## _**Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church (HHMC)**_ **Registered Charity Number 1164741 Trustees Annual Report for the year 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023**
Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church (HHMC) exists to worship God, as we grow in faith, fellowship and love for one another, to seek to serve God and the community, and through our lives and witness, help people to come to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.
HHMC is a member of the West Hertfordshire and Borders Methodist Circuit and therefore part of the Methodist Church of Great Britain. The Trustees are Managing Trustees of the church building at 270 Northridge Way, Hemel Hempstead HP1 2AU which was completed and opened in 2015. All Trustees are members of HHMC and are either elected by the Annual General Meeting in April or May of each year or appointed to a specific role by the Church Council. The Trustees are listed elsewhere on the Charity Commission website.
Accounts for the year 2022-23 _will be attached to the report when it is submitted to the Charity Commission_ . The accounts show a deficit of just under £16,000. This is because income from the Gift Aid claim for the year 2022-3 was not received until September 2023 and also because there were major repairs in the church building to the church lift and to the rainwater gathering system. Giving to the church was also lower than before the pandemic and church members have been asked to prayerfully consider this.
HHMC had 77 members at end of the year (31[st] August 2023) plus a considerably larger ‘pastoral list’ of people associated with the church but not formally members. The number of members was lower compared to the previous year due mainly to the death of older members, but HHMC has welcomed new members during the year.
A service of worship is held in the church building every Sunday morning and is live streamed online on Facebook and a recording is uploaded to YouTube after the service each week. Additional services are held in the afternoons and the majority of these are not live streamed or recorded. Messy Church is held in the afternoon once a month, is aimed particularly at families with children and is our main focus for work with children. Other afternoon services include a Songs of Praise service approximately once a quarter, the Christmas Carol Service, and the annual Memorial Service for those who have lost loved ones.
Weekly mailings to everyone in the church have continued by email where possible and by post to those not on email. The mailings include a weekly notices sheet, an HHMC newsletter once every 6 weeks, plus an occasional newsletter from the local Methodist Circuit. A written version of the service is sent every week to those who have requested it, to enable the housebound without online access to share in the worship.
Following on from a Church Mission Day in March 2022, there have been occasional meetings on a Saturday morning, open to all, in which people gather to discuss ideas for the future mission of the church.
A new venture during this year was Community Coffee which was started in November 2022 and set up be a ‘Warm Space’ for use by the Church and local communities. The venue is one of the meeting rooms, which has been converted to
a lounge with comfortable seating and soft lighting. In each 2½ hour session, hot and cold drinks and biscuits are offered to all visitors together with conversation, and other activities, including jigsaw puzzles which are popular. Community Coffee started with 3 sessions per week and changed to 2 sessions per week during the summer.
Coffee mornings in the church hall restarted in September 2022 and are now held monthly on Saturday mornings. Funds are raised for charities chosen by the members organising the event and attendees have been very generous in donating to these charities and also to special appeals held from time to time often in response to world events.
HHMC organises various other activities in the building, open to members and others alike, as follows:
- Community Lunch is held once a fortnight and provides a good home cooked meal and company in a warm building. There is no fixed cost, attendees are told they can pay what they can or nothing at all.
- Dinner Church is a relaxed social gathering aimed at those who might not fit into traditional church and attracts younger adults. It meets approximately once a month on Sunday evenings and undertakes a range of activities all of them including food.
- Lent Lectures were a series of lectures from different speakers held weekly during Lent. This year the theme was prayer
- Oyster Club is a Christian social club for adults held on Thursday mornings, providing talks, services of worship and other activities.
- Thursday Fellowship meets weekly for fellowship, Bible study and prayer.
There were three fellowship groups which met offsite. Wednesday Fellowship and Reflection meets twice a month and were meeting in members’ homes during 20223. A Wednesday house group meets once a month. A Wednesday Bible Study group meets jointly on Zoom with another local Methodist Church
HHMC also sponsors a Guide Company, Brownie Pack and Rainbows, who meet in the building during school term time.
When not required for HHMC activities, the building is made available for local community groups and others to use in return for a fee designed to cover a due proportion of related costs. Several organisations related to health and wellbeing have used the building in this way.
- Members of HHMC have volunteered in various activities in the local community. • A team from HHMC provided a Christian assembly at a local primary school approximately once per month in term time using the Open the Book materials supplied by the Bible Society.
- One member from HHMC serves as a Street Pastor and is supported by prayer partners from HHMC.
- Members from HHMC volunteer at the Liberty Tea Rooms and Community Hub, which provide a meeting place and services for anyone in the local community needing help in a time of need.
- HHMC supports DENS, the local charity for the homeless, through donations to their Foodbank, and other activities.
**CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS**
# **THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS**
|**Circuit**
**Circuit no**
If not a registered charity**Her Majesty's Revenue and**
**Customs Gift Aid number**
**Registered Charity - Charity Registration number**
**Hemel Hempstead Methodist**
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 August 2023
**West Herts & Borders**|**Church**
XR93992
1164741
**34/14**|
|---|---|
(The HMRC number is equivalent to a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist charities in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242)
||Minister:||
|---|---|---|
||Andrew Brazier||
||Church Stewards:||
|Sue Whyte||Shalini Parke|
|Jill Walker||Graham Burton|
|Sheila Daly||Margaret Thorn|
Treasurer: Jackie de Bourcier
Church R and P 2015.xls
1 of 5
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023
Homel Hempstsad Mothodl•t
Church
Unrn8triet•d RtriCt#d T¢)tals th1•
Fund•
Funds
y•ar
Totals la•t
ygor
SECTION A
a1
RECEIPTS
a2
Offerin
s and Tax recovered
8ank and CFB interest and
Investment income
44,321
44,321
53,557
a3
2,354
6.039
6,887
59.601
2,354
8,039
6.887
59,601
233
Lettln
1,929
24,679
80,398
a5
Othef receipts
TOTAL RECEIPTS
1•7)
SECTION
b1
PAYMENTS
b2
Circuit Assessment or Share
41.628
41,635
1,813
11,357
43.668
b3
Donation3
1.813
3.447
Re
airs and Maintenance
Ulililies Ilnsurances. water
cha
es, heab"n
11.357
3.445
b5
9.373
9.373
8.478
b7
Other payment8
TOTAL PAYMENTS
11.417
75.588
11.417
75,595
9.068
b8
Ib91
68,106
SECTION C
NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS
FOR THE YEAR
c1
15,987
12,292
Total funds brought forward from
last year
c2
¢6
86,607
c3
Sub total
c1+c2
15,987
15,994
98.899
Transfers and ad.
ustments
c7
CS
TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR
Ic3+c4)
115,9871
115.9941
Ic81
98,899
Ic61
SECTION D
FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS
Ith•80 amounts arn not to be Includ•d In totsl r•c¢lptsl
monts fl
d1
Balan¢e brou
ht fomard frcrfn last
85
d2
Offerin
sIGifts - received for extemal o
anisations
4,527
3,175
d3
OfferingslGifts - passed lo extemal Organisatn$
4,542
2,978
d4
BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID
Id1 +d2-d3)
267
282
Chw¢h R I$ P 2QlS.xls
2ofS
SECTION E
Sumtnary oflh2 Churth ac¢oun15 for the year eTthtt 31 2022 arf Infemal OrganisaS twbr¥to the Chuth nC1vchurth Wing No* th•t me funos ot
an InMal Orgasa be 14estncted fvn&5 tede•ty 51w that t* arrrf Mety>JBt rNsl be
ANDA DIFFERENT FORM mu81 té Us b) repyt P*•8e relwk)tr* guwJ rEgJrthr#J tr$f5 bet*Yen the
IP4TERIIAL
ORGMI5ATIOI4S
Th•
t•r Club
745
049
e2
Fr
e3
e5
e7
eB
2.331
2.345
14
•t2
brovght Irom p•0•
2 lot•l• ¢olumni
59.001
76.616
115.gml
1¢71
98.899
82,90S
BY CHURCH
99,762
83.763
rf wt•$68ty and
iot41s fowrd
TOTAL RECEIPTS
TOTNL
PAYIAEIITS
SECTION F
L081MG
8ALANCES
CHURCH.CA8H FUNOS 31
Cwh In h•#
8ank ¢urrfAr%*
36.558
IA1
r4
C•ntr•l Fln•roJ 8wrd
17.aS0
SUB TOTAL. Churth •ctoun
.8
13,179
Ic81
Tot81 fu by lrttwNI Org•n**bW•
larKe totsltrtffi abov•l le121
849
TOTNL CASH FUNDS HELD BY CIK*CH
99.762
64,028
SEcnoN G
Al
Al
31 Wsl 2023
OTFIER A88ÉTS•nd LILE8
Land fy BU1
3 305 972
Lo#n
f4 tn&udè onty fRld at Finwth Bc*d
3ATS
Name of Church .
.Hemel Hempstead Methodist........................ No...34114........
Declarations and Scrutiny
I confirm that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2023 have been prepared
from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees.
Signalure of Ireasurer .
Date.. !
Name and address oftreasurer .
.Jackie de Bourcier................
88 Dunlin Road Hemel Hempstead........................................ PostCode...HP2 6LX...............
Presentation to the Church trustoes
l ¢onfirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 werelwlll be. presented to
the meeting ofthe Church trustees held on .X.{¢lLF.
Signature of the Chair of the meeting
Name ofthe Chair ofthe meeting
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the
Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church
Charity Number.........1164741.....
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to Ihe trustees on my examinalion of the accounts of the Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church for the
year ended 31 August 2023 set out on pages 1 to 3. As the Church's trustees. you are responsible for the
preparation of the accounls in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 20111'the Act,).
I report in respect of my examination of the Church's accounts carried out under seclion 145 of the Act and. in
carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145151(b} of the Act.
delete or circle as appropriate
2015thurth R and PxL%
40fS
Name of Church......Hemd Hempstead Methodist..................... No...34114....
Indopendent Examinerf• Slatement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection
with the examination {
") which give m8 cause to believe Ihat in, any material
respect..
the 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 concems and hav8 come across no other matters in conn8ctbon the examination to which
attention shoukl be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper urKlerstarKling of th8 accounts to be
reached.
I havelhp¥trRet" obtsined independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for M8thodi8t Church
Purposes or held in other trusls, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist
Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balan¢e sheet dale.
Signature of independent examiner
Name of independent examiner
..Colin J Stacey............. ................ .........
Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner
..8FP FCA...
Name of finn {where appropriate) ...Sta¢8ys Chartered Accountants ...............
Address ........
Post Code ..*s
Date
del8t8 or cirde as appropriate
Sep22
2015 R *MI P.AI&
5thf5