Montpelier Church
Registered Charity Number 1168853
Report Receipts and Payments Account
and
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Page 1
Montpelier Church
Registered Charity Number 1168853
31 December 2023
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Trustees Report | 2/3 |
| Receipts and Payments Accounts | 4 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 5 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 6 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 7 |
Page 2
Montpelier Church Registered Charity Number 1168853
Trustees Report for the year ended 31 December 2023
Administration Details
Trustees who have served during the year
L Downham D Morris M R G Smith
Church Address Biddulph Road, South Croydon, CR2 6QB Bankers TSB plc, 40 Woodcote Road, Wallington, SM6 0NR
Structure, Governance and Management
Montpelier Church was set up by a Deed of Trust dated 29 May 1929 to operate a Christian place of worship under the practices of the Christian Brethren.
On 22 August 2016 the Church registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
On 1 December 2016 all the assets and liabilities of the trust were transferred to the CIO.
The Church operates under the Constitution submitted to the Charity Commission. The trust was and the Charity is governed by a board of trustees who delegate the spiritual governance to a team of Church leaders, known as the Core Leadership Team (CLT), and the practical maintenance of the buildings to suitably qualified individuals. The appointment of trustees is made by the board; the Church leadership by the CLT. All appointments are made by unanimous agreement.
Activities
Monthly café style Sunday services took place through the year, with interactive group discussions over refreshments, as well as regular Church services on the other Sundays. The CLT members took turns at preaching during January on 'Names of God' and during April on 'Heroes of Faith'. The sermon series from February to Easter was 'Recognising the road to redemption in the Old Testament'. Running up to summer the theme was ‘Building & Battling: Forging and fighting for our Identity in Christ’. A women's breakfast was held in June including worship and a guest speaker. Later in the summer men attended a local outdoor Christian event. The autumn sermon series followed the missionary journeys of Paul. Two family services also took place during the autumn. Christmas was celebrated through a Christmas decorating party and Carol Service, plus children's performance. The Kids' Church and crèche ministries took place every Sunday during termtime. The Church's Messy Wednesday toddler group was streamlined to operate on an occasional basis only, during school holidays.
Achievements and Performance
During the year links were forged with Churches in the local area, especially Innovation Churches and Purley Baptist Church. The Church supports Christian missions with whom there is a personal connection to the current congregation or where there is a close alignment of values, both locally and internationally.
The growth of premises hire in recent years has continued, with International Needs now operating from the premises, promoting closer ties with this supported mission. Much work was required to rearrange the internal configuration in the main building to still cater for Grace Vineyard Church's 'Growbaby' project. This enables provision of clothes and other necessities to children of families in need, including refugees. The Church and Growbaby ran a joint Christmas gift campaign enabling Christmas presents to be given out to families.
Just before year end, following much prepararation work, a licence agreement was signed with La Maternelle Nursery School for them to operate from the Allen Hall on weekdays during termtime. The Kids' Church ministry saw the introduction of a new curriculum from Scripture Union. The crèche is more ordered now, taking place in the Church lounge. The Messy Wednesday toddler group, previously running once a week in termtime, was streamlined to operate on occasional basis only, during school holidays.
Continues …
Page 3
Montpelier Church
Achievements and Performance (continued)
Sign-ups for ministries rotas via app and online donations, are now possible via the Church’s new website which went live in April. A start was made on modernising the sanctuary later in the spring. During the early autumn there was a huge improvement to Church grounds, with regular garden maintenance begun in November. Various premises safety improvements have taken place, with a fire risk assessment conducted at the end of August, and fixed wire testing (requiring a few remedial actions) and PAT testing conducted during the autumn.
Towards the end of the year, gates were installed either side of the Church building, protecting not only La Maternelle Nursery School children but also the children at Montpelier, along with fencing put in around the garden (paid for by the nursery school). Flooring in the Allen Hall toilets was repainted as part of a conversion for use by the nursery school.
Links with the local food bank, Purley Food Hub, were re-established during the year.
Offerings continued to be made to support a number of Christian Missions locally and around the world.
Financial Review
In 2023 the Church's total funds reduced from £23,831 to £21,897. Total incoming resources increased from £44,849 in 2022 to £58,758 this year. The largest two factors in this improvement were a £6,979 increase in premises hires and a £4,295 increase in donations and offerings. Total resources expended reduced slightly from £61,450 to £60,692. Much of the £13,123 saving from no longer paying the pastor stipend after March (see below) was offset by a £8,233 increase in repairs and renewals (allied to work required ahead of new term premises hires starting this year) and by increased energy costs. A much-reduced deficit compared to recent years, of £1,934, was sustained. The Church's total cash reserves remain in a fragile position.
