## Zion Baptist Church Melbourn CIO – reg. charity 1164945 ## **2021 Annual report for the Charities Commission** This is the sixth Annual Report of Zion Baptist Church Melbourn CIO, which was registered as a charity on 21 December 2015. The stated principal purposes of the church are the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination and the advancement of education and the carrying out of other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. 2021 was a very unusual year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and our normal activities were very much affected by this. ## **Church Services** We began the year in full lockdown and were not able to attend church in person, our services were prerecorded by our minister, with his family assisting him with the music and worship. Other people were also able to contribute with Bible readings, prayers and interviews using the Zoom recording facility. Communion was shared in one of these services each month. By Easter the government restrictions were relaxed so that we were able to meet together in person, there were still limitations and we kept strictly within the rules using guidance from both the Baptist Union and the government. Our Easter celebrations took place outside the building where we had a display which was visible to the community as they walked along the pavement; this showed the Garden of Gethsemane, the Cross, and the Tomb. The Easter Sunday service took place outside with markers to help people to keep socially distanced. During the summer we continued to meet outside for the beginning of the service when we sang together, moving indoors for the sermon and readings. When the cooler weather arrived, we had the whole service indoors following Covid restrictions as recommended. Our Christmas celebrations also took place outdoors with a special ‘Sense Christmas’ event where we linked the 5 senses with 5 Bible readings. Some families blessed the community by providing a Christmas Day dinner for those who would otherwise have been alone. ## **Teaching Activities for Children and Young People** Sunday School took place on-line at the beginning of the year, moving to in person in April when the children met outside with the adults to begin with and then went into the hall for their time together. Some young people were involved in helping with the Sunday School groups and creche, alongside adult leaders. The Sunday School children put on an amazing nativity production in church at Christmas. The 11 – 14 group (Grid) met on Zoom at the start of the year, moving to alternate weeks of meeting inperson as the restrictions allowed. Our midweek youth group continued throughout the year following government guidelines and led by our student youth worker. This involved a mixture of Zoom and in person meetings. Our minister was involved with the local primary school during the Autumn term, helping with lessons and assemblies. ## **Other Teaching and Prayer Activities for Adults** The majority of adults who attend the church are part of a house group, some of which include people who do not regularly worship with us on a Sunday. All of the house groups met using Zoom to begin with and they changed to meeting in person when they were comfortable to do so. They were able to offer each other mutual support and friendship as well as meeting for prayer and Bible study. The church also held a weekly Zoom prayer meeting. ## **Community and Charitable Activities** Our weekly toddler group was able to re-open following the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions in September. This is a popular weekly club held during term times and the families were pleased to be able to get back to more normal activities. Many of the children had not been able to spend time with other children until this point in their lives, so it was particularly valued in these times. The weekly coffee morning, mostly attended by the elderly, also re-opened in September. Members of this group had kept in touch regularly on the telephone and friendships had been maintained, they were all very pleased to be able to meet together in person again. Our weekly craft group also re-opened