Pinner Baptist Church
End of Year Financial Statements
Year ending 31[st] December 2022
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Pinner Baptist Church
I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31st December 2022 which are set in pages of the Annual Report.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The church’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 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 2011 Act);
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To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the 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 you as 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
Since the gross income for the year exceeds the amount provided in section 145(3) of the Act, I confirm that I am qualified to act as Independent Examiner under the provisions of that section of the Act and that my qualification is as shown below.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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1 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 2011 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or
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2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Kevin Ogilvie
Charity Bookkeeping and Examination Services 13[th] March 2023
13 Evelyns Close, Hillingdon, Middlesex, UB8 3LR
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Statement of Financial Activities
| Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total Prior year funds funds funds funds funds total funds |
|
|---|---|
| Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies Income from charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Total income Expenditure on: Expenditure on charitable activities Minister Direct Manse Expenditure Church Expenditure Support Costs Outreach Expenditure Other expenditure Total expenditure Net income / (expenditure) resources before transfer Transfers Gross transfers between funds - in Gross transfers between funds - out Other recognised gains / losses Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward Represented by Unrestricted General Fund Designated Disabled Access Reserve Fund Restricted Fellowship Fund Window Fund |
103,350 — 6,338 — 109,688 81,000 376 — — — 376 343 87,164 — — — 87,164 57,818 229 24 — — 253 17 |
| 191,119 24 6,338 — 197,481 139,177 35,804 — — — 35,804 33,353 — — — — — 148 56,879 — — — 56,879 36,349 29,648 — — — 29,648 24,156 32,898 — 2,824 — 35,723 15,303 8,606 — 450 — 9,056 9,098 |
|
| 163,836 — 3,274 — 167,111 118,408 |
|
| 27,283 24 3,063 — 30,370 20,769 250 7 700 — 957 60,000 (707) — (250) — (957) (60,000) |
|
| 26,826 31 3,513 — 30,370 20,769 |
|
| 46,086 65,000 250 — 111,336 90,567 |
|
| 72,912 65,031 3,763 — 141,706 111,336 72,912 — — — 72,912 46,086 — 5,000 — — 5,000 5,000 — 60,031 — — 60,031 60,000 — — 250 — 250 250 — — 3,513 — 3,513 — |
Statement of assets and liabilities
| General Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year |
|
|---|---|
| Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand HSBC Community Account - HSBC Money Manager - NAT West - PettyCash - LB Property Board 15956 - LB Property Board 15961 - Totals Liabilities - Agency accounts Agency collections - Totals Grand total |
26,225 5,000 4,966 — 36,191 35,239 30,702 — — — 30,702 10,671 15,942 55,846 — — 71,788 63,356 12 — — — 12 12 — 100 — — 100 84 31 4,085 — — 4,116 4,077 |
| 72,912 65,031 4,966 — 142,909 113,439 — — 1,203 — 1,203 2,103 |
|
| — — 1,203 — 1,203 2,103 |
|
| 72,912 65,031 3,763 — 141,706 111,336 |
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Analysis of income and expenditure
