## **WOOLWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Trustees of** ## **the Church** ## **For the year ended 31 May 2025** ## **Chair of Trustees** Elizabeth West ## **Church Leader** Kelly Cotterell ## **Bank** Barclays Bank, Woolwich ## **Independent Examiner** Sue Peach **Charity Number** 1157291 Page 1 of 17 ## **WOOLWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH** # **(REG. CHARITY NO 1157291)** ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT** ## **FOR THE PERIOD 1ST JUNE 2024 TO 31ST MAY 2025** ## **Woolwich Community Church (“WCC”)** The Church is a registered charity which operates principally in the Woolwich area of South East London within the borough of Royal Greenwich. Our membership is mostly drawn from the SE18 area and other parts of London. The Church is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is registered with the Charity Commissioners. The Church's governing document is its Constitution. WCC is affiliated with the Pioneer network of Churches, a member of the Evangelical Alliance. WCC's principal registered address as a Charity **is 112 Ancona Road SE18 1AD.** ## **The Aims and Objectives of the Church are as set out in our Constitution - namely** : - Page 2 of 17 - the advancement of the Christian faith for the public benefit as set out in the Basis of Faith statement of the Evangelical Alliance UK, - to seek new followers and converts, - to provide a place of Christian worship, - to raise awareness and understanding of Christian belief and practice through instruction, and the study of the bible, - and to undertake Missionary and outreach work in the local community and further afield including overseas - particularly amongst people affected by poverty or natural disaster. ## **The Vision** The vision of WCC is based on the wording of Isaiah 61 and Acts 1, from which we seek to be a place of the “ _seven R’s_ ”, being refuge, righteousness, restoration, rejoicing, revival, reaping and rest, through our Lord Jesus Christ, in Woolwich, London and the World. ## **Management by the Church Trustees** The Church has an active Board of Trustees who provide the overall management of the Charity in terms of governance, financial oversight, review of decision making and risk management. The Trustees have a broad range of skills and experience which include those of legal, financial and administration. The Church has the following Trustees: - Elizabeth Chair of the West Trustees Page 3 of 17 Petruta Nila Trustee and Finance Officer Olushola Laguda Trustee Tosin Oloyede Trustee Shan Rogbeer Trustee In September 2024, our former co trustee, RIchard Stringer, stepped down from his role following his relocation to Wales. The Charity can have up to ten trustees. New trustees are appointed by the Board of Trustees, as mentioned above. Each trustee is appointed for a specific time period. The Trustees generally meet quarterly unless there are urgent matters requiring additional meetings; then they meet sooner. In line with the Church's constitution some trustee decisions are agreed using electronic communication i.e. email. The Trustees also approve documents and policies that impact on the operation and governance of the charity including Child and Adult Protection (Safeguarding), Health and Safety and Finance and Reserves policies. ## **Church Leadership Team** The Leadership Team (“TLT”) provides spiritual ministry and strategic and operational leadership of the Church. TLT consists of the Pastor of the Church, Pastor Kelly Cotterell, and other members of the congregation. From time-to-time church members who are not part of TLT attend TLT meetings for individual items for discussion. Page 4 of 17 The leadership team is currently as follows: Kelly Cotterell (Pastor) David Alcindor Mitzi Myrie Petruta Nila Leke Oloyede Tolu Oloyede In December 2024, Verena Foster stepped down from her role in the leadership team, corresponding with her retirement as the church’s administrative and finance assistant. ## **The location of WCC, the building and beyond** In the Autumn of 2024, the church relocated to Woolwich Central Baptist Church (“WCBC”) which is situated in the centre of Woolwich town in Simmons Road, near Woolwich Central Square. The church holds the weekly Sunday meeting at WCBC at 1.30pm. We have a great relationship with the leadership of WCBC and have joined together for a number of services including the 2024 Carol Service, Christmas and New Years Eve “Watchman” services. The Church also uses other buildings and Churches as needed for outreach and services. During the year, the WCC Men’s Group (“the Ministry of Transformation” or “MOT”) met at Avery Hill Christian Fellowship and the women spent time at the Ashburnham retreat in Sussex. Page 5 of 17 We are now a hybrid church in that we are no longer limited to meeting in a physical space. WCC continues to develop an online presence both for the benefit of church members and also to provide ongoing support to the local community. We record our Sunday services, and they can be readily accessed online, either to be watched live or viewed later. Additionally, the church runs prayer sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 7- 8 am, and Wednesday