THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT AND
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 March 2021
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
(Incorporating the National Prayer Breakfast and Christians in Politics
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees Report | 1 - 16 |
| Statement of Trustees responsibilities | 17 |
| Independent Examiners Report | 18 |
| Receipts and Payments Accounts | 19 - 20 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 21 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 22 - 25 |
| National Prayer Breakfast - Receipts and Payments Accounts | 26 |
| National Prayer Breakfast - Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 27 |
| Christians in Politics - Receipts and Payments Accounts | 28 |
| Christians in Politics - Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 29 |
ANNUAL REPORT FOR PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021.
Administrative Details
The Trustees serving during the year and at the year-end were:
Mrs Eve Burt MBE
Rt Hon Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP
Tim Farron MP
Rt. Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan of Cotes PC
Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
Baroness Rev Maeve Sherlock of Durham OBE
Sir Gary Streeter MP (Chairman)
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The day to day management of the Charity is conducted by the Trust Administrator : Mr Nigel Double, 7 Knighton Close, Hampton Vale, Peterborough PE7 8LJ
Charity Office:
Room 484, Portcullis House, House of Commons, London SW1A 2LW
Bankers:
Barclays Bank Plc, Westminster Branch, 2 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ND
Independent Examiner:
Mrs H Hawes FMAAT, MATT, FCIE, 30 Hasse Road, Soham, Ely Cambs CB7 5UW
Structure, Governance & Management
The Parliamentary Christian Trust (charity number 1168573) was established as a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 3rd August 2016 and supersedes the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship Trust (established by Trust Deed on 23 May 1989 and registered with the Charity Commission Number 801739) which remains linked. Trustees remained the same throughout the year.
After due consideration of plans to employ members of staff to assist in the running of the All Party Parliamentary Group (Christians in Parliament) the trustees elected to instruct solicitors to create a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Trust Deed. This was submitted to the Charity Commission in 2016 and after approval came into effect on 1[st] April 2017 and the assets and liabilities transferred to the newly named Parliamentary Christian Trust (PCT) charity registration number 1168573. Trustees remained consistent with the PCFT. The Commission directs that as of 7 January 2019 the charity called Parliamentary Christian Fellowship Trust ('the linked charity') shall be treated as forming part of the charity called Parliamentary Christian Trust ('the reporting charity') for the purposes of Part 4 (registration) and Part 8 (accounting) of the Charities Act 2011.
Objectives and Activities
The object of the Charity (PCT) is the promotion of the Christian faith and in particular to advance Christian teaching among those working in the Houses of Parliament and elsewhere in the nation.
The provision of activities of the Parliamentary Christian Trust is designated to Christians in Parliament, the All Party Parliamentary Group in Westminster. Sir Gary Streeter MP was appointed chairman in June 2010, with Rt Hon Stephen Timms taking over as Treasurer on the same day. Officers for the APPG are elected annually at the AGM of the group.
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The purpose of the APPG is to provide an opportunity for Christians of all denominations to come together at the Palace of Westminster for fellowship, worship, prayer and discussion and witness.
Public Benefit Statement
The Trustees have regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The majority of the Charity’s activities are specifically for a distinct group of the public, namely those working in the Palace of Westminster and those associated with them. All are welcome to attend the meetings who fall into this category. However, certain activities are open to all members of the public and the Trustees welcome the opportunity this affords for MP’s to meet and work with churches around the area.
Christians in Politics (CiPol) exists to take the biblical case for positive political engagement to the Church in the UK and to encourage and equip Christians across denominations and the political spectrum to respond to God’s call to engage in public life. The call is to participate, not just commentate.
The National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast is open to many people including those in public office both in the UK and around the world.
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Achievements & Performance
Christians in Parliament (CiP) Report
Senior Parliamentary Officer: Claire Newman
Christians in Parliament is an All-Party Parliamentary Group, which exists to support Christians of all denominations in putting their faith into practice in their work in Parliament and to be a resource for all in considering the relevance of the Bible and Christian faith to personal and political life. We do this through:
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Bible study and prayer groups, one-to-one contact and chapel services
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Speaker events and discussion groups
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Policy discussions and briefings
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Organising the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast
The group is bi-cameral, cross-party and non-denominational and we work in close partnership with the Speaker’s Chaplain, the Roman Catholic Duty Priest in Parliament and Westminster Abbey.
Over the past year, as a result of the coronavirus restrictions, CiP has successfully adapted to virtual and hybrid ways of working and has continued to organise a number of events, including weekly chapel services, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship groups. The CiP team is comprised of Rev Mark Harris (Chaplain), Claire Newman (Senior Parliamentary Officer) and Alison Hill (Parliamentary Officer).
Discipleship & pastoral support
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Mark Harris and Claire Newman facilitated the running of two weekly Bible Study groups with Members.