| Total Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legacies General Offerings 48,050 — — — 48,050 37,011 Loose Collections 2,818 — — — 2,818 2,591 Stewardship Donations 10,900 — — — 10,900 6,008 General Donations 3,905 — 13 — 3,918 8,251 SumUp donations (card reader) 3,759 — — — 3,759 — Gift Aid Refunds 16,255 — — — 16,255 10,557 Thank Offerings 17,662 — 3,500 — 21,162 16,035 Specific Donations — — 2,824 — 2,824 546 Total 103,350 — 6,338 — 109,688 81,000 Income from charitable activities Wedding & Funeral Fees — — — — — 199 Sundry Receipts 376 — — — 376 144 Total 376 — — — 376 343 Other trading activities Lettings 15,141 — — — 15,141 6,518 Nursery Income 35,692 — — — 35,692 28,032 Cottage Rent 16,909 — — — 16,909 3,780 Manse Rental 19,423 — — — 19,423 19,488 Total 87,164 — — — 87,164 57,818 Investments Bank Interest 229 24 — — 253 17 Total 229 24 — — 253 17 |
Total Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Donations and legacies General Offerings 48,050 — — — 48,050 37,011 Loose Collections 2,818 — — — 2,818 2,591 Stewardship Donations 10,900 — — — 10,900 6,008 General Donations 3,905 — 13 — 3,918 8,251 SumUp donations (card reader) 3,759 — — — 3,759 — Gift Aid Refunds 16,255 — — — 16,255 10,557 Thank Offerings 17,662 — 3,500 — 21,162 16,035 Specific Donations — — 2,824 — 2,824 546 Total 103,350 — 6,338 — 109,688 81,000 Income from charitable activities Wedding & Funeral Fees — — — — — 199 Sundry Receipts 376 — — — 376 144 Total 376 — — — 376 343 Other trading activities Lettings 15,141 — — — 15,141 6,518 Nursery Income 35,692 — — — 35,692 28,032 Cottage Rent 16,909 — — — 16,909 3,780 Manse Rental 19,423 — — — 19,423 19,488 Total 87,164 — — — 87,164 57,818 Investments Bank Interest 229 24 — — 253 17 Total 229 24 — — 253 17 |
|---|---|
| 103,350 — 6,338 — 109,688 81,000 — — — — — 199 376 — — — 376 144 |
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| 376 — — — 376 343 15,141 — — — 15,141 6,518 35,692 — — — 35,692 28,032 16,909 — — — 16,909 3,780 19,423 — — — 19,423 19,488 |
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| 87,164 — — — 87,164 57,818 229 24 — — 253 17 |
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| 229 24 — — 253 17 |
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| INCOME TOTAL | 191,119 24 6,338 — 197,481 139,177 |
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EXPENDITURE
| EXPENDITURE | EXPENDITURE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure on charitable activities - Minister Direct | ||||||
| Minister's Salary | 24,224 | — | — | — | 24,224 | 19,344 |
| Baptist Minister's Pension Fund | 6,537 | — | — | — | 6,537 | 4,126 |
| BU Pension Fund Deficit Contribution | 2,294 | — | — | — | 2,294 | 4,210 |
| Minister's Expenses | 629 | — | — | — | 629 | 672 |
| Visiting Ministers | 2,100 | — | — | — | 2,100 | 2,250 |
| Minister Training | 20 | — | — | — | 20 | 2,750 |
| Total | 35,804 | — | — | — | 35,804 | 33,353 |
| Expenditure on charitable activities - Manse Expenditure | ||||||
| Manse Maintenance | — | — | — | — | — | 148 |
| Total | — | — | — | — | — | 148 |
| Expenditure on charitable activities - Church Expenditure | ||||||
| Church Maintenance | 20,532 | — | — | — | 20,532 | 4,280 |
| Church Refurbishment | — | — | — | — | — | 1,324 |
| Cleaning Labour | 13,106 | — | — | — | 13,106 | 12,415 |
| Cleaning Materials | 1,195 | — | — | — | 1,195 | 104 |
| Church Utilities- Electricity | 5,164 | — | — | — | 5,164 | 3,136 |
| Church Utilities - Gas | 5,708 | — | — | — | 5,708 | 5,431 |
| Church Utilities - | 567 | — | — | — | 567 | 563 |
| Telephone/broadband | ||||||
| Church Utilities - Water | 1,041 | — | — | — | 1,041 | 139 |
| Church Utilities Waste Collection | 627 | — | — | — | 627 | 502 |
| Furniture & Equipment | 2,063 | — | — | — | 2,063 | — |
| Caretaker | — | — | — | — | — | 300 |
| Premises Manager | 6,535 | — | — | — | 6,535 | 7,980 |
| Audio Visual Equipment | 341 | — | — | — | 341 | 176 |
| Total | 56,879 | — | — | — | 56,879 | 36,349 |
| Expenditure on charitable activities - Support Costs | ||||||
| Insurance | 7,003 | — | — | — | 7,003 | 6,708 |
| Legal Fees | 2,787 | — | — | — | 2,787 | 2,562 |
