Countess Free Church, Ely
(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation )
REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 JUNE 2022
Address: 10 Chapel Street, Ely CB6 1AD Charity Number: 1166937 Bankers: Barclays Bank Plc, High Street, Ely
Independent Examiner: Matthew Lavis
The Trustees present their annual report and financial statement of the trust for the period
1 July 2021 - 30 June 2022.
Status
The Charity was incorporated on 5 May 2016 and registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with the charity number 1166937. The charity is one of the churches of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion.
Trustees
The trustees are recognised by the membership, in roles of Minister, Elder or Deacon. The current trustees are:
Karl Relton Minister (Paid Position as permitted in the constitution) Helen Atkinson Elder Carol Fernandez Deacon (Retired April 2022) Paula Gregory Deacon Jonathan Jessop Deacon (Retired April 2022) Philip Murfitt Deacon Natalie Youssef Deacon (Retired January 2022) Emad Youssef Deacon (Commenced April 2022)
Countess Free Church, Ely
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Objectives
The objects of the CIO for the public benefit are to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs appearing in the Schedule hereto in Ely, Cambridgeshire and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the charity trustees may from time to time think fit.
Activities
As a church we have continued to Seek to Worship, Seek to Serve as we gradually let pandemic restrictions subside. Different format outdoor events gave way to gathering in our Chapel Street premises on a weekly basis. This included our mission activity teams restarting indoor activities: Two by Two, Rich Tea Club, and Dads n Kidz. Recognising the value & importance of in-person face-to-face interaction for us as a church, no parallel live streaming has been offered for whole church gatherings. Some groups have continued using either online, hybrid, or a mixture of formats, however, tailoring their approach to their particular needs and aims.
Fuelled by lessons learnt in the pandemic, members of the church have been encouraged to take grass-roots initiative with neighbours, colleagues and friends. Strategically the church now takes a 'de-centralised' approach to events, favouring grass-roots initiatives over central events for its outreach. The Queen's platinum jubilee celebrations enabled us to put this strategy into practice, with over 7 different initiatives taken by ordinary members across the city – each representing ground level community activity.
The church has continued to invest in families, purchasing and producing its own family discipleship resources. This emphasis on home and family discipleship is now part of the strategic direction of the church. Work has continued with our young people, including in-person activities and the re-branding of the Shine day to become 'Revive' (for younger youth) and a planned new 'Awaken' (for older youth), together with the change from girls only to girls and boys. Furthermore our participation in the district YFC 'Pulse' initiative into Ely College, combined with the chaplaincy project into the college, gave the impetus needed to run a Youth Alpha course engaging the majority of our own young people plus two guests.
Amongst our membership we have been able to commend two members to the Eastern Baptist Association for ministerial training and lay accreditation respectively. We were also able to support two of our young adults on a 6 month 'Discipleship Training School', travelling to Uganda and Dominican Republic respectively. Coming out of the pandemic there has been some movement in membership, but with new members roughly matching those moving on so that we remain at 80 members.
We are grateful that the majority (over 80%) of the free-will giving to the charity is through donor regular standing orders and bank transfers which have remained stable despite growing pressure on household budgets. Sunday collections have increased this year, and our lettings income has exceeded all previous years (the use of our building is now pretty much at capacity). This year we planned for a modest deficit, but again through careful control of expenses our general fund actually increased slightly.
During the year we had the planned bi-fold doors installed in the sanctuary, which with other adjustments gave a project cost of circa £15,700. This has been met by the grants we applied for, plus the regular transfer of funds to our Renovation fund. The fund has finished with about £7,000 of funds which are ready for future planned repairs & upgrades to our buildings.
The JM – Pioneer Fund is now in part being used to support training costs for a member in ministerial training. However it also continues to intentionally accumulate funds to provision for future pioneer work, bringing its total to just over £20K. This is now at a level where allocation to a part-time temporary worker can seriously be considered.
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Our Children & Young People's fund has continued to support our activities with children, families and young people. The Communion Fund started the year at its lowest level for a long time, but the generosity of members has restored it to good levels to enable us to bless people in hardship or difficulty. Again this year we gave away 11% of our General Fund income to other works in the UK and around the World. This is on top of our giving to the local CAP Debt centre, which we continue to support at generous levels.
With the receipt of grants for our Rich Tea Club (working with adults with learning disabilities) we have opened a restricted fund, which finishes the year with approx. £800.
Serious Incidents
The Trustees confirm that there are no serious incidents to report regarding operations in the period 20-21.
Risk Analysis and Reserves Policy
The Trustees confirm that major risks to which the Charity is exposed are reviewed regularly.
