HASTINGS UNITARIAN CHURCH SUMMARY OF MAIN EVENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE YEAR (1 OCT. 2022 – 30 SEPT. 2023)
Introduction
The Unitarian Church offers a place to meet and worship in an atmosphere of freedom. Our Unitarian movement has a long and proud history dating back to the mid-sixteenth century. The church has no dogmas or creeds to adhere to and freedom of thought and spiritual inquiry is encouraged with complete tolerance and respect for other faiths or none. Membership is free and open to all who wish to join. Services are held every Sunday morning and subsidiary meetings may be held during the week for meditation, prayer, and discussion.
Other community groups and societies also hire the church e.g. circle dancing and Narcotics Anonymous, for their meetings.
Much of the work of the church is undertaken on a voluntary basis by trustees and members of the congregation who receive no remuneration except for legitimate expenses.
The church continues to develop and deepen a spiritual path in community with each other; sharing our experiences and drawing inspiration from nature, art, literature, science, and other faith traditions from around the world.
Events and achievements
Regrettably, our Lay Pastor, Jennifer Sanders, left the church in February 2023 to become Lay Pastor at Brighton Unitarian Church. She was committed to the Unitarian principles of inclusivity, free religious inquiry, and social justice. Her
kindness and humour are much missed. She saw the need for the church to have a dedicated paid administrator who would take on the role of Clerk to the Church and its Secretary covering such things as pulpit rota, taking forward actions arising from Trustees’ and Church Committee meetings. Currently the church has no dedicated Pastor or Minister and relies on guest Ministers, and speakers from
other Unitarian churches and members of its own congregation to lead services. In January (2023) the church together with all property – both residential and business along South Terrace, Hastings, and the Priory Meadow Shopping Centre - was very badly affected by flooding due to heavy rainfall, an overflowing manhole and a partially-blocked sewer. It was some months before the church was dry enough for the carpets to be replaced and other damage repaired. The church is
Very conscious that as disruptive and costly the flood was to us in many parts of the world loss of life and livelihood are often the result.
The Church is most fortunate in having among its congregation people who are willing to take on essential roles and duties, eg, lettings and treasury, without remuneration, requiring much time and who work together in furtherance of the aims of the Church. The Church is very grateful to Michael Stewart who
advises the church on investments and also acts as the Church’s bookkeeper. He gives his expertise and time without charge.
The Church would like to record its thanks to Pat Hitchman and Simon Edson for their good offices in maintaining the church.
The following documents, which form part of this report, are attached as annexes: Lettings Report
Pulpit Secretary Report
Receipts & Payments
Assets & Liabilities
Independent Examiner’s report
Peter Sanders
Chair
Lettings Secretary’s Report
Having looked at the report form February 2023, in considering what to write for this year, I have to say that not much has changed. We did have a second flood but fortunately the impact was considerably less, and we now have our own flood defence barrier.
So, to recap – The Saturday Group still meets every Saturday morning without fail, and they still receive a weekly discount paying £25 rather than £30. They have a new treasurer, Alan Lambourne.
The Krishna Group – who confirm their dates for the entire year, by the start of the year still meets twice a month on Thursday evenings, usually every other week. The Class Choir still meets once a week on Wednesday evenings, excluding half terms and seasonal breaks throughout the year, and the occasional ill health of their musical director John Cornford.
The NFOP (Post Office Pensioners) meet once a month every third Thursday in the afternoon. In previous years, they would divide their meetings between us and Bexhill, but since the pandemic they have held almost all their meetings in Hastings with us.
One of our new regular groups is The Bach Choir who meet once a week on Friday evenings. Although they have missed a few sessions lately, also due to illness with their musical director, John Langridge, and an issue with their main keyboard, although I haven’t heard any more about that. They also asked if they could hold a small concert in aid of the Rotary Club charity, to be held in either April or May. I said that anything involving the public would need to be considered by the trustees so I would pass that on. As yet, I haven’t heard any more or received a definite date.
Karen who held Gong Bath sessions meeting every Friday morning is still with us, however she will be booking single sessions in future, with a possible afternoon and evening workshop, looking at an April date yet to be booked.
Harmony One were meeting every Monday evening, however their musical director Debbie Warren has also been unwell, so until I hear more, I’m not sure what is happening with them.
Everyone uses the bank transfer method, except The Class and NFOP who pay by cheque.
This year our main booking system has become considerably more efficient, thanks to a new ‘online calendar’ set up by our Administrator, Alison Forsyth. A couple of our groups have mentioned that the church has been rather chilly at times, but I think they basically accept that large spaces like churches are costly to heat.
Frances Williamson Lettings Secretary
Pulpit Report
Since September 2022, we have been fortunate in welcoming a wide selection of service leaders to our church. Initially, these ‘visiting’ service leaders
complemented our resident lay pastor, Jennifer Sanders. When she left in
February 2023, to take up a position as minister elect at Brighton Unitarian Church, we did not seek to replace her. Instead, we have continued with a mix of services led by visiting ministers and service leaders from other Unitarian churches in the southeast, notably Tenterden, Brighton, Maidstone, and London. In addition, we have been fortunate in that many members of our own congregation have given excellent services. We have found that the congregation enjoys the variety of styles and content offered by a different service leader each week.