| Admin Asst's Wages | 546 | — | — | — | 546 | — |
| Finance Officer's Fees | 3,379 | — | — | — | 3,379 | 3,379 |
| Photocopier Costs (net) | 524 | — | — | — | 524 | 231 |
| Office Expenses | 1,540 | — | — | — | 1,540 | 2,140 |
| PAYE & NI | 9,250 | — | — | — | 9,250 | 4,629 |
| Office Administrator | 3,821 | — | — | — | 3,821 | 3,883 |
| Payroll management fee | 798 | — | — | — | 798 | 625 |
| Total | 29,648 | — | — | — | 29,648 | 24,156 |
| Expenditure on charitable activities - Outreach Expenditure | ||||||
| Youth & Children's Worker | 14,287 | — | — | — | 14,287 | 2,434 |
| Youth & Children's Worker Pension | 3,564 | — | — | — | 3,564 | — |
| Church-Worship, Music & Literature | 511 | — | — | — | 511 | 859 |
| Children & Young People | 865 | — | — | — | 865 | 1,545 |
| Church Donations exp | 7,322 | — | — | — | 7,322 | 4,872 |
| Specific Donation Exp | 169 | — | 2,824 | — | 2,994 | 1,407 |
| Worship Leaders | 5,200 | — | — | — | 5,200 | 3,500 |
| Outreach General | 601 | — | — | — | 601 | — |
| Outreach Men's Group | 256 | — | — | — | 256 | 400 |
| Outreach Kaleidoscope | — | — | — | — | — | 223 |
| Outreach SALT | 51 | — | — | — | 51 | 36 |
| Outreach Members Transport | (9) | — | — | — | (9) | 26 |
| Outreach Discipleship | 81 | — | — | — | 81 | — |
| Total | 32,898 | — | 2,824 | — | 35,723 | 15,303 |
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Other expenditure
| Other expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Cottage Maintenance & Costs Gifts to Members Special Events Catering Training/Conferences & Courses Subscriptions Sundry Payments Professional Fees Total |
628 — — — 628 1,000 549 — — — 549 — 1,426 — — — 1,426 — 1,112 — — — 1,112 260 295 — — — 295 266 1,876 — — — 1,876 1,600 321 — 450 — 771 2,006 2,400 — — — 2,400 3,966 |
| 8,606 — 450 — 9,056 9,098 |
|
| EXPENDITURE TOTAL | 163,836 — 3,274 — 167,111 118,408 |
| GRAND TOTAL | 27,283 24 3,063 — 30,370 20,769 |
Notes to the Accounts
The Baptist Pension Scheme
During 2022 the church continued to contribute to the general deficit of the Baptist Pension Scheme
Non-Monetary Assets
Land and buildings used by the Church (freehold titles vested in the Custodian Trustee the London Baptist Property Board)
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The Church, the cottage and buildings in Paines Lane, Pinner
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The Manse at 25 Towers Road, Pinner
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Furniture and equipment at the Church, Manse and Cottage
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Annual Trustee Report 2022
‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Once again, it is my role to try to capture a year in the life of the church, not an easy thing to do as God certainly had plenty of plans for Pinner Baptist Church in 2022!
Looking back at the 2021 report we spent much of that year coping with Covid lockdowns and restrictions, although still managed to make a lot of things happen.
2022 started with some restrictions still in place, but, during the year, we have been able to return to a more normal way of church life, which has meant many activities and groups returning, and new ones starting. The church has grown considerably during this year, both numerically, in numbers coming to services, but also in the many activities we have been able to offer, and the number of people using our buildings.
The year started, as do all our years, with a Service of Re-Dedication on 2 January, where everyone dedicated themselves again for another year of service on our Christian journey together, plus the deacons were commissioned for their role as leaders in the church. As well as Jane Everitt, Siew Tran and myself, we were delighted that Adam and Carys Thomas Steer had been voted in as deacons at the November church meeting, bringing a new dimension to the leadership team.