The Charity aims to hold unrestricted reserves sufficient to cover between 4 and 8 months of normal ministry expenditure, which at current estimates equates to between £17,500 (4 months) and £35,000 (8 months). This reserves level also gives sufficient cash to cover monthly giving and expenditure cash flow variations, and sufficient levels to cover unforeseen additional ministry expenditure. The lower amount would also cover obligations in the event of sudden unplanned closure. Currently our General Fund amounts to approximately £31,000, comfortable above the mid-range point.
Rev Karl Relton Dr Helen Atkinson (Minister) (Elder)
Countess Free Church, Ely
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE COUNTESS FREE CHURCH, ELY
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the period ended 30 June, 2022, which are set out on page 5 & 6
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Matthew Lavis – Independent Examiner
Countess Free Church, Ely
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Countess Free Church Ely - 1166937
Statement of Financial Activities
For the period from 01 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
| **Unrestricted ** | **Restricted ** | Endowment | Total | Prior year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | total funds | |
| Income and endowments from: | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 65398 | 3876 | 0 | 69274 | 65072 |
| Other trading activities | 8198 | 0 | 0 | 8198 | 3671 |
| Investments | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 15 |
| Income from charitable | |||||
| activities | 2235 | 24 | 0 | 2259 | 525 |
| Other income | 3210 | 868 | 0 | 4078 | 1500 |
| Total income | 79047 | 4768 | 0 | 83815 | 70783 |
| Expenditure on: | |||||
| Raising funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Expenditure on charitable | |||||
| activities | 66898 | 10114 | 0 | 77011 | 120324 |
| Other expenditure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total expenditure | 66898 | 10114 | 0 | 77011 | 120324 |
| Gains/losses on investment assets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net income / (expenditure) resources before | |||||
| transfer | 12149 | (5,346) | 0 | 6803 | (49,541) |
| Transfers: | |||||
| Gross transfers between funds - in | 13952 | 8148 | 0 | 22100 | 22499 |
| Gross transfers between funds - out | (22,090) | (10) | 0 | (22,100) | (22,499) |
| Other recognised gains / losses | |||||
| Gains on revaluation, fixed assets, charity's | |||||
| own use | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Net movement in funds | 4011 | 2792 | 0 | 6803 | (49,541) |
| Reconciliation of funds | |||||
| Total funds brought forward | 34573 | 18931 | 0 | 53504 | 103045 |
| Total funds carried forward | 38584 | 21723 | 0 | 60307 | 53504 |
Notes
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Other Income includes the substantial grant of £2,700 received from the Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust for the sanctuary bi-fold doors project, a £320 Covid Rapid-Support Grant from East Cambs District Council, and two grants totalling £868 for Rich Tea Club (Waitrose and Mayor's Charity)
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Expenditure on charitable activities includes £27,464 on stipend costs and £2,157 on manse utilities. These costs are for the employment of the Rev. Karl Relton as a paid trustee as per the provisions of charity constitution.
There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown
Countess Free Church, Ely
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Countess Free Church Ely - 1166937
Balance sheet (Summary) As at: 30 June 2022
| As at | As at | |
|---|---|---|
| 30/06/2022 | 30/06/2021 | |
| Fixed assets | ||
| 0 | 0 | |
| Current assets | ||
| Debtors | 220 | 0 |
| Cash At Bank And In Hand | 60087 | 53504 |
| 60307 | 53504 | |
| Liabilities | ||
| 0 | 0 | |
| Net current assets less current liabilities | 60307 | 53504 |
| Total assets less current liabilities | 60307 | 53504 |
| Liabilities | ||
| 0 | 0 | |
| Total net assets less liabilities | 60307 | 53504 |
| Represented by | ||
| Unrestricted | ||
| Unrestricted - General Funds | 30980 | 28887 |
| Designated | ||
| Designated - Children and Young People | 560 | 820 |
| Designated - Renovation | 7045 | 4866 |
| Designated - World Vision | (1) | (0) |
| Restricted | ||
| Restricted - Christians against poverty | 159 | 89 |
| Restricted - Communion | 551 | 324 |
| Restricted - Ely College Chaplaincy | 128 | 138 |
| Restricted - JM Pioneer | 20140 | 18380 |
| Restricted - Rich Tea Club | 745 | 0 |
| Fund Totals | 60307 | 53504 |
Notes
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Debtors – represents a two lettings invoices not yet paid from financial year (21-22).
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Cash at Bank and in hand – there were no uncleared cheques as of 30[th] June.
There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown
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