evening at 8pm, via ZOOM. Many members of the congregation regularly join these zoom meetings and have been enriched by this daily prayer resource. These prayer zooms are open to all, friends of members are welcome to join in, and do so. Members of the congregation meet in house groups on a fortnightly basis and there are also other prayer meetings and Sunday fellowship gatherings in members’ homes. ## **A Welcoming Environment** Our Church is charismatic and evangelical, and our services are lively. The members are from a diverse ethnic mix, which reflects the church’s location. There is a wide age range from babies to people of 80 and over. The Church is locally based, and the majority of the congregation live in the general area. The Church aims to provide a completely open and welcoming environment to newcomers and visitors at all of our activities. At present, numbers vary from week to week - the average attending each Sunday morning is around 55 to 65, out of a total membership of around 100. We have a significant turnover of membership due to the nature of the area and for this reason Page 6 of 17 members place considerable importance on the greeting of new people as they come through the door. The Trustees are aware of the responsibilities of the church for the safeguarding of both children and adults and continue to review our policies and procedures according to best practice. With the increase of the church’s online presence the Trustees were also active in reviewing the church’s technical infrastructure as well as the need for social media protocols. ## **Website and emails** Church members' details are held in compliance with General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) requirements. ## **Pioneer** Although Woolwich Community Church is a wholly independent organisation, we have continued to develop our links with the Pioneer Church Network and come under their overall umbrella. The Pioneer network is a Federation of Churches which provides a relational network that connects, inspires, and equips Churches in the UK. Linking with the Pioneer Network provides us with far greater resources and support. We have known many of the Pioneer leadership team for many years, since the days when we were part of Ichthus Christian Fellowship and we believe that this relationship is beneficial to our work in WCC. In addition, the Leadership Team meets and maintains relationships with Greenwich Evangelical Leaders, and iNet. WCC is a member of iNet, which is a small mission agency Page 7 of 17 working alongside multiple churches and in Summer 2024, the church hosted a group of young people from all over the world for a week long conference and outreach. ## **Main Activities During the Year 2024 – 2025** WCC is a very active church and we hold a wide range of activities. Our weekday early morning prayer meetings and Wednesday evening meetings by zoom, as mentioned above, are well attended and provide an invaluable spiritual resource. The zoom meetings were introduced as a response to the Covid pandemic and have outlived social distancing to become a mainstay of our church life, helping us to live in a rhythm of worship and prayer woven into our daily lives. Prayer remains a mainstay of our church and in both September 2024 and April 2025, we held weeks of prayer and fasting, accompanied by zoom meetings throughout each day. As well as the regular bible studies, we spent two separate months reading a chapter of the bible together daily, and feeding back on whatsapp to enlighten and encourage each other. As well as regular Sunday morning services, zoom prayer meetings and bible studies, we hold regular youth groups, house groups, movie nights, training days and in person prayer meetings. The men' s group (“Ministry of Transformation” or “MOT”), launched in November 2022 continues to meet regularly. Page 8 of 17 In the Summer of 2024, WCC held church barbecues in Charlton Park and these were joyful events. On occasion during the gatherings, we were able to engage with other people in the park, starting conversations and sometimes praying with them. As members of the Pioneer network of churches, a number of our trustees and members of the leadership team attended a residential women' s leadership conference and also an annual leadership conference in the early part of 2025. Some members of the Church have a prison ministry and lead a restorative justice course (“Sycamore Tree”, a course devised by Prison Fellowship) in a local prison, HMP Thameside. Additionally, members undertake prison visits and also provide ongoing contact and support to those men when they are released. In some cases, ongoing pastoral contact and support may continue for several years. Other WCC members help with Greenwich Night Shelter for street sleepers during the winter months. At present, two members of the congregation are still regular volunteers. The Church maintains a Pastoral Fund which is available to those experiencing financial hardship, who can be either church members or non-members. Decisions on the allocation of these funds are made by our Leadership Team and the gifts are made on a strictly confidential basis. The Pastoral Fund is a Restricted Fund and is