The next week there was a Special Church Meeting where members had to consider the future, as Manoj Raithatha was coming to the end of his studies at Regent’s Park College, which meant the end of his time as a part-time Minister-in-training with PBC. In the Baptist denomination, church members have to decide if they feel it is God’s will to call a Minister, and then a Minister has to decide if it is God’s will for them. It was no surprise that members voted unanimously to call Manoj as our full-time Minister, to commence in September 2022, and we were all delighted when Manoj accepted the call.
GROWING IN FAITH AND PRAYER There were several opportunities in 2022 to attend courses and meetings to learn more about the Christian faith and to develop in prayer.
MORNING LIGHT was held in January and again in Holy Week in April – 15 minutes of Bible reading, reflection and prayer, on zoom, at 7.45am! Our thanks to Adam Thomas Steer for arranging these. THE PRAYER COURSE started in February, an 8-week course, which was well attended and enabled several members to develop their prayer life. Thanks to Jane Everitt for leading this course. THE BIBLE COURSE Also an 8-week course, with good numbers coming along to learn more about the Bible. This was arranged and led by Vino Ramachandra, so our thanks to Vino for that. DISCIPLESHIP EXPLORED Later in the year, another 8-week course started in September, and was led by Jane Everitt, based on Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Thanks again to Jane for this opportunity.
CHURCH PRAYER MEETINGS In May 2022, in-person prayer meetings were resumed and held in the gallery on the 3[rd] Wednesday evening of each month. In November the prayer meeting became a ‘Prayer Walk; around Pinner (on a very wet evening!), but, also, it was decided to re-instate the zoom prayer meetings, along with the ones at the church, which has worked well.
CONNECT GROUPS The Wednesday Morning Group has continued to meet twice a month and were able to resume meeting in the portico instead of on zoom. Courses included ‘Life-changing stories – scripture from the margins’ and 1 Corinthians ‘The grace-changed church’.
There was a need to have an evening Connect Group, so towards the end of 2022 this was being explored, with talks with possible new leaders, in preparation for starting new groups in 2023.
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PRAYER PARTNERS Jane Everitt and Carys Thomas Steer have been encouraging people to form prayer partners or triplets and several people have started doing this, sometimes praying together after a service on a Sunday.
BAPTISM AND MEMBERSHIP
BAPTISMS Manoj held Baptism classes in the early part of the year, leading to the baptism of Margaret Field, Alice Benjamin and Zahra Najafzadeh on Easter Sunday 17 April. Baptisms are always joyful occasions; this was made more so as they were the first baptisms since before lockdowns, and the first time we had been able to use our baptism pool, following the work and modifications carried out to make it safe.
Another set of baptism classes later in the year led to Jennifer Crook, Joshua Abraham and Graham Green being baptised in October. 6 baptisms in a year is a great reason for celebration! MEMBERSHIP Membership Classes were held in April, September and October – 2 classes each time giving information on what it means to be a church member and how the church functions. As a result of these classes, 20 people have been received into membership this year, with another 3 due to be received early in 2023. This has been very encouraging as more people make a commitment to serving God and this church. Thanks to Vino Ramachandra, Siew Tran and Manoj, who all helped me with these classes, and to the leaders and members for arranging the ‘interviews’ where we learnt so much more about our new members.
INFANT DEDICATIONS A service was held in September to dedicate Ana Victoria Santos, Matteo Teixeira and Chioma Akue. They should have been dedicated in 2021 but another lockdown postponed that event, so instead of babies, they were all toddlers on this occasion! Their names are now on our Cradle Rolls in the church.
YOUTH AND CHILDREN
At the end of 2021, we had appointed Paola de Souza (now Paola Abraham) as our ‘Youth and Children’s Worker’, so during this year much has happened in this area of church life. SUNDAY SCHOOL continues faithfully week by week, numbers have grown and new members have come forward to join the Sunday School teachers, for which we are very grateful. The children enjoy their time and always come back with smiles on their faces.