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Claire Newman and Alison Hill led a weekly Thursday lunchtime prayer meeting for parliamentary staff, which included a Bible reflection.
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The team met 1-1 on a regular basis with both Members and staff.
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CiP hosts a lunchtime service each Tuesday, which moved online when lockdown began. Series have included: Where is God in a coronavirus world? (John 11 & Luke 7), Psalms in the midst of a pandemic (Psalm 122 & 126), God at work in the mess (Genesis 37-50), Ending Injustice (Revelation 5), Rest for our souls (Matthew 11), Encounters with Jesus (John’s gospel) and Meditations from the psalms (Psalm 1, 23 & 46).
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The team ran an online Bible Overview Course which was attended by a broad range of people, some of whom were new Christians.
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Over the first lockdown, CiP sent out a daily Psalm reflection to over one hundred Members and staff. From September, Psalm reflections have been sent out weekly on a Monday morning.
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In March 2021 CiP organised a cross-party prayer event for Members ‘ Easter hope in response to Covid.’
Events and Resources
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic we had to adapt our programme, but we were still able to organise the following virtual events:
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In April 2020 we held an online Easter Service on ‘The Resurrection of Jesus Christ’ .
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In December 2020 we organised the first Virtual Parliamentary Carol Service. Over 1,500 people joined us live, and the video has had over 9000 views on YouTube. Over 350 parliamentary staff registered to watch the event and 100 MPs and Peers.
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In February 2021 we organised an event titled: ‘ Covid on my mind: Helping others survive and thrive during a time of heightened anxiety and stress .’ It was attended by over 50 Members and staff and focused on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our mental wellbeing as well as providing practical tips on how to survive and thrive in this challenging season.
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For Easter 2021, we produced a 3-minute video with 23 Members from across both Houses reading Easter passages from the Gospels. The video, published on YouTube, has had almost 35,000 views.
Public theology
Over the past year we have sought to equip Members and staff with resources to deepen their understanding of how the Christian faith should apply to politics and public life by:
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Partnering with Bible Society to produce an AI and Digital Technologies Briefing
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Re-starting an applied political theology course online. This course has been led by Dr Anna Rowlands of Durham University, and builds on the foundation course that we ran in the previous year.
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National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast (NPPB)
The 2020 National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast took place online due to coronavirus restrictions. The event was hosted live from Westminster Hall by Marsha de Cordova MP and was a mixture of live and pre-recorded sections. The theme of the breakfast was ‘Hope and Peace in a Time of Fear and Suffering’ and a keynote address on this topic was given by the Bishop of Kensington, the Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin.
The online Breakfast enabled a much wider group of people to participate, with live views peaking at 3,168 and the numbers remained high throughout. The Breakfast has now had over 22,000 views on YouTube. Over 4,600 people registered to attend the Breakfast, including 91 MPs, 33 Peers and over 100 parliamentary staff. The remaining attendees were split between church leaders and the general public, from across the UK.
The Breakfast was run in partnership with Bible Society and sponsored by the following organisations: CARE, Christian Aid, Hope Together, OCCA, Premier, Release International, The Trussell Trust, Vivid and World Vision. After the Breakfast, Bible Society hosted a webinar for church leaders titled ‘Mission during lockdown and beyond’.
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Christians in Politics Report (CiPOL)
Annual Report April 2021
Our Mission
Christians in Politics (CiPol) exists to take the biblical case for positive political engagement to the Church in the UK and to encourage and equip Christians across denominations and the political spectrum to respond to God’s call to engage in public life. The call is to participate, not just commentate.
Context
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic meant that 25 of CiPol’s in-person speaking engagements were cancelled in the first half of 2020, (and later in the year other events and conferences simply were not possible) lockdowns and restrictions have resulted in opportunities to connect in new ways and reach new people online. Zoom has enabled us to go to places we had never gone before such as a gathering of 300 prophetic intercessors looking for wisdom around the time of the US elections! Those from isolated parts of the UK have also been able to connect with us via Zoom in a more meaningful way. There has been even greater evangelistic opportunity in some contexts as we (along with many churches) have encountered the phenomenon of the ‘browsing agnostic’ looking for ways to connect in this season.
One of the other reasons for an increased interest in our work is that in the midst of the Brexit and COVID-19 crises, it has become abundantly clear that it really matters who is in government. For many more of us than previously, the impact of decisions on our individual lives has gone from the abstract to up close and personal and this has opened up opportunities with many churches to discuss these issues of integrity, and how our ‘Showing Up’ is part of the answer.
