## **Wheatley Community Church** Registered Charity 1163593 # **Trustees’ Annual Report 1[st] January 2022 to 31[st] December 2022** ## **Charity’s principal address: 128 Church Road Wheatley Oxford OX33 1LU** ## **Governance:** The Charity is governed by a constitution and founded as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). New trustees are appointed by the trustee body. We are presently an independent church with a leadership group drawn from people who have been active in the village and involved in ministry in other churches. Our position as an independent church is subject to annual review by the church membership. Questions of affiliation have commenced and will be taken by church members in due course, informed by God. We are members of Wheatley Area Churches and the Evangelical Alliance. We have the following policies in place: - Health & Safety - Safeguarding - Finance - Risk register - Terms & Conditions (staff) - Church handbook We have the following guidance in place: - Conflict of interest - Training record _*A Data Protection/GDPR policy was written in 2023 and will be in next year's annual report._ ## **Charitable Objective:** To advance the Christian religion for the benefit of the public in accordance with the statement of faith found in the schedule to our constitution. Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 ## **Vision Statement: *** We believe we are being called by God to be an accessible, inclusive, welcoming and nurturing church. Shaped by His word, we respond to His lordship, His love and to this call by seeking to be – - A community that is journeying, evolving and learning together with the Bible central to our teaching and our values. (Romans 12v16) - A praying church, a place of significant fellowship and trust where individuals are encouraged and supported to grow and develop spiritually in their walk with God. (Acts 2v42) - An all-age church, welcoming and catering for children, young people and adults alike, sharing our lives informally through the week as well as through our organised meetings. (Romans 12vv9-13) - A contemporary, lively and enthusiastic church, guided and equipped by the Holy Spirit and passionate about our faith and God’s love for all people. (John 3v16) - A church given to loving service, seeking to bring hope and practical support to those around us. (Galatians 6v10) - A church committed to sharing our faith and inspiring others to discover the transforming love of Jesus. (Matthew 28vv18-20) - A church concerned for the world we live in, seeking to bring God’s justice, mercy and compassion (Isaiah 1 v 17). * _Our vision statement was amended in February 2023 and the revised statement will be in the Annual Report for 2023._ ## **Church leadership:** Wheatley Community Church (WCC) is led by a Core Leadership Team (CLT), each of whom is initially elected by the membership, whose responsibilities include – - Spiritual and pastoral oversight of the church as a whole - Teaching programme coordination - Oversight of corporate worship - Pastoral care & Small group coordination - WCC support of Mission work beyond Wheatley, in all its forms - Strategic and visionary planning Members of the CLT must agree to the Church’s statement of faith (What We Believe) and exhibit the characteristics of leaders outlined in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. They will have relevant experience in church life and organisation and a heart for service to the Wheatley Community, for pastoral care, seeing people compassionately as individuals, and for mission and outreach. The CLT is led by the WCC Pastor, who will initiate and lead annual reviews with each of the leadership team. The WCC Pastor is accountable in turn to the charity Trustees (see below). ## **WCC Charity Trustees:** Wheatley Community Church is a registered Charity. As such, matters of legal and financial compliance are managed by a board of Trustees. WCC Trustees must agree to the Church’s statement of faith (What We Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 Believe). They should also have skills and experience relevant to the oversight of church, organisation and/or charity governance. This board is made up as follows – - Up to two representatives of the WCC CLT. - The Church Treasurer. - Other church members with relevant experience or expertise, through nomination by members and with appointment by the Trustee body. - The Chair of Trustees will not be a member of the CLT and is proposed and elected by the other trustees from within their number. ## **Trustees serving during all or part of period:** - Gordon Ewbank - Jill Ewbank - Wendy Hill (treasurer) (w.e.f. 23[rd] February 2022) - Jane Showell-Rogers (Chair until July 2022, then left Trustees) - Angela Smith (Trustee 2022 and Chair of Trustees w.e.f. July 2022) - John Wolstenholme (w.e.f. 23[rd] February 2022). John Wolstenholme is no longer a Trustee. ## **Activities:** - Holding services of worship, prayer and teaching - Celebration of religious festivals - Pastoral support through one to one and small group meetings - Producing and sourcing materials to enlighten others about the basis of the Christian faith - Children & Youth Work/Education - Training programmes – young people & adults - Community projects/development ## **Achievements & performance:** For information on the Charity’s achievements and performance please visit the following site: https://www.wheatleycommunitychurch.org ## **Summary of Achievements and Performance:** - Weekly services - Fortnightly small Bible study group meetings - Monthly prayer meetings - Quarterly discussion forums - Quarterly members’ meetings - Community meals and social events - Youth Groups (weekly) - Women’s events Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 Some of these activities are run in partnership with others of like mind in our community. ## **Morning Services:** There is some variety in our Sunday meetings, but most of them include the following key elements: - **Singing** - normally 4 or 5 songs over the course of