Desiring Truth Ministries
Report and Accounts Year ended 28 February 2022
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
DESIRING TRUTH MINISTRIES
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2022
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 2 Beeches Courtyard Beeches Road Cirencester GL7 1BN GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO - Registered 18 April 2016 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1166581 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Mrs A L Absolom MANAGING THE CHARITY Mr B E Short Mrs J L Bernard Lord S Reading Ms A Boncey BANKERS Lloyds Bank Moreton-in-Marsh PO Box 1000 Andover BX1 1LT INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Archie McDowall BA CA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-6 Trustees' Report Page 7 Independent Examiner's Report Page 8 Receipts and Payments Account Page 9 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 10 Notes to the Accounts
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DESIRING TRUTH MINISTRIES
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2022
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 28 February 2022.
THE MINISTRY: ITS AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The Church is not a building, but a gathering of ordinary people of different ages and backgrounds, whose lives have been changed by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The New Testament reveals the Church as a community of people, properly taught and cared for, whom, by loving and serving Jesus Christ, were also committed to love and care for each other and to bring a blessing to the community in which they lived.
Desiring Truth Ministries, its Trustees, Leadership Team and members are committed to the restoration of those New Testament principles and values. The ministry is one of many Christian ministries across the country and all over the world that is re-discovering the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and serving Him in this way. The vision of Desiring Truth is to see the people of the United Kingdom (which is our primary mission field) come into this experience of knowing Jesus as their Lord, Saviour and Friend and in so doing, find both physical and spiritual support, which in turn they can offer to others in their community.
Directions relating to the charitable trust are made by the Trustees in consultation with the Leadership Team, who are responsible for governing the life and teaching of this ministry. Day to day decisions on expenditure and activities are decided by the Leadership Team who is responsible for different areas of activity within Desiring Truth Ministries, with budgets set and monitored by the Trustees. The powers of appointment or removal of Trustees rests with the Trustees. New Trustees are primarily selected from the members of the Desiring Truth family who share the same vision, since this means that the Trustee body is whole heartedly involved in seeing the mission of the Desiring Truth Ministry worked out in practice. After being appointed new Trustees spend time with the existing Trustees to ensure they understand their responsibilities and the legal and financial framework in which the ministry operates. Guidelines etc from the Charities Commission are made available and a copy of the Desiring Truth agreed Constitution made available.
Although the initial crisis of Covid19 during 2020 - 2021 appears to have passed the effects can still be felt across the whole of the world one way or another and radical changes to the way people conduct their personal lives and/or businesses have taken place. This ministry has likewise had to make some changes in the way we might continue under current guidelines and/or legislation. The numbers of those attending the teaching sessions in person had dropped following the ‘lockdown’ periods, with some continuing to participate through YouTube Live. However, to date we are encouraged by the small but growing increase of those connecting to Desiring Truth in person and an additional presence on line.
Most teaching sessions are recorded and placed on the website for later viewing. Our aim is for output to increase over time. For this reason, Desiring Truth have followed the advice of the Trustees (2022 Report of Aims and Objectives) and financially invested in our media services enabling this ministry to reach a wider audience in a more professional and businesslike manner. The new technology acquired has been placed in the main teaching rooms which have been re furbished etc in order to include a variety of ‘studio’ opportunities that will eventually increase our programmed output.
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Included in our aim to reach a broader/larger community we have replaced our Media administrator. The person previously managing our media output resigned due to increasing family commitments and so we used this opportunity during the Spring of 2022 to look for a new person who had experience in media management. Thankfully the Lord brought forward Brendan Conboy who has taken on this role on a part time self-employed basis. This has resulted in some positive feedback and some growth in the number of people connecting online with Desiring Truth. This objective will remain central to the ministry of Desiring Truth. Among the tasks of the administrator there will be an expectation that he/she will follow the media guidelines laid out by each service we use, ie Face Book, YouTube, Twitter etc.
Desiring Truth still know that face to face contact is vital and we therefore continue to offer group and individual support in prayer, actual visits or contact by various means of technology to those feeling isolated, lonely or without practical and/or emotional support. This kind of support continues to be necessary as the ’fear’ wrought by the Covid Pandemic of 2019 -2020 is still very real for many people. We are also aware that there are growing hardships within many households as a deepening financial crisis emerges. War situations and subsequent refugee problems have not escaped the United Kingdom and help/support is now sought from many charities and institutions.
