**Dunstable Baptist Church 2025 Trustees’ Annual Report**
## **Section A Reference and Administrative Details**
## **Full Name and Principle Address**
Dunstable Baptist Church, St Mary’s Gate, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 3SW
## **Registered Charity Number**
1164112
## **Financial Year**
1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025
## **Trustees**
The managing trustees are the elders and deacons of Dunstable Baptist Church who are responsible for Church funds and the running of the Church.
The trustees who served during 2025 were:
|Steve Burton|Pastor & Elder|Whole Year|
|---|---|---|
|Jef Hewitt|Elder & Chairman|Whole Year|
|Nigel Browne|Deacon|Whole Year|
|Robert Davies|Deacon|Whole Year|
|Graham Starkey|Deacon|Whole Year|
|Matt Gudgeon|Deacon|Whole Year|
## **Professional Advisers**
Grace Baptist Trust Corporation, 19 Croydon Road, Caterham, Surry, CR3 6PA
## **Section B Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Governing Document**
Dunstable Baptist Church Constitution, Revised and approved 1st August 2023
## **Appointments of Trustees/Church Leaders**
The Trustees/Church Leaders were appointed by resolutions of the Church and every new
appointment will be made in the same way and are recorded in the Church minutes.
## **Associated Charities**
Dunstable Baptist Chapel (Charity Commission registered no. 233323) which is in the trust of the Grace Baptist Trust Corporation.
Christian Books, Dunstable (Charity Commission registered no. 801449)
## **Section C Objectives and Activities**
## **Objects of the Charity**
The principal object of the charity is the advancement of the Christian faith according to Baptist principles and in accordance with the Basis of Faith as stated in Schedule 1 of the Constitution. The charity may also carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.
## **Main Activities in Relation to Public Benefit**
The Trustees/Church Leaders are aware of, and have taken regard to, the Charity Commission’s guidance to public benefit in “The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit” and believe that the Main Activities detailed in Section D below, that are an outworking of the Objects above, provide a benefit to the public by:
- providing resources and facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual and moral development, both for our members and for members of the public who want to benefit;
- promoting Christian values (based on the Bible), and service by members of the Church to the local community, to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole.
## **Grant Making Policy**
Grants (donations) from the Church for Mission/Relief and pastoral gifts for individuals are decided by the Trustees/Church Leaders at the time that they are required and endorsed as necessary at the next Church members’ meeting.
## **Investment Selection Policy**
Current and future policies are decided by the Trustees/Church Leaders, with professional advice being sought when necessary.
## **Section D Achievements and Performance**
The church employs one pastor, Steve Burton. He is responsible for the pastoral care of the
members of the Church and any others who come to the Church for spiritual help. In addition, the pastor and elders are responsible for overseeing the teaching given at all meetings of the Church. All involved in the work of the Church are volunteers except for the pastor. Discretionary payments have been made to those inside and outside the church undertaking individual preaching
engagements that have been required. The church has a Safeguarding Policy (Protection of Christian and Vulnerable Adults) and volunteers working with children and vulnerable adults are DBS checked and trained.
Regular services and meetings have continued through the year including: Sunday worship, mid-
week Bible study and prayer meetings, Early Learning Time, DBC Kids, Tots and Co, Men’s Prayer Meetings and Ladies’ Bible Studies.
During the year donations were made to our four main missions: Grace Baptist Mission, European Missionary Fellowship, Grace Baptist Partnership, and Caring For Life.
## **Section E Financial Review**
## **Reserved Funds**
At the end of the year the money held in the Barclay’s Business Premium Account for the Church was £25,857.
## **Source of Funds**
The principle source of funds is the voluntary giving by the members of the church and
congregation, making use of the Gift Aid Scheme and the Small Donations Scheme where appropriate.
## **Section F Declaration**
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
## **Dunstable Baptist Church**
## **Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31 December 2025**
|Note
**Receipts**
Voluntary Receipts:
Planned Giving &
collection at services
All other giving
2
Gift Aid recovered
Activites for generating funds
Investment income
Church activities
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
Church activities
3
Governance costs
Cost of generating funds
**Total Payments**
**Excess of Receipts over Payments**
**Transfer between funds**
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward at 1 January 2025
**Total funds carried forward at 31 December 2025**|Total
Total
General
Manse
Funds
Funds
Fund
Fund
2025
2024
69,758
0
69,758
67,118
18,451
0
18,451
14,035
14,616
0
14,616
18,352
Unrestricted Funds|
|---|---|
||102,825
0
102,825
99,505
0
0
0
0
0
56
56
24
0
0
0
0|
||**102,825**
**56**
**102,881**
**99,529**|
||128,082
900
128,982
100,381
375
0
375
0
0
0
0
0|
||**128,457**
**900**
**129,357**
**100,381**|
||-25,632
-844
-26,476
-852
-3,712
3,712
0
0|
||-29,344
2,868
-26,476
-852
21,940
390
22,330
23,182|
||**-7,404**
**3,258**
**-4,146**
**22,330**|
## **Notes to the Financial Statements**
|1|The Financial Statements of the Church have been prepared in accordance|The Financial Statements of the Church have been prepared in accordance|The Financial Statements of the Church have been prepared in accordance|
|---|---|---|---|
||with the Charities Act 2011 using the Receipts and Payments basis.|||
|||2025|2024|
|2|All other giving|||
||Donations|18,451|14,035|
||Legacy|0|0|
|||18,451|14,035|
|3|Church activities|||
||Pastoral Ministry|52,164|57,879|
||Mission Support|17,519|22,043|
||Ministry Expenses|4,150|3,025|
||Building Repairs and Renewals|34,526|3,599|
||Utilities and Insurance|2,452|2,073|
||Manse Expenditure|5,404|3,983|
||Administration Expenses|1,357|1,610|
||Miscellaneous Expenses|11,410|6,169|
|||128,982|100,381|
## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31 December 2025**
|Cash Funds
Bank Current Account
Deposit Account
Creditors - amounts falling due within one year
Creditors - amounts falling due after more than one year
Total Funds|Total
Total
General
Manse
Funds
Funds
Fund
Fund
2025
2024
22,599
0
22,599
21,940
0
3,258
3,258
390
Unrestricted Funds|
|---|---|
||22,599
3,258
25,857
22,330
-3,213
0
-3,213
0
-26,790
0
-26,790
0|
||**-7,404**
**0**
**-4,146**
**0**|
Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of Dunstable Baptist
Church for the year ended 31 December 2025
I report to the church trustees on my examination of the accounts of Dunstable Baptist Church for
the year ended 31 December 2025.
Responslblllties and basls of report
As the church's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts
I report in respect of my examinatlon of the church's Receipts and Payments Account and
Statement of Assets and Liabilities..
Independent examlnerfs statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in
connection with the examination 8iving me cause to believe that in any material respect accounting
records were not kept in respect of the church.
I have no concerns and have come across no matters in connection with the examination to which
attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts
to be reached.
Robert Felix BA, FCA
33 Broomhill Road
Woodford Green
Essex IG8 9HD
11 June 2026