YOUTH GROUP This has also grown in numbers and become very consistent each week. The young people in the group are visibly growing in their faith and challenged by the material that Paola resources for them. The youth group now take turns on the stewards’ rota and take part in the services from time to time.
HALF-TERM AND HOLIDAY CHILDREN’S EVENTS In the half-term of February 2022, the first of the new-style children’s fun events was held, with a bouncy castle, crafts, games and face-painting, organised by Paola and members of the Sunday School team. There was another one held as an Easter Fun Event, then a Light Party in October, and a Christmas Fun Day, where members of Kaleidoscope helped with the crafts and activities. All of these have been well supported by people from the local community, including Jigsaw Nursery parents and children.
HALF-TERM AND HOLIDAY YOUTH EVENTS Opportunities for the young people to have some fun together also started in February and then again during the year. These have included a treasure hunt around the church, trivia and pizza night, and movie nights.
LITTLE PIPS It was a real step forward when our toddler group, Little Pips, re-started on Friday mornings in May. It had closed down in 2019, due to lack of leaders, but now Paola was able to restart this. Initially it was held fortnightly, but soon numbers grew and it became a weekly meeting. Paola is helped by Fabricia Teixeira and Nikki Curtice, so we are very grateful to them for making this happen.
SUPER DADS This also re-started in May, having closed down during the lockdowns. This is run by Mark Stone, so we are very grateful to him for keeping this activity going. The bouncy castle and
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toys are much appreciated and good refreshments are provided. Numbers have grown so much that Mark now has to have a waiting list for new members!
OTHER GROUPS
SALT ‘Serving and Learning Together’ This is the women’s Bible Study group which has continued to meet on the 1[st] Saturday of each month, with a time of study, prayer and fellowship. In the summer they held a Garden Party in the garden at Siew Tran’s home when they opened it up to all the women in church. There was also a Christmas Lunch in the church hall in December, with a full Christmas dinner cooked and served by Gloria Hinds and Paula Pinnock. Thank you to the team of Siew Tran, Vino and Su Ramachandra, and Margaret Field, who organise this month by month. MEN’S MINISTRY This group mostly meets on the 2[nd] Saturday of each month. Some events are held at the church when a speaker comes along, Dayalan Mahesan, Matt Irvine and Kumar Rajagopalan have been among 2022 speakers. Other events are held in homes where a full cooked breakfast is produced. At Christmas they had a men’s night out at a local restaurant. There is now a team who help Manoj with these events, so thanks are due to: Kin Cheng, Paul Williams, Jones Shu, Grant Benjamin, Graham Green and Mark Sherman, with Alan Bristow and Adam Thomas Steer helping on occasions.
KALEIDOSCOPE The group for seniors meets on 1[st] and 3[rd] Tuesday afternoon of every month; meetings vary with some containing a quiz, crafts, games and always tea, while others might be an entertainment by a singing group, an afternoon of poetry and anecdotes, or a film afternoon. Four times a year a service is held – Easter, Summer, Harvest and Christmas; Manoj comes along to give a short message at Easter and Christmas. We had a trip on a Canal Boat in April, with Waterways Experiences. This was our fourth occasion on the boat and is loved by everyone, as it’s a specially adapted boat for people with mobility issues, and there is a fish and chip lunch!
HOLIDAY AT HOME Our annual event for seniors over 3 days in August, with a different theme each year. 2022 was Switzerland, so Marie-Louise Brooks was able to bring along her Swiss mementoes to help create the right atmosphere. The church was decorated with Swiss flags and bunting and, as well as crafts and games, we borrowed a set of handbells from the Romanian Church. We were very grateful to Cameron and Ethan Bristow, who put together a video of clips about Switzerland to play each day, and also came along and helped set up and pack away all our equipment. The Kaleidoscope and Holiday at Home team has expanded now, so we are very grateful to Margaret and John Crush, Lynda Lovatt, Janet Fitzgerald, Verna Wilkins, Frances Hawkins, Kathy Walley and Christine Kenworthy, who join me to make all these fun activities happen, which are so appreciated by all those who come.
