Hall Green United Community Church annual report 2023
To Worship God, To Know Jesus, To Serve Others
Hall Green United Community Church (HGUCC) has the responsibility to promote the work of church in worship, in pastoral care, in service to the local community and, with our three parent denominations, in ecumenical work.
HGUCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the church buildings in Reddings Lane, Hall Green, the property of the Methodist Church.
Objectives and activities .
HGUCC is committed to making worship attractive to as many people as possible both in the church buildings and online via Zoom. Our services and worship aim to put faith into practice through prayer and Scripture, music and sacrament. It is always our intention to help enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our community.
Achievements and performance .
Over the year we have offered a range of services with Holy Communion taking place on the first Sunday in each month. During this year we have been challenged by the loss of our minister Rev Lorraine Shorten, who has been moved to a new ministry in Bath. We give thanks for all her achievements at Hall Green and pray for her future ministry. Subsequent to her leaving in May, we have been served by a succession of preachers, both lay and ordained, leading our worship. The congregation has responded very well to the services.
Numerically, our membership numbers have dropped over the year, due to the death of some members, relocation of others and a sensible “pruning” of the membership list. We have, however, been able to welcome new members, especially some joining us after Sparkhill Methodist Church closed down.
Our Sunday services continue to attract a congregation numbering between 60 and 75 physically in church with another 7 to 12 joining online. To increase the involvement of the people online and in church we have, during the year, installed a completely new vision and sound control system with a high-quality camera to capture the service. Whilst there have been teething troubles, the general feeling has been positive.
Our usage of Zoom continues with our online Prayer Group on Wednesday mornings and for occasional meetings.
During the year a new Bible Reading and Prayer group began to meet on church premises on Tuesday mornings and a separate, evening meeting is planned for next year.
The church has continued to be represented at both URC and Moravian synods and at meetings of the Birmingham Methodist Circuit.
We pride ourselves on being a Community Church and, during the year, our services to the community have continued. Friendly Corner Cafe, our weekly community café, has continued to grow with more than 50 people regularly attending for food and fellowship. Though some of the customers are church members and attendees, many are not, and we thank God for this outreach.
Baby & Co., the church run Stay and Play group for parents and toddlers has also continued to serve the local community with many of the families being from the local Asian community.
The church buildings continue to host a range of activities, including another Stay and Play group, run by local Children’s Centre, two martial arts group, a musical theatre group, tai chi and others. We also have one or two bookings most weekends for private functions including birthdays and other family celebrations. These, as well as supporting our local communities, help to bring income into the church and indirectly to the denominations.
The use of our buildings is, of course, dependent on the condition of those buildings. Maintenance has been particularly costly in this year as shown in the attached accounts. More work is planned for the coming year.
None of this would be possible without the small army of volunteers who continue to work untiringly for HGUCC.
Structure, governance and management.
Hall Green United Community Church is managed by Board of Trustees elected by the members. At the end of the year, we had 11 full trustees, +2 co-opted members. After Rev Lorraine Shorten left in May, Blair Kesseler was elected as Chair of Trustees. The trustees meet at least once each month. The trustees are responsible for making decisions on all matter of general concern and importance to the church including deciding on how the funds of HGUCC are to be spent.
The Annual Congregational Meeting is held in November where reports are considered and matters of concern voted upon. This meeting usually happens following a Sunday service.
The trustees have spent much time in preparing plans for the continuing life of the church without a minister. It has been decided that we will apply for a share of a URC minister and this procedure has been started. We do not expect an appointment in the coming year, it is almost certain that the procedure will take well into the last quarter of 2024. In the meantime, the trustees will continue to maintain worship and management.
As with many churches, an ageing congregation and the lack of young people are concerning. However, we have a thriving, enthusiastic membership who continue to look forward to the future with optimism as we celebrate 100 years of Christian worship in the building in 2024.