in September, they had maintained contact through WhatsApp and regular Zoom meetings but were very happy to get together in the church hall once more. The local Scout group met away from the building most weeks, when the weather allowed them to meet outdoors, but they had the use of our hall whenever they needed it. The church makes a regular tithe to the Baptist Union charities Home Mission (working in the UK) and BMS World Mission (working overseas). The church collected shoeboxes for Samaritan’s Purse as part of the Operation Christmas Child programme. We continue to collect monetary donations for Christ’s Hope International, a charity which works with children in Africa. ## **Church Fellowship** The plans to develop the church hall are going ahead, and we have had some very good, successful events to raise funds also allowing opportunities to socialise. In April we had a family quiz evening on Zoom. There was a sponsored 100-mile cycle ride to Southwold in September; the cyclists were waved off and were met at the other end where we enjoyed fun and fish and chips together. At Christmas there was a fundraising carol quiz sheet. The trustees and their families enjoyed a barbecue together in the manse garden during the summer, and then a meal out for Christmas. The secretarial team have produced regular newsletters keeping the fellowship informed and involved. ## **Statistics and Trustees** At the end of 2021 there were 71 church members, with another 50 adults also attending church-run groups. There were also approximately 50 children under 11, and 17 young people aged 11-18 in regular attendance on Sundays or during the week. Due to Covid our Sunday service attendance had dropped to an average of 40 people per week when we returned to regular indoor services in September, with some preferring to watch the live Zoom service from home or viewing the recorded service on YouTube during the week. There is one non-elected Trustee (the minister), and at the end of 2021 there were nine elected trustees. CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to th• trust•• Chanty Tr4 Lir)rJ PTI sr CH v14CH MiL6oviThJ On •¢¢ourts for the year •ndod 31 )o¥i ChaTIty no {11 an I iepcKt to thè tntstags my oxamin8tvJn rl thg aGa)unts (rf thg atove charity fthe Trusf) ygar orKlgd )) ,," vywF R•sponslbllltl•• and the dwlty trustees al th8 Tnrt arn rngFK￿1ble for thè praptration bbsl¥ of rnport of the a(>)Junts in ￿￿danc? thg TW4uYomgnts ofthe Charrtigs fv 2011 fihe Acr). I reFLVt kn resp&X of my examination of the Tntst's att4Junts orriéd out urKler s&*ion 145 ￿ th9 2011 Act arvj in carying cxrt my examination, I have fdlo*vJ the apt4icatle DireCtMy￿ gI￿n by the Charty Comm18sk)n under se¢aion 1445Xb) of tho Act. Indopendont oxamlnorfs slat•m•nt ￿rne to my attention {other than that dtsc*>sed bebw.) in connection with thé examwth gr￿ (ause to that in. any matwial th8hAor 7th the examinat#)n to v*hich attenl4)n shcwld be dr8*m In order to enable oper underslandirKJ of the aectyjnts to bè raathed. ts rflI￿Y (t* notawty. Slgn•d: T4*Y LOL ￿ C Relevant professlonal qualifiG￿on{S) or body (11 any): flSSoc4fvfiod Addf•M: ST STw4 IER Oetob•r 2018 1164945 Recei tsand ments accounts CC16a Ftsrthe period 0ln1r2021 31112r2021 Section A Receipts and payments fund¥ Total funth A1 Rrt•l GeTr8ral fund Fab￿fr 6S.149 S￿1 Sufdiw Chur¢h ￿8k AXivibBS HMRC 17.210 477 I￿4•> 125 ARI 70 71.429 141.685 90.119 41. A3P• Ministy Experme 46,011 19,317 12,505 130 &TTS Sub tot•1 67 A4 Ao&et and 1Th￿tr￿n1 Sub totsi 4.302 67.836 Net ofr8celpW(p•ym•rfsJ . A5 TNntsfern batween A6 Cuh fund$ 1•gt year ond Cash funds this y•or ond 13,8 17.1 53.300 80.6S1 247.186 193. CCXX R1 ￿￿J￿18 Iss} 18lJir2022 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted fur Restricted fund Endowment fundx to rMr••t£ Categorl•• Detail8 B1 Cash fund8 17S Total cash lunds 66.B23 180,363 Endov•Tr8nt funds tOn￿r•s1 E funds funds J n&w•*t£ Detslls Cumintvalw B3 InvMtm•nt as••ts Fwd io ¢urrnntv41u• B4 A¥sot• rntaln•d for th• char4ty'¥ own u Fthj io*thkh Arnourrt+kn D¢tsils B5 Liabiliti•s Svjnwl by one ortsWtr￿￿QS f beh81f of a4th8 IDJs*85 Prnt Nam Date of roval CRSIMS L HORDEN fYllE CCXX R2 8ccwnts ISSI 1W1r2022