Occasionally, we have a congregational service during which members of the congregation are invited to contribute a story, thoughts, a poem and so forth around a given theme.
We have continued to make our services available via Zoom, and most weeks we find that at least one person joins the service online. We have also had some very good services led by ministers remotely via Zoom notably from Wales. However, we have sometimes experienced problems with the technology, and for this reason, we have moved towards holding ‘live’ services wherever possible as the consensus among the congregation is that they prefer live services.
Alison Forsyth Administrator
Hastings Unitar Receipts and Pa for the year ended 3
| Receipts Collections Gift Aid Grants and other (inc BFUA) Use of Premises - Lettings Investment Distributions M&G Building Fund Legacy Donations for local charities Insurance claim Asset and Investment Sales: Withdrawals Total Receipts Payments Lay Pastor and other Pulpit Fees Organist's fees and Organ Repairs Church administration Caretaking and cleaning Insurances Lighting - Heating - Water Repairs and Renewals inc flood repairs Presentation Equipment Circle Dancing organiser's fee Magazines and Newsletters Legal Fees Bank safe custody (& bank fees) General Assembly Quota Charitable donations Donations for local charities Church Internet Music licences Misc expenditure Increase Petty Cash fund Sub-total payments Assets and Investments Purchases Total payments Sub total(gross income) |
Unrestricted Funds £ 6,107 - 1,620 6,282 7,182 - - 271 6,435 27,897 3,000 30,897 6,357 730 2,001 1,864 1,370 6,506 6,891 - 60 74 - 45 420 155 205 539 185 1,495 - 28,898 - 28,898 |
Restricted Funds |
|---|---|---|
| £ | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| 28,898 | - |
| Net of receipts/(payments) Cash funds last period end Cash funds this year end |
1,999 6,094 8,093 |
0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 |
| Assets and Liabilites | |
| Unrestricted Funds Cash funds: Bank Current account 8,093 Cash in Hand 250 Total cash funds 8,343 Investment assets: M&G general fund 121,635 TAM MB legacy fund (Marc 53,593 Total investment funds 175,228 Assets retained for the charity's own use: Church building 1,380,000 Pipe organ 269,000 Total assets retained 1,999,456 TOTAL ASSETS 2,007,799 Notes: M&G AH legacy fund (February 2020) for Ministerial Support |
The Church building and Organ are shown at insurance valuations; they Investment assets are shown at valuations as at 30 September.
rian Church CIO
ayments Account 30th September 2023
| Endowment Funds £ - - - - - |
Total Funds £ 6,107 - 1,620 6,282 7,182 - - 271 6,435 27,897 3,000 30,897 6,357 730 2,001 1,864 1,370 6,506 6,891 - 60 74 - 45 420 155 205 539 185 1,495 - 28,898 - 28,898 |
2022 |
|---|---|---|
| £ 7,030 - 1,308 3,986 6,715 - - - - |
||
| 19,038 | ||
| - | ||
| 19,038 | ||
| 9,991 598 - 1,379 - 2,120 7,827 5,241 - 66 105 66 420 110 - 317 172 1,010 40 |
||
| 29,461 | ||
| 60,000 | ||
| - | 28,898 | 89,461 |
| 0 0 0 |
1,999 6,094 8,093 |
(70,423) 76,517 |
|---|---|---|
| 6,094 |
h CIO ptember 2023
| Endowment Funds - - - - - - - - |
Total 8,093 250 8,343 121,635 23,294 53,593 198,522 1,380,000 269,000 1,649,000 1,855,865 |
2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 6,094 250 |
||
| 6,344 | ||
| 116,610 21,075 55,308 |
||
| 192,993 | ||
| 845,488 319,216 |
||
| 1,164,704 | ||
| 1,364,041 |
y have been revalued in the 4th quarter 2023.
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Hasings Unilarian Chur¢h CIO On accounts for the year ended Charity no {If any) 30th Seplember 2023 1166588 Sot out on pages 2 Pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity Ilhe Trust") for the year ended Rgsponslbllltlas and basis of report As the charivs trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of Ihe accounts in accordance wilh the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Acr). I feF)Ort in SpeCt of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my èxamination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under seclion 14515llbl of the Act. Independent h6 charity's gross Income exceeded £250,000 arid l am qualified lo examlner's statement undertake the exarnination by being a qualified member of linserl name of applicable listed bodyll. Delete [ l if not applicable. I have ccffnpleled my examination. I confirn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examinalion (other than that disclosed bek)w"I which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of Ihe Charities Act,. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records,. or the accounls did not comply wlh the applicable requirements conceming the fom and content of accounts sèt out in the Charitiès (Accounts and Rewrtsl Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'lrue and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in conn8clion wrth the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order lo enable a prop8r understsnding of Ihe accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 2310312024 Name: Alison Suggitt Relevant professional qualificationls) or body AAT IER Oct 2018
(if any): Address: 25 Caslleham Business Centre East Slirling Rd Sl Leonards on Sea East Sussex TN38 9NP Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner need5 to highlight material mallers of concern (see CC32, Indepen(lent examination of charty accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Glve hore brief detsils of any items that the examin6r wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018