20s – 30s GROUP Naomi Buijs led this for the first part of the year, arranging social get-togethers, either in a local café or at the church. When Naomi left to go on her YWAM training in September, it became a bit more difficult, but there was one get together before Christmas, and we have hopes for 2023.
SPECIAL EVENTS
CHINESE NEW YEAR LUNCH 6 FEBRUARY With so many new friends from Hong Kong, there was an inspired idea to do a lunch for Chinese New Year in February. This was the first time the church had come together to share a meal since before the lockdowns started. Kin Cheng, helped by Wendy Tang and Nelson Ma, together with Siew Tran, cooked and arranged a lovely meal for us all, with music provided by Yanice and Orlando Bonzi. A very happy occasion for everyone! WORSHIP NIGHTS The first Worship Night for 2022 was held in March, with music provided by Yanice and Orlando, with other friends, followed by refreshments. The church was transformed with chairs re-arranged and special lighting. There was a similar occasion in October, and then a Christmas Jazz Night in December, with other musicians from London School of Theology.
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PLATINUM JUBILEE FUN DAY 4 JUNE This event involved a lot of people as we opened up our premises to welcome the local community. We were able to use the rear car park to set up for cream teas, face-painting, games and music from the worship group. Then inside the church hall there were 2 bouncy castles for the children, plus making a crown and other crafts. Numbers coming exceeded all our expectations. So many people helped in this it would be impossible to list all the names! An exhausting but very rewarding occasion!
ORDINATION AND INDUCTION SERVICE AND LUNCH 26 JUNE We hardly had time to draw breath from the Jubilee event before we were into arrangements for the next special occasion. Manoj had now completed his training and was to be ordained as a Baptist Minister and also inducted as our full-time Minister. Revd. Winston Bygrave, the Regional Minister, came to do the ordination and induction and Revd Anthony Clarke, tutor from Regents Park College, preached that day. There was a full church, with members of Manoj’s family, plus friends and representatives from other Pinner Churches. To ensure that our own members were able to enjoy the day, we had a lunch provided by local caterers, with nearly 100 people sitting down for the buffet lunch. Another day to stand out in memory.
YOUTH BAKE SALE 24 JULY The youth group decided they would like to do something to help Ukraine, so, led by Tanaaya Vinod, they planned a bake sale, after a service in July. They baked some amazing cakes to sell and raised an even more amazing amount of £1,294.42, which was given to Roman Nuka for his direct contact with a church in Ukraine. We received photos of the lorry carrying the supplies to Ukraine and the people there coming to receive the supplies. Congratulations to all the youth group.
HARVEST FESTIVAL BRING AND SHARE LUNCH 25 SEPTEMBER This was another opportunity to come together and share a meal, this time with everyone providing something towards the lunch. Our thanks particularly to Siew Tran who coordinated the arrangements for this lunch so well.
It’s noticeable how all our ‘Special Events’ put a large importance on food in some way!
SERVICES
Sunday by Sunday, a service of worship takes place at Pinner Baptist Church. Manoj plans all our services and ensures there is good preaching, good worship, prayers, and often the opportunity to share testimonies or learn more about some aspect of church life. There have been several sermon series during the year, when a theme is continued over several weeks.
As well as Manoj preaching, Adam Thomas Steer and Paola Abraham have preached for us and we have been very blessed by the messages they all bring. We have had some notable ‘special’ preachers this year: - Mark Greene from LICC; Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary of the Baptist Union; Rico Tice, from All Souls Langham Place and, for our Thanksgiving and Thank Offering Sunday, Gavin Calver, CEO of the Evangelical Alliance.
There have been some very special services.