accounted for separately within the Church's accounts. WCC also supports the Greenwich churches foodbank through collecting food. Page 9 of 17 The open evangelism in Woolwich town centre continues, as we seek to spread the message of the gospel in the heart of the community. At each of these Saturday evangelism sessions, a number of people are spoken to and prayed for. ## **Employees** The Church has a full-time paid pastor (Kelly Cotterell). In December of 2024, our long time administrator and finance officer, Verena Foster, stepped down from her role and was replaced by Leke Oloyede, who works for us part time. All staff are managed by Pastor Kelly. In agreement with the Leadership team, we released our beloved Pastor Kelly to a sabbatical in September 2024 and she rejoined us for the Christmas celebrations three months later. ## **Workplace Pension** The Church has provided a Workplace Pension for its employees since August 2017 in compliance with the Workplace Pensions regulations. The pension provider is NEST, under a scheme which is used by many charities and similar organisations. ## **Volunteers** All the work of the church beyond the contribution of the paid employees is done by volunteers. Volunteers provide their time welcoming and stewarding, worship leading, maintaining the Page 10 of 17 website, and setting up and maintaining the P.A. systems and sound desk. Volunteers also make teas and coffees and refreshments, undertake children and youth work, give time providing administration, lead services and other meetings, oversee and organise finance and set up and clear away everything each Sunday. The Church could not function without volunteers and the Leadership Team and Trustees are very grateful for all their work. ## **Financial Review** The church had a financial deficit of £26,332 within the year. The balance from the previous year means that the Church carried forward a bank balance of £195,724 into the new year. The Church's main source of funds is from its congregation members with occasional gifts from others. Many members give a regular gift using the principle of tithing (one tenth of their income). Members are encouraged to use the Gift Aid scheme for their giving which allows the Church to reclaim tax paid on that gift income from HMRC. Gift Aid claims are made quarterly. Most of the church’s income is applied to provide salaries for employees, and hall hire charges. Further details are provided within the accounts. Page 11 of 17 The church’s insurances are provided by Kingdom Bank and these have been renewed for 2025 to 2026. The church has an agreed Reserves policy based on an assessment of the main risks to its financial stability. The assessment allows for risks due to a reduction in giving by church members, unexpected expenditure, and temporary cash flow issues. The policy also allows for the Church’s position of renting our property rather than owning which reduces the risk of unexpected high levels of property and maintenance related expenditure. The policy effectively allows for a reserve to cover one month’s gift income from members, plus an amount (£1,000) for unexpected expenditure which could not be deferred. The policy will be reviewed as required and the required balance compared to the free actual funds available. The reserve policy is subject to review if there are changes in circumstances, for example, if the church were to go ahead and acquire a new property. Dated 29 March 2026 ## Signed: Elizabeth West Elizabeth West Chair of Trustees Page 12 of 17 **----- Start of picture text -----**
WOOLWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH
Prev Year Prev Year
RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31ST MAY 2025 2023/24 2022/23
Unrestricted Restricted
Notes Total Total Total
funds Funds
Receipts £ £ £ £ £
Gift Aid Giving 2 (i) 84,756 84,756 85,574 81,113
Non Gift Aid Giving 2 (i) 8,104 8,104 19,211 22,868
Gift Aid Tax Refund - GASDS 16,061 16,061 31,186 20,804
Conferences 3 9,173 9,173 12,767 4,836
Transfers to Missions 2 (ii) 0 0 (14,172)
Transfers to Pastoral Fund (G/Aid) 2 (ii) (4,962) (4,962) (534) (123)
Transfers to Building fund (G/Aid) 2 (ii) 0 (502) (232)
Transfers to Prison Ministry 2 (ii) (365) (365) (488) (39)
Pastoral Fund inc. 2 (ii) 5,675 5,675 2,694 16,472
Prison Ministry Fund inc. 2 (ii) 745 745 488 39
Building Fund inc. 2 (ii) 350 350 3,010 2,355
Missions inc. 529 529 527 14,638
Misc inc. - 267 267 0 372
TOTAL RECEIPTS 112,767 7,566 120,333 153,933 148,931
Payments
People Costs 5 78,366 78,366 57,420 54,546
Media 12,746 12,746 7,311 2,515
Affiliation Subscriptions 3,760 3,760 3,965 3,820
Admin 272 272 369 413
Property hire 6 17,507 17,507 22,671 19,774
Children & Youth 245 245 939 1,121
Conferences 3 11,470 11,470 18,141 3,820
Training 3,103 3,103 1,594 4,565
Misc 2,225 2,225 1,056 903
Pastoral Fund 2 (ii) 6,171 6,171 5,770 16,173
Prison Ministry Fund 2 (ii) 745 745 488 408
Missions 10,053 10,053 8,945 9,028
TOTAL PAYMENTS 129,695 16,970 146,665 128,668 117,086
NET RECEIPTS (16,928) (9,404) (26,332) 25,265 31,845
Balances Brought Forward 197,744 24,312 222,056 196,791 164,946
Balances Carried Forward 31 May 180,816 14,908 195,724 222,056 196,791
Page 1 The notes on pages 1-4 form part of these accounts