This is however also a time of division, hostility and toxicity in the public square, CiPol has been busy communicating the much needed message of the unique gift Christians can bring to the political sphere in promoting kingdom values of peace, reconciliation and unity. In the context of the employment and financial challenges that come with COVID, we are encouraging and supporting Christians with a wealth of knowledge gained from serving their communities on the frontline and caring for the most vulnerable through food banks, debt counselling services, youth work, homeless shelters, supporting the elderly and vulnerable, and the list goes on, to step up into leadership roles in the political sphere and to encourage others to support them. Never has the capacity and experience of the church been so broad-based and vital, and we pray not just for these local projects but for a transformation of the political sphere through the service of these well-trained, spirit-filled
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Christians who can influence decision-making and work together to see kingdom values outworked for the common good.
An overview: The work of CiPol’s ED
- Building the foundations: The ED has used the opportunity this time with less external engagements has afforded to solidly build the foundations of Christians in Politics.
Through much telephone interaction and petitioning, the Advisory Board has been increased to 13 members, including some very significant MPs, ex-MPs, peers and church network leaders. The recent board meeting was hugely supportive and has resulted in greater ownership of different aspects of the work by various board members - for example the Mentoring Programme.
The ED has overseen the development of a brand new website, brand new CRM system (Donorfy), improved massmail system and new accounting system. These systems are all integrated in preparation for taking the organisation to the next level in terms of professional communications and facilitating a meaningful individual donor strategy with responsible follow-up and high levels of automation. Subscriptions and donations have already increased even though the ‘campaign effort’ is yet to begin.
He has been connecting with various trusts and high-value donors in an attempt to secure or re-secure funding for other roles. To this end the services of Veritus (fundraising consultants) have been hugely helpful. At this point, they are kindly giving of their time pro bono.
Sustainable systems have been set up to clarify accounting, auditing and banking practices within the overall charity (PCT). Delineating accounts and spending have always been a challenge, but there has been substantial professionalisation through work with an external auditor and PCT financial director.
- External engagement: 2020-2021 : completed 19 speaking events in person or online, 24 radio segments and had 19 articles published in 2020 and these external engagements will be increased in future through planned campaigns and events in 2021.
Conferences and events: Tearfund Justice Conference; The One Event Festival; Word on the Wash; Just Love alumni conference; Hopeful Influence National Online discussion; The Religion Centre; Neighbourhood Prayer Week; Various local churches; International prophecy conference; Moorlands College; South-west Youth Ministry
Participation in wider movement-building Zooms: Gather UK, future of the Church of
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England consultation, UK church stream network leaders, Government match-funding round-table
Training: Just Love Alumi Public Speaking Training; Durham Christian Union (in person); 5 sessions with CIPOL volunteers; Tearfund staff
Radio: 24 radio segments and had 13 articles published in 2020; 2 in 2020. Appeared on: UCB radio, TWR radio, Premier radio.
Articles: 19 articles in 2020 to Mar 2021. Featured in Spring Harvest online, Premier, Christianity.org, Christianity Today; Plough Magazine; Reform Magazine; Sorted magazine
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Intern management: CiPol’s intern works two days a week to coordinate the Young Christians in Politics network and assist with operations and communications. Andy provides support and mentorship to assist in these activities and grow the skills of our intern, for example through weekly devotions, public speaking training, assistance setting up the Young Christians in Politics board and joint work on communications tasks.
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Negotiating and finalising the publication of the Influence course (see below)
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Time supporting and mentoring local organisers and other new volunteers (see below)
Update on The Influence Course
Andy has been working with David C Cook to create and deliver the final version of the Influence Course. David C Cook is a major US-based international publishing house dedicated to publishing and distributing leadership and discipleship resources to help Christians all over the world grow in their faith and pass it onto the next generation. Unfortunately they had to make one of their key UK staff redundant in light of COVID, so the publishing process has been slow over the last nine months but editing and design work is once again now continuing at pace and we are really excited about the opportunities this publication will bring. In truth, this past year would have been a terrible time to launch a course anyway.
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The ‘toolbox’ for delivering the course contains session outlines, with each session beginning with an accompanying short video, teaching, an activity, some challenge homework and a prayer. The pilot groups who have used the materials so far have found it very effective. This is ‘COVID-19 proof’ as we have suggested activities that can be done with groups meeting in person, and we’ve suggested alternatives or adjustments if your group is meeting online. Feedback from the pilot scheme has sharpened and improved the course hugely.
In two groups at one church who were part of the pilot scheme, two people became local councillors, two formed a campaign group, and another began working for an MP. Another group wrote to their MP and got something brought to the floor of Parliament. We believe this shows the power of the course to mobilise potentially large numbers of people.
Local Groups
Our ED has been supporting and mentoring the leaders and participants of our local groups across the country, which grew out of the Influence tour to provide mutual support for those who are actively involved in politics in partnership with groups such as Gather UK, Cinnamon Network, and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Our strongest groups are in Leeds, Kingston upon Thames, Bristol, Northern Ireland and Wycombe. All of the local group leaders were trained in the use of our database and new email platform to ensure that they are keeping good records and communicating with their group members.