Churches are now for the most part open throughout the UK and therefore our need and calling to support the Church also continues. Our teaching courses and conferences are set to reach all levels of understanding and we ensure that people are directed to the course that would be the most satisfying and/or appropriate for them. For example, we offer a range of courses from in-depth group study to one-to-one studies including completely informal meeting times where those attending can talk together in a more casual setting, being assured that all conversations will be respected and held confidential
Desiring Truth encourages those involved with the ministry to be proactive within their communities and as part of that objective we ensure that there are training courses available to understand the need for sensitivity whilst speaking to others and also to have more confidence when they are out and about in their communities. There is always space for more volunteers to support the various aspects of this ministry, individuals can be involved training others (discipling), or in public teaching and worship, and also in various forms of administration. The financial resources of the ministry, to a very large extent, are given by the members and their private assets and equipment are regularly used in the work of the ministry. Much of this work is done voluntarily, privately, without recognition, and the hours and value of that time cannot be quantified.
THE YEAR: ITS OBJECTIVES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
During the year ended 28th February 2022 the main ways the ministry sought to achieve the calling of Christ upon it and its charitable purposes for the public benefit have been as follows:
• Fulfilling the objective in teaching, preaching and showing practical care in the community wherever the opportunities present themselves. We continue to use Zoom but have increased our media programming by the purchase of more updated media technology. We currently send out live broadcasts via YouTube but continue to use ZOOM to enable group participation online such as small group studies, prayer meetings and informal discussion groups in a secure setting.
Two volunteers have stepped forward to run the new recording system which is quite complex and are committed to learn more about this particular media system in order to gain maximum benefit from its program selection(s). We are actively seeking for another person with some media experience to ensure that there is always someone able to man the live broadcasts that go out each week. Through this kind of media usage, we hoped to be able to provide support for those seeking a deeper understanding of Christian principles. Feedback so far has been fairly positive although we recognise that we are in the midst of a steep learning curve and remain positive and excited about the future holds for Desiring Truth Ministries.
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Every group prayer meeting and/or mid-week teaching classes are always open to all, newcomers are always made welcome and soon feel comfortable within the sense of ‘family’ which we try to create amongst us all. There have been new faces in this past year and those who understand the vision of Desiring truth are keen to volunteer in the outworking of our aims and objectives.
We have kept the usage of the ZOOM app for the smaller groups, ie prayer, Open House, and small group study; each group is led by trained/experienced volunteers. This has enabled personal development in regard to leadership skills and has provided useful experience to those wanting to be more proactive within their own communities. Desiring Truth continues to be committed to face to face working with people in the community and will offer support in any way possible to those that undertake that task.
• The ministry also runs specific courses which address particular aspects of Christian living these too are open to the wider community; The aims of the teaching, preaching and discipleship programs is to primarily make some impact upon a person’s lifestyle which would then flow naturally from Biblical teaching of Christ’s own understanding on how to love God and your neighbour as yourself.
The mid-week Bible school meetings have a steady average of around 35 people coming together at the main teaching centre of Desiring Truth, whilst numbers continue to increase of those watching on line. We have a healthy turnover of people with some moving on to be more active within their own church community and in place of them, others feeling less supported have joined the various groups and/or activities provided by Desiring Truth Ministries for strength and support within the field of their personal calling and/or choice.
• A growing number of volunteer members of the ministry are involved in various levels of community work i.e. Social Work, teaching counselling and are enabled through the activities delivered by Desiring Truth Ministries to carry forward their skills, within Christian principles, into both the community and the workplace.
• A monthly prayer meeting and News/prayer letter is sent out in support of this. This is well attended by those able to travel to the D.T Centre.
There is also a weekly online prayer meeting on line, these cover specific topics such as praying for the nation, the church etc. and each session run by a mature Christian with some knowledge of each subject.
As well as the prayer meetings we have a an online group prayer chain where members can request prayer at any time. This is a lively and encouraging group of people who are committing to caring for one another through prayer. Recognition of the immediate needs of individuals and groups of society have caused us to develop a program of prayer that could touch the lives of many who are suffering and/or struggling with life situations.
•Evangelism and Missions: Street evangelism continues with increased vigour as new members of the Desiring Truth family have joined with the original team. Desiring Truth has invested financially in this particular work through the purchase of Bibles and literature for all ages. We continue to investigate new ways to reach out to the community and are endeavouring to be in touch with the Christian Union at the local colleges and university. The evangelist team has had some positive meetings with students on the streets who are more than willing to discuss their thoughts and concerns re current affairs and personal issues. We are discussing ways in which we might be able to offer specific opportunities for young people to get together, which could include worship, teaching and discussion appropriate to their age group.