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page 13 of 17 **----- Start of picture text -----**
WOOLWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH
Prev Year Prev Year Prev Year
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31ST MAY 2025 2023/24 2022/23 2021/22
Unrestricted Restricted
Notes Total Total Total Total
funds Funds
ASSETS
Cash Funds £ £ £ £ £ £
- - - - - -
Cash Balances (Petty Cash)
Bank Current Account 180,816 14,908 195,724 222,056 196,791 164,946
Total Cash Funds 180,816 14,908 195,724 222,056 196,791 164,946
Other monetary assets
Estimated gift aid tax refund due 8 15,801 75 15,876 3,288 22,076 20,774
Total Monetary Assets 15,801 75 15,876 3,288 22,076 20,774
LIABILITIES
Property 9 - - - 1,794 1,905 426
Amounts due to HMRC 10 - - - 722 730 675
Pension 11 - - - - - -
Total Liabilities - - - 2,516 2,634 1,101
**----- End of picture text -----**
**Approved by Woolwich Community Church and signed on its behalf by** Page 2 The notes on pages 1 to 4 form part of these accounts Page 14 of 17 **WOOLWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH** ## **NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31ST MAY 2025** ## **1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES** The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and on the Receipts and Payments basis. ## **2 ANALYSIS OF FUND MOVEMENTS FOR THE YEAR** - (I) **UNRESTRICTED FUNDS** may be used by the Church for any of its ordinary purposes. The movements in the fund are shown in the Receipts and Payments Account (ii) **RESTRICTED FUNDS** represent donations and gifts received for a specific purpose. The funds may only be spent on the specific purpose for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent must be carried forward as a balance on that fund and cannot be absorbed into General Funds. Receipts include Gift Aid on specific giving for the Pastoral Fund and, Prison Ministry and the Building Fund as per below. |**FUND NAME**
**PURPOSE**
Building Fund
Prison Ministry
Resources for prison ministry
Pastoral Fund
Identifying and acquiring a new
building for the Church
Relief of financial hardship|**Bal B/f**
**Receipts**
**Payments**
**Bal 31st May**
£0
£745
£745
**£0**
£497
£5,675
£6,171
**£0**
**£32,730**
**£6,770**
**£6,916**
**£32,584**
£350
£0
**£32,584**
£32,234| |---|---| ## **3 Analysis of Receipts and Payments Items** These are shown in the Receipts and Payments Account on Page 1. **Conferences** is various retreats (for women, men and mixed groups). |**5**|**PEOPLE COSTS -**consists of:-
**Paid Employees**
£54,984
Employer's National Insurance costs (small employer scheme)
£15,330
Pensions
£4,107
**£74,421**
Visiting preachers/worshipers
£1,206
Other costs
£2,739
**Total People Costs**
**£78,366**
Average number of employees
2.0
Gross salaries and wages| |---|---| |**6**|£17,354
£153
**Total**
**£17,507**
Other costs - storage, worship etc.
**PROPERTY COSTS - Consist of costs for:-**
Woolwich Common Community Centre/WCBC hire charge| |---|---| Page 3 Page 15 of 17 **Payments to Trustees -** No expenses were paid to Trustees, however as the Church Leadership Team make - **7** confidential payments from the Pastoral Fund it is possible that such payments may include those to a Trustee. - **8 Gift Aid** tax refund due for May 2025 - **9** Hire charge due for use. No outstanding cost is at the end of the FY - Amount due to HMRC for payroll deductions but not yet paid over. No employer's NI cost is shown due to the - **10** credit for small employers. - The Church has started a workplace pension for its employees with **NEST** . The Church complies with the - **11** Pensions Regulator's requirements for employer's contribution. No outstanding liability for YE 2024/2025. Page 16 of 17 Independent Examinerfs Report to the Trustees of Woolwich Community Church I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31 May 2025, which are set out on pages 1 to 4. Respective responsibilities of the Church's Trustees and Examiner The Church's Trustees are ￿sponSIble for the preparation of the accounts. The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 (2} of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to - examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act; - follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145 (5) (b) of the 2011 Act, and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attents"on. Basis of Independent Examinerfs report My examination was carried out in accordan￿ with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of Ihe accounting records kept by the Church 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 you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and. consequentty 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 examinerfs statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attent￿n. (1) wh￿h grves me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act: and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met., or {2) to which, in my opinion, attention shoukl be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Ms. Sue Peach Independent Examiner Relevant Professional Qualiftstion.. CPFA Date.. 2710312026 Page17of17