2023-12-31-accounts - Risley Independent Methodist Church

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 1st January 2023 To 31st December 2023

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Risley Independent Methodist Church Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1168358 Charity's principal address Risley Independent Methodist Church Fearnhead Lane Fearnhead Postcode WA2 0BY

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any)
Ronald Percival		Church members
Alison Speakman	Treasurer	Church members
James Tobiasen	Vice President	Church members
Suzanne Walker		Church members
Kathleen Tobiasen		Church members
Judie Leah		Church members
Barbara Ellam		Church members
Leslie Hughes		Church members
Christopher Mayes	President	Church members

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for full year

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March 2012

Section B Structure, governance, and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Constitution dated July 2016 Type of governing document e.g. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation How the charity is constituted e.g. trust, association, company) Trustees are appointed by the church members. Trustee selection methods

e.g. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees.
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

All member Churches constitute the Connexion of Independent Methodist Churches. Groups of Churches are associated in Circuits.

The trustees are legally responsible for the management and administration of the church. Trustees give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits. Trustees are also members of the church and regular attenders at services, church meetings and functions. Trustees’ meetings are called as necessary and chaired by the President. We do not have formal policies and procedures for the induction and training of trustees.

The day to day running of the church, including the allocation of resources, is the responsibility of the church members who will give due regard to the Statements of Faith and Practice of the Independent Methodist Connexion and our own Church rules. Our church is affiliated to the Independent Methodist Connexion, cooperating with like churches for the spread of our faith, but in points of Government, Discipline and Finances the church is independent and its decisions final. Our church pays £35 per member each year to the Connexion. The church members meetings are held once every two months and chaired by the President.

The trustees are satisfied that strategies are in place to assess and manage risks:

Comprehensive insurance cover is in place.

Appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are carried out for all those working with children in the church. A Child Protection policy prepared following guidelines from the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) and Warrington Social Services Department, is readily available at church.

The parent/guardian of all children who attend Boomerang will be asked to fill in a registration form.

Risk assessments are carried out as and when necessary.

Section C Objectives and activities

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Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)		The principal object of the charity is the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Statements of Faith and Practice of the Independent Methodist Connexion. The charity may also carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.
		Risley I.M. Church has been registered as a charity since July 2016. In pursuit of our objectives undertaken for the public benefit the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and its supplementary public guidance on the advancement of religion. Church activities are summarised below. Services Our church services are held each Sunday, alternating between 10:45am and 6pm. The services are for the praise and worship of God, prayers, and the preaching and teaching of God’s word (The Bible). A free-will offering and gift aid donations are collected during the service. Services to commemorate the Lord’s Supper (Sacramental services) take place on the second and third Sunday in each month after the service. All are welcome to all our services. Children leave the morning service part way through and take part in their own bible learning and activities in the Sunday school (called Boomerang). Special Services We have services in commemoration of important dates in the Christian calendar: Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Prayer meeting Each Wednesday evening, there is a prayer meeting to which all are welcome. Prayer requests (for individuals, groups, situations) are brought by those in attendance, or attached to the Prayer Tree by anyone visiting the church. Everyone is welcome to pray aloud or inwardly as they see fit. Walking day This annual event takes place on a Saturday at the end of June. Local churches (of all denominations), schools, scout and guide groups join in a procession through the local streets accompanied by marching bands. Hundreds of people show their support by lining the streets to watch the parade. After the walk we have tea together at church, and the children are presented with an envelope containing a small amount of money to spend as they wish (traditionally at the funfair). Overseas missions The Overseas Missions section of the Connexion is concerned with the spreading of the gospel to people of other lands. There is no Independent Methodist missionary society, but missionaries from Independent Methodist churches work with other missionary societies and receive support from the Connexion.

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Christenings, marriages, and funerals

These ordinances shall take place by mutual agreement between those concerned and the Minister or President. Marriage is intended to be a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman; our church rules do not permit same-sex marriages or blessings.

Prayer support and financial contribution to other charities

Our church has links to other charities which we support in prayer, practically and financially:

Warrington Food Bank, a project run by the Trussell Trust, working to provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people in crisis who are referred by professionals such as doctors, health visitors, social workers, and police.

Room at the Inn, which provides daytime services to homeless and vulnerable people and a 22-bed emergency accommodation unit in Museum Street, Warrington.

Warrington Youth for Christ, part of an international organisation which takes the Gospel to young people through schools’ work, youth groups, academies, and mission trips.

Open Doors works in over 60 countries, supplying Bibles, training church leaders, providing practical support and emergency relief, and supporting Christians who suffer for their faith. In the UK and Ireland Open Doors works to raise awareness of global persecution, mobilising prayer, support, and action among Christians.

We support worldwide charities and disaster funds as needs arise.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

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March 2012

All those who are trustees and members of the church perform their duties on a voluntary basis. There are those who regularly attend church services and mid-week meetings and who perform vital jobs in our fellowship, but who do not wish to become church members. Such members of the congregation are valued by the church and welcome to attend member’s meetings though they are not permitted to vote or move proposals.

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grant making.
policy programme related investment.
contribution made by volunteers.