One highlight was the ‘Engaging in politics in a time of Coronavirus’ online Zoom event run by the Leeds local group, where 32 Christians from five different parties gathered to pray for Leeds and hear testimonies and experiences from people engaging in the political sphere in the city during the lockdown period, including from CiPol’s ED.
There was also the opportunity to discuss how people were ‘showing up’ in Leeds, for example a Green party member who channeled her convictions on climate change by campaigning for climate action within the party and becoming the membership secretary for her local branch. A Labour Councillor also shared her experience of door-knocking during local election campaigns and of the emotional realities of supporting constituents who had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. Most encouraging of all in a world where being a Christian in politics can be hard and lonely, we broke up into smaller groups to pray for each other and over the city of Leeds. For some it was the first time they had prayed with someone from another party.
‘We may disagree on how we can get somewhere, but hopefully we agree on what we want to achieve- caring for people.’- Sam Firth- Conservative Councillor for Harewood Ward Leeds
‘At Christians in Politics (Leeds) we were first inspired by Andy and the team for their passion to bring the Body of Christ together to support each other in the often complex sphere of politics when the Influence tour came to Leeds and ran an event at Cornerstone Baptist Church in May 2018. Over the last 2 years we have run a series of events such as Brexit
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Dialogue, General Election Panel and set up right and left leaning Whatsapp groups, which allow like minded Christians to support each other. These groups are backed up by small termly online gatherings which take place over Zoom. We look forward to moving forward in 2021 and despite the huge challenges of the pandemic believe that God is on the move at this unique time. ‘- Dave Paterson, the coordinator of the Leeds group
ID Campaign- Autumn 2020
In Autumn 2019, CiPol ran a weeklong online campaign on the importance of character and integrity of leadership in politics in the wake of the US election. CiPol’s ED called on Christians to take action to stop UK politics sliding further in the direction of US politics, which saw unprecedented division and tribalism in its campaign and beyond. Social media posts twice a day increased our engagement significantly, CiPol’s ED
wrote a series of articles exploring the importance of putting kingdom before tribe were published by Spring Harvest, Christianity Today, Christianity.org and was featured on UCB and Premier radio.
Calling the Tribes Together Prayer Event
After the positive response to this message of the importance of building relationships with others from across the political spectrum in the ID Campaign, CiPol organised the online Zoom event Calling the Tribes Together Prayer Event in January 2021 to facilitate this.
The leaders of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum, Conservative Christian Fellowship and Christians on the Left issued a call to pray for the nation during this challenging lockdown period. This event was facilitated by CiPol’s ED, with sections on repentance, thanksgiving, lament, intercession and a recommissioning of attendees into the mission-field of politics.
363 people signed up to this cross-party event and feedback indicated that a highlight of this was the 25 minute prayer session in breakout rooms of six, in which people from different parties found great value in building relationships based on their shared faith in Christ. Based on the success of this initial event, we will be holding another prayer event in March.
From attendee James Mullin - “ Did you hear the one about a UKiper, a Tory A Green and a Leftie met an independent? Its not a joke, it is Christians in Politics. I have just left a CiPol on line prayer event “Calling the Tribes together” Great humour in the main meeting, uplifting time of worship and corporate prayer, an inspirational talk from Louise and then set
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off to breakout rooms - When we shared where we were from in the breakout room, we discovered all came from different parties - we prayed for the Physical, Mental & Spiritual health of our world and for each other in our very different settings. When we came back to the plenary I asked, did they have knowledge of what tribe we each came from? But no, it seemed it was just random - but they had prayed about it last night! It did appear that there had been a great work of God in the Zoom randomisation from many reports! Feedback has been overwhelming so a second event is planned for March 10th.
Connecting through ‘Huddled’ platform and more..
To create increased connection during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Christians in Politics supporter (and tech genius) Joe Reeve was tasked with creating an interface that does its best to replicate the “having coffee after the service” experience. We have developed this tool to the point where it will be used after our next “Calling the Tribes Together” cross-party prayer gathering. People volunteer their email address to “Huddled” and then over the course of the next few weeks are paired up with a succession of people who have also signed up via email. They can then choose to continue those interactions. Their research shows that the most effective movements make use of this decentralised community building. We sense that our people are needing this now more than ever. Joe is also going to be putting some time into our planned “Fantasy Cabinet” resource - an experiential learning tool for young people. This sort of resource will potentially get some useful attention now that the APPG on Political literacy has been established.
Young Christians In Politics (YCIP)
The ED has spent considerable time supporting the growth of the YCIP network as it aims to inspire and equip young Christians to engage in politics in the most fruitful and compelling way possible. CiPol’s intern is responsible for coordinating and growing the work of the Young Christians in Politics network.
