## **King’s Arms Community Church** ## **Trustees’ Report 2023** King’s Arms Community Church (KACC) is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), as defined in our constitution dated 19 April 2016. 2023 has been a year of significant positive change in the oversight and leadership of KACC. Changes to the Trustees included the resignation of John Wood, who has served well but moved on and now worships at church in Alvington. Two new Trustees have been appointed: Lucy Marshall and Alan Haslam. Walter Leach and Tom Allen continue to serve as Trustees. The new team provide both a high level of consistency and ‘newblood’ to ensure that the charity is served well. Although Walter Leach continues as a Trustee and Elder of the Church, he announced to the Church at Easter as part of the AGM, with the approval of the Trustees, that he wished to relinquish the role of providing leadership. He had served for some twelve years and believed that a new leader would bring a fresh vision and move the Church forward. The process of seeking a new leader was undertaken prayerfully through 2023. Various candidates were followed up and a couple (Gareth and Lesley) visited the Church with a view to seeing if this was the right opportunity. Throughout this time, Gareth Wales with his wife Lesley attended the Church and met with the Trustees and key people. Following this, the Trustees approved Gareth’s appointment as the Church Leader and Senior Elder. Gareth and Lesley have moved to Lydney to take on the leadership of KACC from 01 Jan 2024. It is anticipated the Gareth will also join the Trustees. More on this appointment will be included in the 2024 submission. As well as the Trustees providing legal oversight, the general oversight and running of KACC is managed via the Ministry Leadership Team (MLT). The MLT comprises Walter & Anne Leach, Alan & Hazel Haslam, David & Lynne Parker and James & Lucy Marshall. The team typically meet monthly to pray and discuss any key issues relating to the day-to-day running of KACC, significant pastoral issues and general matters arising. Further, there are a significant number of volunteers who make Church life a joy and are essential to the life of the Church, including those who provide hospitality, administration, technical support, welcome, prayer support and many other tasks. Our grateful thanks as Trustees goes to all of them. ## **Our bankers are:** Lloyds Bank 55 Newerne Street Lydney GL15 5RA ## **Our accounts are examined by:** Ms. Tracey Paragreen Details as provided in the Report. ## **Our principal meeting is on a Sunday at 10:30 and held in:** Lydney Youth & Community Centre Naas Lane Lydney GL15 5AT Page 1 of 4 ## **King’s Arms Community Church** ## **The aim of KACC is:** To provide an active Christian witness and presence to Lydney, and the surrounding area, that proclaims the good news of salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. **The principal activities of KACC are to:** - Provide regular public Christian worship, open to all, that includes: - Sung worship - Preaching of scripture - Prayer - Sunday school activities for children - Opportunity to fellowship - Teach Christianity through sermons, courses and small group Bible study, fellowship and prayer meetings in members’ houses during the week. - Conduct pastoral work, including visiting the sick and the bereaved. - Encourage the youth that attend the Church to live by a Christian ethos. - Support the whole mission of the Church by supporting other charities and missionaries, both overseas and in the UK. - Meet practical, local needs as they become apparent, as deemed appropriate by the Elders and MLT. - Engage with our community through supporting the Community Centre, in which we hold our services, and with ad-hoc initiatives as different needs become apparent. ## **Summary of Regular Activities 2023:** Our weekly 10:30 service on Sundays continues to be attended by approximately forty people. There were new people added and a few that moved away, with overall numbers remaining constant. The Church continued its role of employing a Community Family Minister (CFM) that supports the work of all the Churches in Lydney. In 2023 the finances for the CFM made a small profit due to several significant grants boosting the regular local giving. Throughout 2023 we continued our weekly Zoom prayer meeting on Thursday mornings and our monthly inperson prayer meetings at St Joseph’s Church, Lydney. We continued our monthly Encounter meetings on the last Sunday of each month where we encouraged Christians from the neighbouring Churches to join together for worship, fellowship and teaching. Several members of King’s Arms continue to actively support the local Foodbank by assisting with deliveries, volunteering at the local centre and making donations. The first Sunday of the month is known as Tin Sunday, where we encourage our congregation to bring items required by the Foodbank as part of our Regions Beyond value of ‘Embracing and remembering the poor’. The house-groups remained a central part of ‘belonging’ to King’s Arms and the majority of regulars are in a house-group. There are five active house-groups. KACC continued to support the work of the CFM by providing all employment related support (contract/pension etc.) and our commitment to underwrite the ministry to a maximum of £10,000 remained in place. Page 2 of 4 ## **King’s Arms Community Church** ## **Summary of Exceptional Activities 2023:** During 2023 we supported and ran a significant number of community-based outreach/engagement events:- 1. KACC supported and lead an outdoor service in Bathurst Park for the King’s Coronation. 2. The outdoor Carol Service grew in attendance again over previous years and was blessed with good weather (although windy). We estimate between 200-300 attended and many positive reports were received. 3. We hosted a Christingle service at the Community Centre that was led by the CFM and attended by many of the parents and toddlers who attend the various toddler groups. 4. For Harvest, a walk was organised followed by a harvest supper in the community centre. Again, this was well attended. Donations for The Forest Food Bank were collected at this event. 5. KACC supported the Christian charity Sportily, who provided free sport activities in the park. Members of KACC provided refreshments (f.o.c) and engaged with the parents whilst the children participated in the Sportily activities. 