Since 2019 the Church has paid for accommodation to house the Pastor and his family within walking distance of the Church, together with a stipend. The trustees have been aware of the financial impact of paying both the stipend and for housing the Pastor locally, and measures to mitigate this impact were considered during 2022.
With the imperative to retain funds to cover outgoings with reasonable contingency, it was decided (in September 2022) that the pastor's stipend would be discontinued after March 2023, whilst the Church still committed to paying for the Pastor's housing going forward.
The Church's principal source of funding remains offerings made by the fellowship and others through monthly standing orders. Hire of Church premises formed 39.8% of unrestricted income this year, compared to 34.5% in 2022.
Continued willingness of the congregation, with further increase in their number, to give financially through offerings to the Church is needed to aid the position further. Such giving is a Biblical principle. The Church continues to direct a portion of offerings and ad hoc donations toward Christian missions whose work it supports.
Whilst the Church's finances are now more stable than in recent years, its low reserves (at a little over £20,000) remain a concern. The Church leadership have realised that help from outside the Church is required for it to be sustainable longer term and this is part of the reason for forging links with other local Churches.
The Church's financial policy is to hold funds readily available to meet the ongoing costs of the Charity.
Approved by the trustees on 07/06/2024
Signed …......................................................................
Trustee name Mark R G Smith
Page 4
Registered Charity Number 1168853
Montpelier Church
Receipts and Payments Account
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
| RESOURCES EXPENDED Other Costs Total resources expended Net movement in funds At 1 January Balance at 31 December Ministry Costs INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary Income Investment Income Income from Church Activities Other Incoming Resources Total incoming resources Charitable Activities |
Unrestricted Fund Restricted Funds Total Funds 2023 Total Funds 2022 £ £ £ £ 30,017 3,743 33,760 27,582 - - - - 229 - 229 440 23,464 1,305 24,769 16,827 |
|---|---|
| 53,710 5,048 58,758 44,849 |
|
| 597 3,510 4,107 6,411 25,366 - 25,366 38,489 31,218 - 31,218 16,550 |
|
| 57,181 3,510 60,692 61,450 |
|
| (3,471) 1,538 (1,934) (16,601) 21,965 1,866 23,831 40,432 |
|
| 18,494 3,404 21,897 23,831 |
Page 5
Registered Charity Number 1168853
Montpelier Church
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
at 31 December 2023
| Monetary Assets Restricted – Christmas Lunch on Jesus Totals Funds Prepayment Income Tax Recoverable Liabilities Accrued Expenses Non-Monetary Current Assets Total Non–Monetary Current Assets Non-Monetary Fixed Assets Freehold Land and Buildings Valuation estimated from buildings sum insured Restricted – Compassion International Cash at Bank – Current Account Cash at Bank – Deposit Account Totals Monetary Assets Represented by the following funds: General Restricted – Mission Fund |
2023 £ 21,897 0 £21,897 18,493.65 3,403.59 0 0 £21,897 39 88 £127 £395 £1,336,630 |
2022 £ 23,831 0 |
|---|---|---|
| £23,831 | ||
| 21,965 3,141 -1,305 30 |
||
| £23,831 | ||
| 0 1,781.46 |
||
| £1,781 | ||
| £390 | ||
| £926,409 |
Note: Immaterial accruals and prepayments of utilities and other church expenses have been ignored.
The Accounts set out on pages 4 to 6 were approved by the Trustees.
Signed by the trustees on 07/06/2024
Signed …......................................................................
Trustee name Mark R G Smith
Page 6
Montpelier Church
Registered Charity Number 1168853
Notes to the Accounts
for the year ended 31 December 2023
1 Accounting Policies
(a) Basis of Preparation
The Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities have been prepared under the historical accounting convention. They have been prepared in accordance with the relevant recommendations of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (2005) and the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
(b) Funds
General Funds
All funds are unrestricted and represent undistributed income.
Restricted Funds
These arise from specific gifts from donors to support full time Christian workers (Missionary Fund) or to provide for other church needs. The monies held at the year end will be distributed according to the specific gifts in the forthcoming accounting periods.
- (c) Income and Expenditure: are both shown when received or paid respectively.
(d) Grants Payable
These are recognised when the Trustees have approved and paid the grant.
2 Trustees Emoluments
The Trustees receive no remuneration or reimbursed personal expenses from the Charity.
Page 7
Independent Examiners Report
to the Trustees of Montpelier Church on the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on pages 4 to 6
Respective responsibilities of the trustees and the 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 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (The Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to
-
a) examine the accounts under section 145 of The Act
-
b) to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act), and
-
c) to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. 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 the seeking of explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required from 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:
-
a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material aspect, the requirements:
-
1 to keep accounting records in accordance with s130 of The Act; and 2 to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of The Act
have not been met; or
b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
L Tasker FCCA
Ryefield
Chartered Certified Accountants Airport House Purley Way Croydon CR0 0XZ