Excitingly, a new board of seven young Christians was launched in Autumn 2020 to steer the work of the network and support the work of our intern. They have been growing and the YCIP Facebook page during this time to make it a space where young people inspire other Christians to flourish in the political sphere. The group now has 138 members and members share prayer requests, political events, articles and other relevant content. The board will lead our first YCIP Zoom social in late February to introduce group members to CiPol and build relationships with each other.
Our intern has been growing our relationship with the student agencies such as UCCF, Just Love and Fusion. Articles have been published on the UCCF and Fusion blogs and we are currently applying to deliver material at the new Fusion-New Wine partnership conference.
The response from student-led Just Love groups has been very positive. Andy will be speaking at events in St. Andrews, Cambridge and Bristol over the next few weeks and our intern is
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currently working with the St. Andrews leaders to launch a joint YCIP- Just Love St Andrews politics group.
- The Next Step event February 2021
The theme for the 2021 annual Next Step event to encourage students to think about pursuing a career in politics after university was, ‘Is politics your mission field?’ We invited representatives from Christian political graduate schemes run by CARE, Joint Public Issues Team, UCCF, The Jubilee Centre and The Theology Centre to talk about the schemes they run and the training these offer on exploring the link between politics and faith.
55 students attended the Zoom event. Miriam Cates MP and Louise Davies, the Director of Christians on the Left were interviewed by Andy about the joys and challenges of being a Christian in the political sphere and the opportunities they see for young Christians to be involved in public life. We were encouraged that many of the students attending engaged with the graduate scheme representatives in Zoom breakout sessions after and joined the YCIP Facebook group.
Local Elections event
A distinctive we are developing is that we are one of the few entities focusing on local political service, rather than being fixated on Westminster. This is evidenced by the now over 300 members we have in the councillors’ prayer network and the large attendance and our local elections/Welsh/Scottish prayer event. 8 candidates were interviewed from various parts of the country and across the political spectrum. It was so inspiring.
Further training
We have a new swathe of trainees who are being trained in public speaking, to multiply the number of speakers we have available for events. Please do forward any candidates from your spheres.
Spring Harvest/New Wine
This past SH was ironically our most successful ever. The session we led which featured party leader messages and a panel discussion was for the first time part of their “Mainstage” programme to 1000s of people, and the response was huge. It was a reminder that our simple message does not need much development, only further repetition to larger numbers!
Through much petitioning something similar will be happening for NW. Negotiations just beginning.
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We Seek Your Kingdom
In our attempts to infuse the mainstream of Christendom with the political message, it would appear that coming at it via angles is sometimes more effective than “front on”. After just 2 days, approximately 45,000 people have viewed the music video. It is probably the closest we will get to a “political hymn”, and is raising awareness of the fact that worship DOES take place in and around Westminster, Holyrood etc..
In closing..
We want to thank PCT for their continued support for our work. It is not taken for granted, and it is deeply appreciated. This period of incubation is giving us the space to get solid systems in place, which will hopefully lead to increased financial independence in the future based on a healthy spread of individual donors and supporters. We are some distance from there at this point, but we believe we are moving in the right direction! We thank you! However, we still need to find that large donation which can replace our previous large donation which covered our Ops and Comms Officer’s salary. Much of the ED’s time has been focused on attempt to secure this funding. Benita departed in December and we thank here for all her incredible efforts to build the foundations of Christians in Politics. This is of primary importance to make progress. Volunteer and Intern help has been excellent, but it does not replace a solid adminstrative centre!
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Financial Review
Finances supporting the work of Christians in Parliament (CiP), the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast (NPPB), and Christians in Politics (CiPOL) are overseen by the Trustees of the Parliamentary Christian Trust (PCT).
On the 31 March 2021 the total value of the investments of the PCT stood at £97,397 and the CiP budget is monitored to ensure the group lives within its means.
Total Incoming Resources of the charity for the year were £174,139 and total expenditure was £184,939. This resulted in a deficit of £10,802 for the year. There was an increase of £18,619 due to the revaluation of investments, giving a net surplus of £7,817.
After a review of the investments the funds were invested with COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Accumulation Units in March 2016.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees regularly review the level of reserves to ensure that enough funds are held to meet its regular and contractual commitments and those arising from other obligations. Having regard to the above their policy is to maintain free reserves of £15,000 for the National Prayer Breakfast restricted fund, £20,000 for CiPol restricted Fund and £34,000 for the General Designated Fund. The reserves for the general designated fund reflect the trustees’ recognition that with employees the trust has wider responsibilities and covers approximately six months’ salary costs.