the service. Words are put up on a screen, and the congregation are welcome to join in, or not to sing as preferred. - **Prayer** - for local, national and international needs, as well as time to bring our own prayers to God. Most people will sit or stand, but people are welcome to kneel if preferred. - **A talk** - someone will give a talk for 20-30 minutes on a passage or topic from the Bible. - **Fellowship** - after the service, there is opportunity for refreshments and fellowship with other members of the church family and guests. - **Children’s Sunday school** – children and youth have their own Sunday School programme run by members of the church community who are DBS checked. Our youth stay in the main service on occasion. Our style of meeting is quite informal, and kids are encouraged to join in with the singing as they feel comfortable. About 30 minutes into the service, the young people go to separate groups around the school building and have a mix of age-appropriate activities and discussions. ## **Public benefit:** All Wheatley Community Church activities are designed to be accessible to all who take part. Children and youth activities adhere to Wheatley Community Church's safeguarding policy and are supervised by experienced adults. Children and young people’s activities aim to help them to develop spiritually and morally in line with the Christian faith in order that may better understand the bible and God’s love for them. All community events aim to build social capital, to the benefit of all. Our activities are designed to reinforce the meaning that the Christian faith gives to our members’ lives and the way in which it contributes to their spiritual well-being. It helps to develop their spirituality (including strengthening their relationship with God) as well as providing a moral or ethical framework to live by. This moral or ethical framework offers benefits to wider society, as well as individual comfort, hope and a sense of purpose. ## **Financial review:** During 2022 the church saw a shift in its giving practises as several founder members – and thus significant donors - move on to other Christian work. We have been blessed with new members although donations have not yet caught up to 2020/2021 levels. However, the Charity moves into 2023 with unrestricted reserves of £73.9K and total reserves of £82.3K. This represents 7 months of expenditure. Our giving to Mission continues to be an important focus for the church and in 2022 represents a little over 30% of our income. Our healthy reserves position means that during 2022 we have been able to accept a reduction in our income without restricting our outgoings. Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 ## **Declaration:** The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report above. Signed on behalf of the Charity’s trustees. Angela Louise Smith, Chair of Trustees Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 ## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts** ## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report** |**Report to the trustees/**
**members of**
**On accounts for the year**
**ended**
**Set out on pages**
**Responsibilities and basis of**
**report**
**Independent**
**examiner's statement**
**Signed:**
**Name:**
**Relevant professional**
**qualification(s) or body (if**
**any):**
**Address:**|Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church|Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church|Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||31/12/2022|**Charity no**
**(if any)**|1163593| ||||| ||7-8||| ||I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”)
for the year ended 31/12/2022
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in
accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145
of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable
Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my
attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any
material respect:
•
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
•
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the
examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of
the accounts to be reached.
**Date:**
09/10/2023||| ||||09/10/2023| ||||| ||Rebecca Morris||| ||||| ||ACA||| ||||| ||89 Stanway Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 8HY||| ||||| ||||| Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2022 **----- Start of picture text -----**
Wheatley Community Church 1163593
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period
To
from 01/01/2022 31/12/2022
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations 70,506 - 70,506 94,692
Gift Aid Received 20,428 - 20,428 16,228
Other 9,172 4,767 - 13,939 3,190
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
100,106 4,767 - 104,873 114,110
AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 100,106 4,767 - 104,873 114,110
A3 Payments
Staff Costs 70,477 - 70,477 78,114
Mission Gifts & Mission Donations 22,127 - 22,127 34,400
Church Services/ Meetings 5,806 - 5,806 3,573
Other 10,326 3,757 - 14,083 8,338
Local Outreach 3,781 - 3,781 3,071
- -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total [ 112,517 ] 3,757 - 116,274 127,496
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 112,517 3,757 - 116,274 127,496
Net of receipts/(payments) - 12,411 1,010 - - 11,401 - 13,386
A5 Transfers between funds - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 86,359 7,312 - 93,671 107,057
Cash funds this year end 73,948 8,322 - 82,270 93,671
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
**Details**
CAF Current Account
CAF Gold Account
Stewardship Services Account
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**596**
**8,322**
**70,352**
**-**
**3,000**
**-**
**73,948**
**8,322**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Angela Smith
Wendy Taylor Hill|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**-**| ||||OK| ||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**When due**
**(optional)**
Date of
approval
09/10/2023
10/10/2023|