| SECTIONA | Unrestricted Funds |
Desig/Rest Funds |
Totalsthls | Totals last | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g | g | ||||||
| a1 | RECEIPTS | Note | |||||
| a2 | OfferingsandTax recovered | 65,450 | |||||
| Bank and CFBinterest and | |||||||
| a3 | lnvestment income | 1.767 | |||||
| a4 | Lettings | ?9,982 | |||||
| a5 | Otherreceipts | 11,397 | r,890 | ||||
| a6 | TOTAL RECEIPTS | 108,58€ | 1,390 | ||||
| SECTIONB | |||||||
| o1 | PAYMENTS | ||||||
| o2 | CircuitAssessment orShare | 52,232 | 52,292 | 54,497 | |||
| c3 | Donations | 4,378 | 4,379 | 3,824 | |||
| t4 | Repairsand Maintenance | 30,222 | 6.000 | 3$,?22 | 13.050 | ||
| Utilities{lnsurances,water | |||||||
| b5 | charges,heating&lighting] | 12,134 | N2"131 | 12.619 | |||
| b6 | |||||||
| b7 | Otherpayments | 24,413 | 9,793 | 34,206 | 55,916 | ||
| b8 | TOTAL PAYMENTS | 123,979 | t5,793 | 139,172 | tb$) | ,39,906 | |
| c2 | Total funds broughtfonarardfiom lastyear NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS |
48,151 | 18.367 | 96,51 | l;;ru | ||
| CJ | Subtotal | (c1+c2) | 33,368 | 4,454 | 37.832 | I.",r". | |
| c4 | Transfers and adiustments | (s6el | (e6el | (c7) | l-{4.,ll | ||
| c5 | TOTALFUNDSATENDOFYEAR | (c3+c4)t | ee,eeal3,4951 |
ss,aeal |
1ca1 |
| FOR INFORMATIONONLY:MONEY RTCEIYEDANDPASSEDCIHTOEXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS | FOR INFORMATIONONLY:MONEY RTCEIYEDANDPASSEDCIHTOEXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS |
|---|---|
| amounts are nottobeincludedinbtalreceiptsJpaynrenfsfiguresabovel | I |
| -passed to extemalorganisations | |
| tsAI-ANCE STILL TOBEPAID (d1+d2-d3) |
| NTERNAL | |
|---|---|
| IRGANISATIOITIS | |
| I | tsabv&Co |
| t2 | Friendly Corner |
| ;3 | Moravian Men's Fellouiship |
| ,A | MoravianWomen's Assoc |
| r5 | |
| t6 | |
| t1 | |
| )u9 loEl ot ttltelltal | |
| e8 | Srganisationsfunds |
| Churchaccounts ttotals | |
| brought forwardfrompag€ | |
| .o | 2'totalscolumn) |
| I | BYCHURCH |
| Continue on a separat€sheet | |
| ifnecessary and bring dre | |
| totalsforwad |
| SECTIONA | Unrestricted Funds |
Desig/Rest Funds |
Totalsthls | Totals last | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g | g | ||||||
| a1 | RECEIPTS | Note | |||||
| a2 | OfferingsandTax recovered | 65,450 | |||||
| Bank and CFBinterest and | |||||||
| a3 | lnvestment income | 1.767 | |||||
| a4 | Lettings | ?9,982 | |||||
| a5 | Otherreceipts | 11,397 | r,890 | ||||
| a6 | TOTAL RECEIPTS | 108,58€ | 1,390 | ||||
| SECTIONB | |||||||
| o1 | PAYMENTS | ||||||
| o2 | CircuitAssessment orShare | 52,232 | 52,292 | 54,497 | |||
| c3 | Donations | 4,378 | 4,379 | 3,824 | |||
| t4 | Repairsand Maintenance | 30,222 | 6.000 | 3$,?22 | 13.050 | ||
| Utilities{lnsurances,water | |||||||
| b5 | charges,heating&lighting] | 12,134 | N2"131 | 12.619 | |||
| b6 | |||||||
| b7 | Otherpayments | 24,413 | 9,793 | 34,206 | 55,916 | ||
| b8 | TOTAL PAYMENTS | 123,979 | t5,793 | 139,172 | tb$) | ,39,906 | |
| c2 | Total funds broughtfonarardfiom lastyear NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS |
48,151 | 18.367 | 96,51 | l;;ru | ||
| CJ | Subtotal | (c1+c2) | 33,368 | 4,454 | 37.832 | I.",r". | |
| c4 | Transfers and adiustments | (s6el | (e6el | (c7) | l-{4.,ll | ||
| c5 | TOTALFUNDSATENDOFYEAR | (c3+c4)t | ee,eeal3,4951 |
ss,aeal |
1ca1 |
| FOR INFORMATIONONLY:MONEY RTCEIYEDANDPASSEDCIHTOEXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS | FOR INFORMATIONONLY:MONEY RTCEIYEDANDPASSEDCIHTOEXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS |
|---|---|
| amounts are nottobeincludedinbtalreceiptsJpaynrenfsfiguresabovel | I |
| -passed to extemalorganisations | |
| tsAI-ANCE STILL TOBEPAID (d1+d2-d3) |
| NTERNAL | |
|---|---|
| IRGANISATIOITIS | |
| I | tsabv&Co |
| t2 | Friendly Corner |
| ;3 | Moravian Men's Fellouiship |
| ,A | MoravianWomen's Assoc |
| r5 | |
| t6 | |
| t1 | |
| )u9 loEl ot ttltelltal | |
| e8 | Srganisationsfunds |
| Churchaccounts ttotals | |
| brought forwardfrompag€ | |
| .o | 2'totalscolumn) |
| I | BYCHURCH |
| Continue on a separat€sheet | |
| ifnecessary and bring dre | |
| totalsforwad |