Future Plans
Arrangements are being made for various events scheduled to take place in the coming year, these include monthly worships services, regular bible teaching sessions and prayer gatherings and fellowship groups
There are plans to continue when possible to hold the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast again in each year of parliament.
Signed: Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP ………………………………….
Signed: Sir Gary Streeter MP ………………………………………. Date: ………………………………. 8 July 2021
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THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST CHARITY STRUCTURE
----- Start of picture text -----
Board of Trustees
Mrs Eve Burt MBE
Rt Hon Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP
Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan of Cotes PC
Sir Gary Streeter MP
Tim Farron MP
Baroness Rev Maeve Sherlock OBE
Administrator:
Nigel Double
Christians in Parliament
Christian in Politics
Chairman:
Advisory Board
Sir Gary Streeter MP National Prayer Breakfast
Rev Mark Harris Chair: Sir Gary Streeter MP Chairman:
Secretary: Andrew Carnegie
Claire Newman Appointed new every year
Admin: Alison Hill Treasurer: David Canning Admin: Christians in Parliament
Youth and Student Rep: Amy Fortnam
Steering Group
Reverend Celia Apeagyei-Collins
Baroness Elizabeth Berridge
Baroness Sal Brinton
Andy Flannagan
Reverend Mark Harris
Claire Mathys
Andy Reed
Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
----- End of picture text -----
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES
LawI report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2014, which are set out applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Board of trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the financial year. In preparing those financial statements giving a true and fair view, the Board of trustees should follow best practice and:-
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Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed , subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to
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presume that the charity will continue to operate.
The trustees are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable 1,000.00 accuracy the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ascertain the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the requirements of applicable law and regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Receipts & Payments Account for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
| Incoming Resources Voluntary Income Gifts and Donations Other Sundry Income Income Tax Recoverable Income from Events National Prayer Breakfast Christians in Politics Events Investment Income Interest received TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES |
General Funds 13,798 - 13,798 - - 42 13,840 |
Designated Funds 107,500 107,500 - - 107,500 |
Restricted Funds 51,952 64 52,016 378 380 758 25 52,799 |
2021 Total Funds 173,250 - 64 173,314 378 380 758 67 174,139 |
2020 Total Funds 206,841 4,416 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 211,257 | |||||
| 17,346 472 |
|||||
| 17,818 | |||||
| 385 | |||||
| 229,460 |
19
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Receipts & Payments Account for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
| General Funds Resources Used Directly relating to the Work of the Trust National Prayer Breakfast - Hospitality National Prayer Breakfast - Event Running Costs Salaries - Ministry work Pension Costs Travel Expenses - PCT - Events Catering - PCT - Events Costs 10,597 Christians in Politics Event Costs 10,597 Management & Administration Administration Costs 1,500 Cost of Intern Sponsorship 1,000 Staff Welfare, Training & Travel Costs 1,062 Postage, Stationery & software 561 Insurance Small Equipment - Resource Costs 345 Legal Fees - Payroll Services Independent Examination Fee 498 Bank Charges 60 Other Expenses 5,026 Donations & Grants TOTAL RESOURCES USED 15,623 NET INCOMING/OUTGOING RESOURCES (1,783) Unrealised Profit/Loss on Revaluation of Investments 18,619 16,836 Transfer between funds Bank Balances Brought Forward - 1/4/20 138,680 Bank Balances Carried Forward - 31/3/21 155,516 |
Designated & Salaries Fund 82,930 6,254 89,184 489 489 89,673 17,827 - 17,827 (19,479) 65,621 63,969 |
Restricted Funds - 10,268 43,699 3,467 42 2,000 59,476 1,500 12,038 263 4,370 321 302 350 1,008 15 - 20,167 - 79,643 (26,846) (26,846) 19,479 111,261 103,894 |
2021 Total Funds - 10,268 126,629 9,721 42 - 10,597 2,000 159,257 3,000 13,038 1,325 4,931 321 - 647 - 839 1,506 75 - 25,682 - 184,939 (10,802) 18,619 7,817 - 315,562 323,379 |
2020 Total Funds 16,389 21,664 137,470 11,037 1,616 7,626 3,609 1,673 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201,084 | ||||
| 3,000 14,038 1,463 1,629 337 - 266 - 828 1,793 102 - |
||||
| 23,456 | ||||
| - | ||||
| 224,540 | ||||
| 4,918 367 |
||||
| 5,285 - 310,277 |
||||
| 315,562 |
20
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31 March 2021
| Notes General Funds Investments COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund 97,397 PCT Current Account 50,003 PCT Premium account 5,633 PCT Paypall Account - NPB Current Account - NPB Premium Account - Christians in Politics Current Account Christians in Politics Deposit Account - Christians in Politics Paypal Account 153,033 Current Assets Donation paid into wrong bank account Salaries Money owed by CiPol 3,212 3,212 Current Liabilities Donation paid into wrong bank account - Salaries Money owed by CiPol Sundry Creditors 1,237 1,237 |
Designated Funds 63,969 63,969 - - 0.00 |
Restricted Funds - - 577 40,571 55,467 10,445 47 107,107 - - - 4,202 4,202 |
2020 Total Funds 97,397 50,003 69,602 - 577 40,571 55,467 10,445 47 324,109 - 3,212 3,212 - - 5,439 5,439 |
2020 Total Funds 78,778 11,633 95,560 - 933 45,686 73,260 10,440 171 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316,461 | ||||
| 250 20,956 |
||||
| 21,206 | ||||
| 250 20,956 1,494 |
||||
| 22,700 |
| Signed: | Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP | …………………………….. |
|---|---|---|
| Signed: | Sir Gary Streeter MP | …………………………….. |
21
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2021
Accounting policies
Accounts preparation
The accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis.