PRAYER FOR UKRAINE In February, when we heard the war in Ukraine had started, we were able to very quickly arrange a service for all the churches in Pinner to come together to pray for Ukraine. On Sunday 6 March there was a very full church with people from all the PAC Churches taking part in a prayerful and powerful occasion, with prayers from the Ministers of each church, plus Roman Nuka able to tell us what was happening over there, with his Ukrainian contacts, footage on the screen and some reflective music from Yanice and Orlando. There was an offering which raised £565 and the church donated a further £500.
EASTER 2022 We were able to do more to celebrate Easter in 2022, with a Maundy Thursday Service in the church on 14 April at 7.30pm, with Taizé music, reflections on the events of Holy Week and finishing with Communion. Then, joining with the other churches in Pinner for the Good Friday Walk of Witness on Friday 15 April and the Easter Sunday Service of Baptism and Communion on 17 April.
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THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR THE LIFE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH 11 Another special service happened on September 18. PBC had been due to host a service for the PAC at 5.00pm, and the service was all planned, but when the news came, a week before, that Queen Elizabeth II had died, it seemed appropriate to re-arrange the service as a service in memory of the Queen, in which we sang her favourite hymns and the song written specially for the occasion. Another very moving occasion. CANDLE-LIGHT CAROL SERVICE 17 December . We were able to invite the Romanian Church to join us again this year, and their singing was lovely as usual. There was a small choir and music group with a mix of traditional carols and more modern items, and the children taking part. It was followed by mulled wine and mince pies in the church hall.
There are a lot of people involved in all our services, whether the regular Sunday mornings or special occasions. Thank you to the worship group, to those who do the sound, and the cameras for our live-streaming, to everyone who prepares the intercession prayers so thoughtfully, to those who operate the computer for our visuals, the stewards who welcome everyone and help where they can, the refreshment team who prepare and serve teas and coffees, and anyone who helps in any way to prepare the church and make everything run smoothly.
SUPPORTING OTHERS
FOODBANKS COLLECTIONS Our foodbanks collections have continued very regularly on 4[th] Saturdays throughout the year, with good support from Cannon Lane and Love Lane Methodist Churches and St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church, as well as other people from the local community. In November we did a ‘special’ collection, as there could not be one in December, and asked people to bring Christmas treats as well; we had an extra good response and an extremely large amount came in. Our thanks go to the teams who come to receive the food and to the drivers who take it to the 2 food banks.
CHRISTIAN AID In Christian Aid week, we always see the Christian Aid video and give a donation from the church and invite members of the congregation to make a contribution as well, with a good amount raised each time. Lynda Lovatt has continued to be our rep, for Christian Aid and makes sure we are kept informed.
ANNUAL DONATIONS Each year we set aside an amount from our funds to give as donations, supporting Firm Foundation, working with the homeless in Harrow; sponsoring 2 children through Compassion; gifts to Home Mission and BU World Mission, Open Doors, Christians against Poverty, and Harrow Food Bank. We respond to special events needs - Crisis through the Carol Service offering and the Ukraine appeal.
FINANCE AND PROPERTY
We continue to be very grateful for the regular and generous giving of church members and friends, which enables us to function as a church with a safe and welcoming environment. Our Thank Offering this year raised £17,662, plus an additional £3,500 for the window repairs.
CARD READER In June we purchased and installed a card reader in the portico for donations to the church. This can also be used on special occasions for donations to other charities, but can’t be used to take payments. This has helped greatly, as we no longer wish to pass round a collecting plate and very few people carry cash any more.
CHURCH PREMISES HIRERS A large proportion of our income comes from the hire of our premises, with the biggest amount from the leases we have with Jigsaw Nursery. The extra cottage nursery is up and running, but it was then found that they still needed use of some of the classrooms in the extra hours from 3pm – 6pm. An additional agreement was drawn up, bringing in some extra income from that.
All other groups using our premises and paying rent have now returned: - Ballet Classes, AA Group, Daisy Foundation (relaxation classes for pregnant mums), Aikido Class and Saturday party bookings.
