit a new pastor or something else changes.
All giving received has been donated including the £1000 regular donation split between our four main causes. £450 of gifts for visiting speakers were donated to our causes this year and show in those figures.
Details of in and outgoings for our causes are now shown on a seperate poster size report.
Thank you for your continued financial support, please keep giving what you can; if you are a tax payer please GIFT AID your giving.
Graham Allen
treasurer.southcotefamilychurch@yahoo.com
Page 1 of 2
## **Southcote Family Church Income and Expenditure to 31 March 2025**
## **Income**
|**Income**||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Offerings and Gifts||£25,087.65||
|Giving - Gift Aided|£17,474.70|||
|Giving - General|£5,202.95|||
|Special Gifts|£2,410.00||of which £1715.00 Gift Aided|
|Use of Hall||£2,100.00||
|Gift Aid Tax Reclaim||£6,326.11||
|Bank Interest||£1,504.13||
|Mission||£3,248.71|of which £1936.00 Gift Aided|
|||£38,266.60||
|**Expenditure**||||
|**General Administration**||||
|Pastor Salary and Tax||£22,500.00||
|Employer Pension||£534.60||
|Visiting Speakers||£840.00||
|Stationery \ Printing \ Licences||£1,796.72||
|Fees, Licences & Subscriptions|£946.72|||
|Ministry Equipment \ Training|£850.00|||
|Pastoral Care||£604.67||
|**Land and Buildings**||||
|Maintenance||£3,871.29||
|Equipment||£1,252.77||
|Insurance||£1,486.33|Refund|
|Cleaning||£305.57||
|Utilities||£5,767.80||
|Telephone & Broadband|£921.90|||
|Gas|£3,136.53|||
|Electric|£1,376.95|||
|Water|£332.42|||
|**Donations to Mission**||||
|Mission||£6,631.50||
|**Miscellaneous**||||
|Catering||£146.10||
|Flowers||£100.00||
|||£45,837.35||
Page 2 of 2
Southcots Family Church Charlty reglstration number 1156292 - UTR 2686924383
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for the year ended 31 March 2025
Unre8trictlve funds
2025
2024
Incoma
Offerings and Gifts
Giving under Gift Aid
Specific Gifts
Hire of Hall
Bank Interest
Income Tax
6,516
21,126
695
2,100
1,504
9,448
24,981
700
1.880
731
£38 267 £ 43 921
Ex nditure
General Administratlon
Pastor
Pension
Visiting Speakers
Youth Work
Stationery I Printing l LiCenS
Pastoral Care
22,500
534
31,575
475
880
1,797
605
2,229
1.652
Land & Bulldln
costs
Premises and Equipment
Utilities I Insurance I Cleaning
5,124
7,560
5,279
6,627
Donatlon8 to Mission
Various Missions
Christmas Appeal
5,881
750
3,079
960
Miscollanoous
Sundry Items
Catering & Flowers
246
349
Doficlt for the year
In accordance with instructions given to me, I have checke¢ without canying out an audit. the above
Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 st MarclL 2025, from the records and from
inforn]ation given to me. and can confirni that they are in accordance therewith.
Tilehurst
23rd May 2025
IL J. Roper
Accountsnt