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2024-12-31-accounts

Wheatley Community Church

Registered Charity 1163593

Trustees’ Annual Report

1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024

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.

Vision Statement

We believe we are being called by God to be a welcoming, accessible, diverse and nurturing church. Shaped by His word, we respond to His lordship, His love and to His call by seeking to be –

Activities

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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

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:

Our style of meeting is quite informal and children are encouraged to join in with the singing as they feel comfortable. About 30 minutes into the service, the children and young people go to separate groups 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.

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Church leadership

Wheatley Community Church (WCC) is led by a Leadership Team (LT), each of whom is initially elected by the membership, whose responsibilities include –

Members of the LT 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 WCC Pastor is accountable within the Leadership Team and to the charity Trustees (see below).

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 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 unaffiliated independent church was subject to a review, which was concluded in April 2024.

We are members of Wheatley Area Churches and the Evangelical Alliance.

Charity’s principal address

128 Church Road

Wheatley Oxford OX33 1LU

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 Believe). They should also have skills and experience relevant to the oversight of church organisation and/or charity governance.

Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2024

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This board is made up as follows –

The Trustees met 5 times during 2024. Four of these were to cover the normal wide range of business, with our Pastor, Al, present to contribute (and take minutes). Al did not attend the fourth meeting as it was to discuss and agree the staff pay increase and a sabbatical policy, of which we were then expecting Al to be the main beneficiary.

We cover a series of standing items at each meeting. These include safeguarding, finance, health and safety, risk and GDPR and the agenda for forthcoming members’ meetings. As far as possible individual trustees keep an eye on particular areas of responsibility. There have not been any significant issues of concern relating to health and safety, safeguarding or data breaches.

The Trustees would like to pay tribute to Pastor Al for all he did during the year, to our other employees (Brandan, Caroline and Priscilla) and the many volunteers who give so much of their time and gifts for the service of God at Wheatley Community Church.

Trustees serving during all or part of period

We have the following policies in place

We have the following guidance in place:

Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2024

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Financial review:

By breaking even in 2023, we were able to increase our investment in some ministries in 2024. This particularly benefitted our Mission Giving, local outreach activities and a small increase in our staff salaries. Although Wheatley Community Church’s cash position decreased by almost £8,000 during 2024, we continue to hold 6 months of reserves with unrestricted funds at year end of £66,345. Restricted Funds held on behalf of Pulse and Fusion, 2 youth outreaches in Wheatley amounted to £3,884.

Our giving to mission continues to be a major focus of our expenditure and in 2024 represented 21% of our total payments, supporting ISTL Theological College and a Pastors Refreshment Course both in Albania; New Dawn School in the township of Huruma Nairobi, Kenya; Christians Against Poverty a UK ministry advising those in our area with financial difficulties; Oxfordshire Schools Chaplaincy supporting religious education in local schools; and a number of 1-off projects. The outlay of £1500 for a children’s Holiday Cub in August was covered by the Fusion Youth & Community Fund. A Church Weekend Away in October 2024 was 90% funded by those who attended.

Payments outweigh receipts by about £1,000 per month - this is currently covered by reserves and we intend to appeal to the church family for an increase in giving for 2026

All areas of Ministry finished the year under budget with most planned expenditure fulfilled.

Financial Report/Independent Examination

See following pages.

Declaration:

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees report above.

Signed on behalf of the Charity's trustees. Mark Humphriss, Chair of Trustees

Wheatley Community Church Annual Return 2024

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Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church		 Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church		 Charity Name
Wheatley Community Church		 No (if any)
1163593		 No (if any)
1163593		 No (if any)
1163593		 CC16a
For the period
from		 Period start date
01/01/2024		 To Period end date
31/12/2024
Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £
76,888
19,830
13,549
-
-
-
-
-

110,267
-
-
-
110,267
73,587
25,785
5,668
2,239
14,124
-
-
-
-
121,403
-
-
-
121,403
- 11,136
2,612
74,868
66,344		 Restricted
funds
to the nearest £
-
-
-
271
-
-
-
-
271
-
-
-
271
-
-
-
-
-
879
193
-
-
1,072
-
-
-
1,072
- 801
- 2,612
7,296
3,883		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total funds
to the nearest £
76,888
19,830
13,549
271
-
-
-
-
110,538
-
-
-
110,538
73,587
25,785
5,668
2,239
14,124
879
193
-
-
122,475
-
-
-
122,475
- 11,937		 Last year
to the nearest £
Donations 76,888 80,769
Gift Aid 19,830 18,565
Other 13,549 4,160
Pulse - 590
Fusion - 160
- -
- -
- -
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)
110,267		 104,244
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
-
- -
~~Sub total~~ - -
Total receipts
A3 Payments
104,244

Staff		 73,587 69,233
Mission Giving 25,785 20,840
Church Services/Meetings 5,668 6,371
Local Outreach 2,239 -
Other 14,124 7,210
Pulse - 445
Fusion - 251
- -
- -
**Sub total ** 121,403 104,350
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
-
-
**Sub total ** - -
Total payments
Net of receipts/(payments)
A5 Transfers between funds
A6 Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end
104,350
- 11,136 - 801 - - 11,937 - 106
2,612 - 2,612 - - -
74,868 7,296 - 82,164 82,270
66,344 3,883 - 70,227 82,164

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

12/08/2025

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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period ¢at8gorfe5 Detsits B1 C85h funds 112J J17 42 662 funds Details 06tailS Details charity's own use BS LI?￿litIeS Date of 1%08Q025

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Wheatley Community Church On accounts for the year 31/12/2024 Charity no 1163593 ended (if any) Set out on pages

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2024

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.

Independent examiner's I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come statement to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

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: 04/08/2025 Signed: Name: Rebecca Morris Relevant professional ACA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 89 Stanway Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 8HY

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