## _**Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church (HHMC)**_ **Registered Charity Number 1164741 Trustees Annual Report for the year 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025** 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 or appointed to a specific role by the Church Council. The Trustees are listed elsewhere on the Charity Commission website. Accounts for the year 2024-25 are attached. The Accounts show a deficit just over £4,500. However the Gift Aid repayment for the year of around £9,500 was received in the following financial year (2025-26). There was no significant change in income from offerings in 2024-5 compared with the previous financial year but there was a significant income from donations from other sources including church organisations (Community Lunch, Oyster Club) and a legacy. Expenditure on repairs was increased compared with the previous year. Running costs have also increased mainly due to the rising costs of utilities. The latter was offset by a grant from the West Hertfordshire and Borders Circuit. The church has raised funds for other charities through regular Saturday Coffee Mornings and special appeals for people in need due to natural and human disasters, and members have donated just under £5,000 HHMC had 73 members at end of the year (31[st] August 2025) plus a larger ‘pastoral list’ of people associated with the church but not formally members. During the year 1 September 2024 -31 August 2025 HHMC lost three members through death and two who had moved away but gained two new members. The church has a pastoral team and each member of the team has a list of people they keep in touch with and provide pastoral support to as and when needed. The church continues to keep in touch with all who wish to be in contact through weekly mailings by email or post of the weekly notices plus occasional newsletters. A service of worship is held in the church building every Sunday morning and is live streamed online on Facebook (and on YouTube since a Technical upgrade in 2026) and recorded for YouTube. Additional services are held in the afternoons and are mostly face to face in church only. Messy Church is held on a Sunday afternoon once a month, is aimed particularly at families with children and is our main focus for work with children. Other Sunday afternoon services held in the afternoon include the Service of Healing and Wholeness and the Songs of Praise service both held approximately once a quarter, and the annual Memorial Service for those who have lost loved ones and the Christmas Carol service Special services during the year included the celebrations of the major Christian festivals, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and Harvest, plus themed services on the charities we support including Liberty Tea Rooms and Community Hub, Christian Aid and Action for Children. The Guides, Brownies and Rainbows who meet in our church have been invited to occasional Parade Services. In June 2025, HHMC celebrated the 10[th] anniversary of the opening of the church building and the 20[th] anniversary of the formation of HHMC through the merging of the five Methodist Churches that were in Hemel Hempstead. Celebrations included a social event with barbeque, quiz and a display of photos and memorabilia, and a special Sunday morning service. A new venture this year was the running of a Holiday Club for children aged 5-11 in the church building. The club was organised by our minister in collaboration with workers from Youth Across Hemel and several volunteers from HHMC. Children were dropped off in the morning and the day ran from 9 am – 4 pm. A small charge was made to contribute to costs. The first Holiday Club was held in two days in August 2025 and a second holiday club was run for two days just before Easter 2026 HHMC organises various other activities in the building, open to members and others alike, as follows: - Warm Welcome Space held twice a week is a place for people to come and feel welcome, and enjoy the company of others. It is held in a room which has been converted into a lounge with comfortable seating and soft lighting. - 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. - Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group a 12-session course produced by Kintsugi Hope to explore how to maintain positive mental and emotional wellbeing in the midst of busy and sometimes traumatic lives. Two courses were run in 2023-4, and one course from October 2024 - Saturday Coffee Mornings held once a month in the church hall. Funds are raised for charities chosen by the members organising the event. - • Dinner Church is a relaxed social gathering aimed at those who feel they 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. - • Occasional meetings on a Saturday morning in which people gather to discuss ideas for the future mission of the church. - • Lent Lectures were a series of lectures from different speakers held weekly during Lent. In Lent 2025 the theme was missionaries. - • Oyster Club is a Christian social club for adults held on Thursday mornings, providing a variety of activities and talks from local speakers. - • Thursday Fellowship meets weekly for fellowship, Bible study and prayer. - • Wednesday Fellowship and Reflection meets twice a month to share, care discuss and reflect upon experiences, faith and anything thought interesting to explore. Two fellowship groups continue to meet in members’ homes on Wednesdays, one monthly and one meeting 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. The Weight Watchers, an NHS diabetes prevention course stopped meeting at HHMC during the year but the Stroke Club continues and a local National Trust supporters’ group has started to meet in the building . The Hearing Advisory Service also comes to the Warm Welcome Space once a month. The building is also hired by various choirs as a venue for concerts and by the local council for use as