Charitable expenditure
Charitable expenditure includes all expenditure directly related to the objects of the charity and comprises the following :-
Activities in furtherance of the charity's objectives
The costs of activities in furtherance of the charity's objectives represents the cost of goods and services and event costs that have been incurred in charitable activities.
Management and administration of the charity
Management and administration costs represent expenditure incurred in the management of the charity's assets, organisational administration and compliance with charitable and statutory requirements.
Administration Honorarium costs since the appointment of Mr N Double have been split as follows:
Parliamentary Christian Trust 50% National Prayer Breakfast 50%
Change of Charitable Entity
The Trust (Charity No: 801739) set up a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation called The Parliamentary Christian Trust (Charity No: 1168573) on 3 August 2016.
The new trust remained dormant until 1 April 2017 when the original trust transferred all the assets to the new entity.
22
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2021 - Continued
Funds
Different categories of fund have been recognised in these accounts. Unrestricted funds are those that are available for expenditure at the discretion of the Trustees for any of the objects of the Charity.
Designated Funds are those funds received that the trustees have set aside primarily to fund the salaries of employes of the Charity to enable the Charity to increase its work. The trustees have set these aside specifically for this purpose. At the end of the year, the designated fund has been crystalised to hold 6 months salaries as a contingency fund. PCT currently pays all the salaries for the different sections. The balance due back from CiPol for 2019/20 salaries has been offset against the reserves held on CiPol's behalf. They now hold the resrves balance for their section of the charity. From April 2020, salaries will be invoiced each month to enable each section to keep a better record of what they have available for use. At the end of March, there is one months salary payment outstanding which has been cleared in the 2021/22 year.
Restricted Funds are those where the donor has placed specific restrictions on the use of the funds donated.
The National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast is administered by the Trust and all income and expenses relating to this event are treated as restricted funds. This is usually an annual event designed to provide fellowship and teaching for Christians from around the nation and the world. A separate Receipts & Payments Account for this project is included in the Financial Statements and this has been consolidated into the Receipts and Payments Accounts of the Trust.
Christians in Politics is another part of the Trust's work and is a separate project. Therefore, the receipts and payments of Christians in Politics are also kept separate as a restricted fund and separate Receipts and Payments accounts are prepared and then consolidated in to the Receipts and Payments Accounts for the Trust, together with an accounting for the
Reserves
The Trustees regularly review the level of reserves to ensure that sufficient funds are held to meet its regular and contractual commitments and those arising from other obligations. The policy has been revised this year as follows:
National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast. It was resolved to keep minimum capital reserves at £10,000 and minimum cash reserves of £30,000. This is to be able to manage the particular cash flow requirements of payments to suppliers in advance of any ticket sales being received.
PCT. It was resolved to increase the cash reserves to £34,000 to enable it to be able to cover the staff salaries for 6 months should financial support be withdrawn in the future.
CiPol It was resolved to increase the cash reserves to £20,000 to enable it to be able to cover the staff salaries for 6 months should financial support be withdrawn in the future.
23
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP TRUST
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2021 - Continued
1 Investments
Investments are held in a COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Accumulation Units. The original investment in March 2016 was for £56,000. The valuation as at 31 March 2021 was £97588.05.
2 Funds
The Unrestricted Fund represents the reserves of the Trust that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the Trust. This fund is split between a Capital Fund and a Revenue Fund and the movement during the year is as follows:
| Capital Fund Balance Brought Forward Net Incoming for the Year Balance Carried Forward Revenue Fund Balance Brought Forward Net Incoming for the Year Balance Carried Forward Total Unrestricted Funds |
|
|---|---|
24
THE PARLIAMENTARY CHRISTIAN TRUST
Notes to the Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2021 - Continued
Designated Funds
The Designated Funds represent a donation that has been set aside to pay the salaries of the employees of both the Parliamentary Christian Trust and Christians in Politics. This has been given to enable the charity to further it's work in Parliament and employing staff to organise and manage events etc is the method the trustee's have undertaken to achieve this. At the end of the year a sum of £63,969 was left in the designated fund to cover 6 months salaries of both organisations, and the remaining balance allocated to the organisations to create a restricted fund within their own individual accounting records.
| At 31 March 2021 funds held were: | Designated 34,000 |
Salaries 29,969 |
Total 63,969 |
|---|---|---|---|
The salaries fund is funding yet to be spent primarily for Claire Newman's salary.