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• Bringing support to churches working elsewhere both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Ann accepts invitations to speak at various churches but we are looking to increase that avenue, how to go about this remains a matter of discussion and prayer.
Bi monthly Day conferences have been reinstates and an annual retreat happened again this last August and was a resounding success with good attendance. We propose to continue with these conferences into the next year.
• The members of the ministry have consistently been applying the principles of church life outlined in the New Testament identified earlier to be ‘salt and light’ in the community, in the places they live and work and in having an impact on social attitudes in wider national society. This is a very major part of the purpose of this ministry and much of it is done without publicity and the amount of time spent in this way cannot be quantified.
PLANS FOR THE NEW YEAR
The key strategies for the ministry are to remain the same. The Leadership Team and Trustees have not set specific objectives for the coming year in quantitative terms, although we are building on the media opportunities as stated above.
We will continue to seek advice re the expansion of the media side of Desiring Truth and support the volunteers who work alongside the media administrator. We will continue to develop the Media Team and the opportunities that can be used by this medium as the Lord leads.
We will continue to encourage support and develop the outreach side of Desiring Truth especially into the local community and amongst the young people.
The proposed development of a worship band was not possible under COVID restrictions and so the search for a worship leader/group will continue.
We hope to have an increase of volunteer participation especially in the leading of small groups and those taking a teaching role at the Desiring Truth Centre. It is believed that these smaller local groups can be a vital sense of keeping in touch and offering support in these uncertain times.
We continue to investigate some kind of worship band and encourage those with musical talents where possible.
The ministry proposes to investigate how we could join with other ministries with the same core values in order to broaden our work and reach more people from various walks of life. The ministry wants to expand its use of the current premises. Ideas such as a studio for filming, podcasting and increased classes run by volunteers and other social activities are all being prayerfully considered.
In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
Financial review
During the year income stayed the same as in the previous year but expenditure increased by just over £6,000. The cash held by the charity decreased by £3,843, to £11,218, of which £11,078 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
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Reserves policy
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £5,000 (which equates to about 3 months' of unrestricted forecast expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £11,078 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy.
Governance
Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity.
Risk statement
The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they take appropriate measures to mitigate those risks.
Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Brian Short ……………………………………………………….. Brian Short
Date: 16 November 2022
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
DESIRING TRUTH MINISTRIES
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Desiring Truth Ministries ('the charity') for the year ended 28 February 2022 on pages 8 to 10 following.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
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.
Archie McDowall
Archie McDowall BA CA
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 23 November 2022
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DESIRING TRUTH MINISTRIES
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2022
| Notes Income receipts Donations, legacies and grants Conferences & Bible Study Courses Book & CD Sales Other Total receipts Payments 2 Total payments Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Cash funds as at last year end Cash funds at this year end A Net of receipts / (payments) before transfers Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly |
General Funds £ 23,370 2,081 245 1 25,697 29,501 29,501 (3,804) 0 (3,804) 14,882 11,078 Unrestricted |
Restricted Funds £ 530 - - - 530 570 570 (40) - (40) 180 140 |
2022 £ 23,900 2,081 245 1 26,227 30,071 30,071 (3,844) - (3,844) 15,061 11,217 |
2021 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24,102 2,242 15 3 |
||||
| 26,362 | ||||
| 23,928 | ||||
| 23,928 | ||||
| 2,434 - |
||||
| 2,434 12,627 |
||||
| 15,061 |
The notes on page 11 form part of these accounts.
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DESIRING TRUTH MINISTRIES
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2022
| A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access Petty cash B Other monetary assets Property Rental Deposit C Liabilities Fee for Independent Examination Media Equipment D Assets retained for charity's own use Audio equipment Office equipment |
Unrestricted General funds £ 11,048 30 11,078 2,000 2,000 540 2,560 3,100 |
Restricted funds £ 140 - 140 - - - - Fund to which asset belongs General General |
2022 £ 11,188 30 11,218 2,000 2,000 540 2,560 3,100 |
2021 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15,031 30 |
||||
| 15,061 | ||||
| 2,000 | ||||
| 2,000 | ||||
| 540 - |
||||
| 540 | ||||
| Cost £ |
||||
| 9,022 12,441 |
||||
| 21,463 |
E Guarantees and secured debts
The charity has guaranteed to pay rent under a lease agreement. At the year end the rent payable for the remaining term of the lease was £9,400 (2021: £19,800). The charity anticipates that it will be able to satisfy their obligations under the lease in full.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf
by Brian Short date -------------------------------------------16 November 2022 Brian Short
The notes on page 11 form part of these accounts.
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