a Polling Station. Through church activities and the lettings the building is in use on most days of the week. Members of HHMC have volunteered in various activities in the local community. Activities include: - 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. - 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 including volunteering for DENS. CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS Hemel Hempstead Methodist Church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025 West Herts & Borders Circult Circuit no 34114 Registered Charity - Charity Registration number If not a registered charity Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid number {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. Methodisl charities in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242) 1164741 XR93992 Minister. Andrew Brazier Church Stewards.. Sue Whyte Graham Burton Margarot Thorn Shalini Parke Jill Walker Jan Gilfoyle Treasurer. Jackie de Bourcier Churth R and P 2015.x15 1 015 ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 Church Unrestrlcted Restricted Totals this Ftsftds Funt1s year Totals last year SECTION A a1 RECEIPTS Note Offerin s and Tax recovered Bank and CFB interest and Investment income 45,033 45,033 65,379 a3 3,088 4,283 14,708 67.113 3,088 4,283 14.708 67.113 3,290 6,919 6,787 82,374 a4 Lettin a5 Other receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS a6 la71 SECTION 8 b1 PAYMENTS b2 Circuit Assessment or Share 39.084 39.084 2,253 4.975 41,712 b3 Donations 2.253 2,032 Repairs and Maintenan utilities {Insur8nces, water char es. heatin 4,975 2,765 b5 14,967 14.967 12,903 b7 Other payments TOTAL PAYMENTS 10,556 71.834 10,556 71.834 8,155 67.566 Ib9) SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR c1 a6-b8 4,722 4.722 14,807 Total funds brought forward from last year 97,719 97,719 Ic6) 82,9fj2 c3 Sub total c1+c2 92,998 92.998 97.719 Transfers and ad'ustments c7 c5 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR Ic3+c41 92,998 92,998 97,719 {c61 SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO ExfERNAL ORGANISATIONS {the$e amounts are not to be included in total receiptslpayments fi ures d1 Balance brou ht ft)rward from last 8r 695 267 d2 Offer¢n sIGifts- receNed for external or anisalions 4,893 4,643 d3 Offering￿GIftS - passed to extemal organisations 5,516 4,215 d4 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID Id1+d2-d3) 72 695 Church Rand P 2015.xjs 2of5 Chur¢h SUMMARY F CHURCHACCOUNT D INTERK4L OR Nl RIIN SECTION E Plea9efoll¢Jw Sunim¥ryoftbeChurch B((￿n￿l￿r thpyearended 31 AuouS12025 and Internal Organi￿tiOnS réptyting lo ihe c￿rCh CoundkCnur¢h Mpeting. PltheihBtth&fund$ an Internal Ow¥n1sthnwou￿ nomally Reslncted fund5 urdess It￿Id be shuwn thaithey Could forany Meihodistwrw. Thr6 secti￿ rnusi Om￿ete￿ to amvtr$itt* gross IFbc(xne and expendrturglDtslsofthe Church. KyrDS8 exceeds theAecft￿$thr85hO￿. then lheArth￿IS mÈthDd Of arC￿￿ti AND 4 t¥FFERENT FORM mvst Us￿$t0 rewrttr*¥¢wunts (see met￿d￿twets9jlel. HE38e referto ihe gumIan￿ nDts¥ reg8rtsingtranBlers between Disknct nd ¢onnethd DIstricicFgani$4borps. INTERNAL ORGANISAmOtrIS Net Rewp Openin9 bakn uStr￿t$ balan￿ts The stercltsb 712 ni8ation5 funds 2.2L 712 e14 el ¢hurchA¢tOUJlts It(*al broughtfoThvard Wrom page 2-totals coltrmnl 67,113 71,834 147221 Icn 97,719 92,998 BY CHURC 69.319 73,$17 141981 98,431 94,233 c0ntfftuec￿ 8 sepw*esheet rf tLwx¥sary and i￿n0 thtr totsl$ TOTJL RECUPYS TOTAL PAYAIENTS SECTION F TATE ENING CLOSING BALANCES CHURCH-CASH FUNDS HELDat31 Augu5t2025 Cash In h$rwJ Bsnk ￿Tre￿lAC￿u￿t 37.112 29.065 Bank De itA￿)jUnI Central Hnance 41.843 43.435 Trust¢es fLK MethodLqt Churth Pwses 18.764 19,598 SUB TOTAL-Chur¢h accoutlts 97,719 92,998 Ic81 TotalfutNts he￿ ty Intem81 Oryank%alon5 (the rknng balawetotal frorn Above) le121 712 1,236 TOTAL CASH FUNDS HELD BYCHURCH 98.431 94,233 SECTION G At I Sept￿[2024 At 31 Ayyusi 2025 OTHERASSETS andLMILlnES IThvestments Lth Enthmnents Land& Buikli note5religvrwt&v4L* 3 630 403 3753815 OtherAssets 118439 122 465 re Other M Indudeonly Funds he￿*1￿Central Finance Bo8ro f5 Indudtonty FuThSs held atTrus*e¥ tsmel￿￿1SI ChuK* Pww$8s g1 kndude BnyoffterIn￿ls Ir£lth2cagh thnetrtolTMCPtrUstsa￿￿ty thi$ ts in(IL￿d in Ilnèls 3015 Name of Church . -Hemel Hempstead Methodist...............-........ No...34114........ Declarations and Scrutiny I confirm that these Recelpt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2025 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they in¢lude all funds under the control of the Church trustees. Signature of treasurer ........... Name and address oftTeasurer.........Jackiede Bourcier........................ 88 Dunlin Road Hemel Hempslead........................................ Post Code...HP2 6LX............... Presentstion to the Church trustees I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025 werehvll￿. presented to the meeting of the Church trustees held on ..24/21.Z Signature of the Chair of the meeting Name of the Chair ofthe meetingrf.A/471& 4clS NameofChurch......Hemel Hempstead Methodist..................... No...34114........ Indepondènt ExamIne￿8 Statement I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that 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 concerns and have come across no other m8tters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. I have obtained independent verification of all investments wth the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,CH)O (ten thousand pounds) at the balance sheet date. Signature of independent examiner Nam8 of independent examiner .Colin J Sta￿Y........................................ Relevant professional qualification of independent exarniner .BFP FCA IICAEW) Name of fimi (where appropriate) . . sta￿Y$ Accountants Limited Address . Rivers Lodge, West Common, .Harpenden, Herts................................. Post Code .AL5 2JD Date 2015(*uKth R atyj P.)ds 5of5