CiPol now hold their own designated reserves of £20,000 as part of their own bank account.
Restricted Funds
These comprise the funds set aside for the National Parliamentary Prayer breakfast and Christians in Politics. Each of these sections of the charity has its own bank account and manages its affairs and these are then amalgamated into the Trust as a whole.
| **3 ** | Interest received Bank Deposit Accounts |
2021 67 67 |
2020 385 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 385 |
25
NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY PRAYER BREAKFAST
| Receipts & Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2021 Event Income Breakfasts, Lunches & Seminars Other Income Donations Received Income Tax Recoverable Interest received Expenditure Event Costs - Catering Event Costs - Audio Visual Event Costs - Speakers Sundry Event Costs Postage, Stationery & Software Administration Program Design Travel Expenses Independent Examination Fees Net Incoming/Outgoing Resources Transfers to Parliamentary Christian Trust Bank Balance Brought Forward - 1/4/20 Bank Balance Carried Forward - 31/3/21 |
378 6,092 20 20 6,132 6,510 - 9,919 - 45 72 1,500 304 - 390 12,230 (5,720) - 46,869 41,149 2021 |
17,346 29,088 - 62 29,150 46,496 16,389 15,834 1,270 3,782 83 1,500 778 188 360 40,184 6,312 (1,935) 42,492 46,869 2020 |
17,346 29,088 - 62 29,150 46,496 16,389 15,834 1,270 3,782 83 1,500 778 188 360 40,184 6,312 (1,935) 42,492 46,869 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| - 9,919 - 45 72 1,500 304 - 390 |
16,389 15,834 1,270 3,782 83 1,500 778 188 360 |
||
| 46,496 40,184 |
|||
| 6,312 (1,935) 42,492 |
|||
| 46,869 |
26
NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY PRAYER BREAKFAST
Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31 March 2021
| Current Assets Cash at bank 41,149 Current Assets Donation paid into PCT in error - Transferred back May 2020 - Current Liabilities Gift Aid due to CiPol 20 Sundry Creditors 474 494 Income in Advance There has been income received in the year in relation to the 2021 National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast. 2021 |
46,619 250 250 378 378 2020 |
2020 |
|---|---|---|
| This amounts to: Donations Event Income Sponsorship |
0.00 0.00 1,000.00 |
|---|---|
| 1,000.00 |
27
CHRISTIANS IN POLITICS
Receipts & Payments Account
for the year ended 31 March 2021
| Income Donations Received 45,860 Inome from Lectures & events 380 G1ft Aid recovered 44 Interest received 5 46,289 46,289 Expenditure Staff Salaries 55,737 Staff Pension Costs 3,467 Staff Training & welfare 263 Event Costs 2,000 Insurance 321 Publicity & Program Design - Travel Costs 42 Stationery, Postage & Software 4,298 Resource Costs 302 Other Expenses - Payroll Services 350 Bank Charges 15 Independent Examination fees 618 67,413 Net Incoming/Outgoing resources (21,124) Transfer from/(to) Parliamentary Christian Trust 19,479 Bank Balances Brought Forward - 1/4/20 64,392 Bank Balance Carried Forward - 31/3/21 62,747 2021 |
75,985 472 - 18 76,476 76,476 68,150 4,506 443 1,483 337 190 1,492 1,388 148 - 338 37 821 79,333 (2,859) 1,477 65,774 64,392 2020 |
75,985 472 - 18 76,476 76,476 68,150 4,506 443 1,483 337 190 1,492 1,388 148 - 338 37 821 79,333 (2,859) 1,477 65,774 64,392 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| 68,150 4,506 443 1,483 337 190 1,492 1,388 148 - 338 37 821 |
||
| 76,476 79,333 |
||
| (2,859) 1,477 65,774 |
||
| 64,392 |
28
CHRISTIANS IN POLITICS
Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31 March 2021
| Current Assets Bank Current Account Bank Deposit account Paypal Account Funds held in PCT Account Current Liabilities Funds owed to PCT Account for salaries Sundry Creditors - Examination Fee |
55,467 10,445 47 65,959 3,212 516 3,728 2021 |
73,260 10,440 171 1,477 85,348 20,956 618 618 2020 |
2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
29