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WORK ON PREMISES The biggest job in 2022 was the re-surfacing of the church forecourt during the summer holidays, but it has been an improvement on what was there before. There was also roofing repairs carried out on the area above the A/V corner, following water leaking through in heavy rain. A number of areas in the church were re-decorated and all light bulbs in the portico area replaced to be energy savers, and several of the very high light bulbs in the church replaced. All necessary inspections and services have taken place, to ensure that all equipment we use on our premises is safe and efficient.
Our main work now is the repair and renovation of some of our stained glass windows, which we have been investigating over the last year. This will be a very costly job, which we hope will start in early 2023.
The finance and property side of church life is an ongoing task with always something that needs doing, and some expense that we hadn’t planned for, but God is good and we always seem to manage.
I would like to thank our Premises Manager, Daniel O’Brien, who is always so willing to come when needed, to meet contractors (who may not turn up!), or to unblock drains or clear gutters. He keeps an eye on all the premises, dealing with everything he can, sourcing materials and equipment we need, being there for Kaleidoscope, to move chairs and tables, and any job we ask him to do. We are also grateful to Ted Knotwell, our Finance Officer, who makes the day-to-day payments for invoices and expenses and liaises with Kevin Ogilvie, the Charity Accountant producing our accounts.
Fabricia Teixeira has been looking after the bookings, mainly working from home, plus circulations from churchsuite, so thank you, Fabricia.
Joe Soares joined our team for a while as Office Administrator. We were sad when he was not able to continue, but we thank Joe for all he did in that time. We look forward to a new Office Administrator in 2023.
The Finance and Property team have worked very hard during 2022, with so many issues to deal with. We were very pleased when Jones Shu agreed to join the team in 2022. So many thanks to Vino Ramachandra, John Crush and Jones, who all work with me on this group.
OUR MINISTER - MANOJ RAITHATHA
Thank you, Manoj, for all your dedication to Pinner Baptist Church in 2022; and for your love and care for this community. Manoj has not only worked on all the services and planned with great care for everything he does, but has spent time encouraging others and working with them to ensure that they have the opportunity to fulfil their calling. Manoj has also been involved with pastoral care, visiting those in care homes when he can, contacting people when there is a problem and always praying for them. Although a full-time Minister, Manoj still has to attend training, as he is a ‘Newly Accredited Minister’ a NAM! There are meetings of the London Baptist Association he has to attend, and formation trainings with Regent’s Park College, as well as his commitments as Chair of the Board of the Evangelical Alliance. Manoj was a guest speaker at North West District Baptist Celebration Service on 13th March and part of a panel interview at Baptist Assembly on 14th May 2022. An updated version of Manoj’s testimony, Filthy Rich, was released in September 2022. We are very grateful for all that Manoj gives and brings to PBC that have encouraged others to join us and to feel at home here.
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THE COMMUNITY OF PINNER BAPTIST CHURCH
That means all of us. Everyone who comes along on a Sunday, everyone who takes part in any of the things we do, everyone who helps in any way with anything we do.
My fear, when writing these reports, is that I will leave somebody out, or leave out some thing we have done that was really important to you, so please forgive me if that is the case. We have been blessed with a mix of people from many different backgrounds and countries; we have different ages and, I’m sure, different interests and abilities. But it has been so good to see people coming together and sharing their Christian journey. We have heard people refer to us as a ‘welcoming church’ and being like a family. Thank you for all that you bring to this community and may we continue to listen to God’s plans for us and be willing to welcome others and to move forward with God’s plans for our future.
I am going to close with the words of The Pilgrim Prayer. This is usually used in connection with ecumenical groups, but I think it applies in any situation and especially the last two lines resonate with where we are right now.
Joyce Eavis 04.03.23
Lord God, we thank you for calling us into the company of those who trust in Christ and seek to obey his will. May your Spirit guide and strengthen us in mission and service to your world; for we are strangers no longer but pilgrims together on the way to your Kingdom . Amen.
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