6. KACC were requested by the Christian charity Shalom to provide support for their BBQ and activity day at Viney Hill Christian Activity Centre, as they offered activities for people with various disabilities. Various members of KACC attended and took part in the activities to ensure that there were sufficient people to provide support and make the activities viable. 7. KACC undertook a number of fundraising activities to provide funds to support those displaced by the earthquake in Turkey. ## **Pastor’s Statement** Although it may not show through the notes above, 2023 has been a very significant year for KACC. Scripture tells us that where vision is lacking, people become less than they can be (Proverbs 29:18, paraphrased) and the last thing I want is for people to be less than they can be. After many years of leading, my sense had been for some time that we needed a refresh and uplift and to not settle and thus that the time was right to put a new and stronger leadership in place. Announcing this to the Church in April at our Easter AGM was not easy and it was appreciated by me that many were surprised (even shocked) at the announcement, as well as some being unsettled, but I believe the vast majority understood and supported the reasons. It was a step of faith to put this process in action and set a time frame for it to happen by the year end, but God has provided in an amazing way with Gareth & Lesley making a very bold move to uproot themselves from a comfortable place to take on a new challenge and to start formally on 01 January 20204. It is a pleasure that I will remain as an Elder and support the team through the next season, but with the fresh injection that Gareth & Lesley will bring. I am hopeful and expectant that the Church are, and will remain, behind the leadership and want to further our mission of providing an active Christian witness and presence to Lydney, and the surrounding area. A witness that is positive, full of good news proclaiming the gospel of salvation by grace through Jesus Christ. That is of course what really matters. I am pleased that the financial statements show the Church remains in a strong financial position and this will assist in moving forward with bold objectives in our mission. Page 3 of 4 ## **King’s Arms Community Church** ## **Statement of Responsibilities** The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and regulations. Under charity law the Trustees must not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the group, and of their net outgoing resources for that period. In preparing these accounts, the Trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently - make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent • state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the accounts • prepare the accounts on the going-concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue to operate. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. **The examined accounts dated 07 April 2024 were distributed to the Trustees and approved and duly signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees as of 17 April 2024.** Page 4 of 4 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Charty Name KINGS ARMS COAIMUNrrY CHURCH 1166620 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For th• pwlod Period starf date 01101thI23 Peri(xl end date To 3111212023 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted fund$ Endowment fvnd• Total funds Last yaar A1 Recolpts Cash Off•rin9S Giving via Slowardship Iwrfh Gift MLscdlangous glfts CFM Toddknrs Incom• Roslrthd (k)natsons 10.$21 24,459 23.432 1.$70 10.529 24N59 23,432 1,578 7T1 3,714 31,559 17,JS7 1,485 771 Sub tot41 (Gro$4 Income forARJ 771 80,769 56,214 nvMtm•nt sa Sg9 tablg Total recelpts 771 10,719 55.214 A3Pa m•nt• R￿M Hi Sp8akers, pre8th8rs & worshw18adorn Churth Events a QulroA¢h evert R*sourc88. Trglnhw & Conf•renc• Payrill 15alBr￿*NVpe￿JK)nl Pntas￿L￿1aI fe•$ & $8ry1¢8$ Soth¥are. Ll¢an¢es & &Jbs¢rW Gewrd opernlng ¢xsts MKssk)n lfls & d￿￿t￿nS CFM & eyn 2.$$ 2,062 735 570 714 18,376 24,985 1,284 770 6,260 1,379 350 812 93 19,275 24,663 1.320 8.965 7.575 2.326 112 19,275 ,96S T11 2,326 Sub total 67,938 T11 .70 S7.13S A4 Asset and Inv•Btm¢n¢ Sub tothl TT1 Not of r8ceip￿[paYfflOntsJ . A5 Transfers between funds A6 C8sh fund$ last y•ar •nd Cash funds this ye•r end 7.93• t.921 n374 64J35 74,195 72,274 64,335 CCLX R1 ISSI 0710412024 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestrlcted Restricted nds funds to Ma￿t £ Endowment funds to Mar••t £ Categori•• Details 81 Cash funds 64335 Totsl ush funds 335 s)} Unrn$trl¢t¢d funds Restrlet funds to n••wt t Endowm•nt funds to n••r••t e Details B2 Other moTr•tsry •¥wts Fund to whkh Curr•nt valu• SDn Details B3 Investm8fit assets Fund to whsch aM•t b•lo Curr•rtt valu• lon Details Co•tl0pJDrb￿I B4 A880ts r•tsln•d for th• charlty's own use 152 Fynd to whkh Amount du• Wh•n d Detalls BS Llabilili•• 20 J•nuary 2024 Slgned by or tr￿tea9 of all the Iru5tees Dale of roval s￿￿aluTe Print Namo CCXX R2 acc￿[ts ISSI 0710412024 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to Ihe trusteesl members of KINGS ARMS COMMUNITY CHURCH On accounts for the year onded 31 It Dec8mber 2023 Charity no (If any) 1166620 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust") for the year ended 3111212023. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in accordance Y￿th the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). I report In respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carTled out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have follow￿ the applicable Directions given by the Charty Commission under section 145{51{bl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come lo my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any malerial respect: accounting records were not kept in a￿ordanCe wlth sectlon 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the acwunting records Indepondent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have wme aryoss no other matters in conn8Ction th the examination lo which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Dato: Signed: 0710412024 Name: Tracy Paragreen Relevant professlonal qualification(s) or body (rf any): Finance Off The Winey Hill Christian Adventure Centre Address: The Old VTrcarage, Viney Hill, Lydney GL15 4NA IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matter5 of cx)ncem {see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance fc examiners). Give here brief details of any itoms that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018