Our ministers render their services without financial reward, in accordance with the apostolic practise of an unpaid ministry. We do offer expenses to ministers, as some of them travel from outside the area to preach in our church. If a minister has come as a representative of another charitable organisation, then a separate contribution to that organisation may be made.

The church would also like to recognise the contribution made by those who voluntarily maintain our building and grounds, put out our bins, weed the garden, prune trees and replace broken fences. We also appreciate those who spend time baking and making sandwiches etc. for the occasions when we have refreshments after the service or at social events.

Once a month we serve tea, coffee, and biscuits after the morning service, provided by members of the congregation on a voluntary rota. There is a coffee morning, followed by lunch, each Thursday to which everyone is welcome, again provided by volunteers.

Section D Achievements and performance

Our church services were held each Sunday, at 10:45 in the morning and Summary of the main 6:00 in the evening on alternate weeks. achievements of the charity during the year We continued to support our usual charities, Warrington Youth for Christ, Open Doors, and Room at the Inn financially. The collection of nonperishable food and toiletries continued for Warrington Food Bank. The Annual General Meeting was held on 28[th] February following independent examination of our accounts. At the AGM, the election of church officers took place, and the Balance Sheet was presented and accepted by the members. We continued our monthly gathering for tea, coffee and biscuits in the schoolroom following the morning service. Refreshments are provided and served by volunteers and donations are made to church funds. Monetary donations were collected, over several weeks, for the Türkiye/Syria emergency appeal following the earthquake in February, and these were passed on via the Disasters Emergency Committee. A total of £221 was donated.

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During Holy Week we held an Easter Service at Padgate House which the residents were welcome to attend. A service was held at church on Good Friday morning to commemorate the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. On Easter Sunday we held morning and evening services to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church was decorated with flowers and refreshments were served in the Schoolroom after the evening service.

An eight-week bible study course entitled “Discipleship Explored” began in April. This was well attended and enjoyed.

The Thursday Coffee morning, staffed by volunteers and open to everyone, continued to be well attended. Following on from the provision of a shared warm space for lunch during the winter months it was decided that this should continue. After the coffee morning soup and a roll, and a sweet treat are provided. There is no charge for the coffee morning or lunch, but donations are welcome, and these are now self-funding.

In celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III, the Coffee Morning and Lunch group held a themed event including afternoon tea on May 11th.

In May Christian Aid Week took place and our church raised donations of £225 for this charity.

Our Walking Day took place at the end of June. Again, we must thank volunteers who helped as stewards to maintain road closures and enable our walk to proceed. Following the walk we returned to church for refreshments, paid for from church funds but provided and served by volunteers.

In July, a Bags2School collection of unwanted clothes etc raised £90 for church funds.

There was a trustees meeting in July.

In September, we held a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. This included a sale of goods and £470.35 was raised for the support of people, and their families, affected by cancer.

Also, in September we had a Walking Day Memories slideshow, at which a light supper was served and £210 was raised for church funds.

Our Harvest festival thanksgiving services took place on the first Sunday of October, in the morning and evening. There was a display of flowers, fruit, vegetables, and non-perishable food items, distributed to the sick and elderly after the evening service. Non-perishable goods were donated to Warrington food bank. The church windows were decorated, and refreshments were served following the service. Donations to Room at the Inn, a local charity for the homeless, amounted to £155. We were also able to go to Padgate House and share in a harvest service with the residents.

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Our church started a series of bible studies in October, entitled “Grow your life with Christ.” The first four studies took place this year, with the remainder taking place in the new year.

In November we held a Christmas Fair, with stalls (bring and buy, baked goods and food, Christmas decorations) and refreshments. This raised £669.09 for church funds.

On Thursday 14[th] December, a free carol service organised by Church Warrington took place at the Halliwell Jones Stadium with guest speaker J John. A choir was formed for the occasion and members of our church and congregation joined with other churches throughout Warrington.

The I.M. Church in Lymm has, for many years, sent Christmas gifts, provided by local churches, to a children’s charity in Romania. This year, due to the continued threat of covid and the difficulty with transportation, a monetary collection was made to which our church contributed £160.

Our church carol services were held on 17th December. A family service in the morning included a recording of the Nativity events retold by the Boomerang children. A Candlelit Carol Service was held in the evening, followed by refreshments in the schoolroom.

On 20th December we visited Padgate House to hold a Carol Service for the residents.

A Christmas Praise service was held on Christmas Day morning.

There were no christening marriage or funeral services were held in our church this year.

Our church website https://risleyimc.com. This provides useful information: service times, visiting preachers, links to our partner charities, photo galleries and much more.

Section E Financial review

We have no policy on reserves.

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

Details of any funds materially We have no funds in deficit. in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

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March 2012

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

At most of our services there is a collection of free will offerings, including those made by Gift Aid. These offerings constitute the principal source of the church’s funds.

From time to time, we have fundraising events, such as the Christmas Shop, to raise funds but also to encourage social interaction with those from church and the wider community.

The church also receives funds through bequests and donations in memory of loved ones. The church has no set fee for Christenings, Marriages, and Funerals, but will often receive a donation. Bag2School collections of used clothing and textiles also raise funds for church.

Our expenditure enables the maintenance of the church building for the worship of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. We are also able to support other charities, as previously described.

Section F Other optional information

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