2023-2024 Lancaster Methodist Church Annual Report for The Charity Commission
Lancaster Methodist Church (LMC) is a church with two sites: Scotforth Road and The Cornerstone on Sulyard Street. Our Minister is Rev Linda Catlow.
Sunday morning worship takes place at LMC Scotforth Road and has an average attendance of 70 people. We are a church of all ages: over 90 years old down to under one year old. We hold a hybrid Service so that those who are unable to attend in person can still join us on Zoom – this is much appreciated. Our Sunday evening worship is held at the Cornerstone. The average attendance is 15 and again a wide range of ages. This is a more informal and interactive service - regularly welcoming reflections and contributions from the congregation. We also hold a midweek evening service on Zoom called Reflect in the City and a monthly lunchtime Holy Communion at the Cornerstone.
We are registered with the Inclusive Church Network and after Lancaster Pride in June 2024, a conversation was held and it was decided to start a monthly afternoon LGBTQ+ Sunday Open Table at the Cornerstone. This is an ecumenical led service and has been welcomed by the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. It is a safe place where all are welcome and openly share in discussion, prayer and Holy Communion. As we are an inclusive Methodist Church we are registered for both same sex and mixed marriage.
The church runs a number of activities on both our sites during the week.
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We have a toddler group called Little Pebbles which is run by a lay employee and church volunteers. It meets every Thursday at Scotforth Road and continues to be very popular with the local community.
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For our children and youth we run a Sunday Junior Church and also a monthly Youth Fellowship.
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There are a number of groups where people are nurtured and faith conversations take place: Monday Meeting Point attended by older members of our congregation; an evening fortnightly Housegroup; Bible Study at special seasons of the year ie Advent, Lent and Summer Bible Month.
We believe in reaching out to offer help to our community. On both our sites we run weekly Warm Spaces for those looking for a safe place to keep warm in a friendly, comfortable environment. Free refreshments are available as this activity is funded by Lancashire County Council. At the Cornerstone our full-time Chaplain’s work continues to grow: caring for those who are bereaved by offering a counselling service and support café; working with those who have addictions; leading spiritual groups for those with or without faith. There is also a team of volunteers who assist the Chaplain with the various groups. This year we set up a Cornerstone Management Group which looks at the needs of Cornerstone and considers its mission and vision. This means we have now appointed volunteer Receptionists to be ‘front of house’, a welcoming friendly face as people enter the Cornerstone and also a temporary volunteer Centre Co-Ordinator. The Management Team ensure the Cornerstone is open for special
events like Lancaster Music Festival when we are a Busk Stop; Light up Lancaster; Fairtrade Fair; Lancaster Pride.
The Cornerstone or We value our community partners who either lease office space at use our premises for community activities. At Scotforth Road these range from choirs or bands holding regular rehearsals to fitness and well-being groups like Pilates. At the Cornerstone, our key long-term partners (licensed hirers) are Lancaster District Community and Voluntary Solutions, Lancashire Youth Challenge and RAIS Lancaster (Refugee Advocacy, Information and Support). Other ‘partner’ organisations include those who provide food: Global Village Café - Wednesday lunch and using our kitchen to prepare food; Lancaster Men’s Hub - Friday lunch; Tara Centre - Friday evening dropin and food for Refugees and Asylum Seekers. Other partner groups who provide a community service include The Making Place - craft café, Let’s Be Friends - support for street homeless people, Smoke Free Lancashire and Lancaster Larder - food club.
Lancaster Methodist Church continues to have a global perspective and a heart for justice. The Justice, Peace and Environment Group have continued to raise awareness of campaigns and also identify appropriate charities for our fundraising activities. We have a Foodbank Collection Point which folks support from church and community. Special collections of toys and food were made at Christmas supporting the City Council’s organised distribution to those in need.
We already are an Eco-Church and have a Silver Award. We are planning on fitting Solar Panels to our roof so as to make a difference to the environment and our energy costs. We continue to look at how we can become a net-zero church by 2030, as encouraged by the British Methodist Church.
This year our finances have remained in a healthy position and we are able to continue our Reserve policy of retaining six months’ typical expenditure. At present the church employs the full-time Cornerstone Chaplain, the part-time Cornerstone Caretaker, the part-time LMC Bookings Officer, the part-time Little Pebbles leader. The Cornerstone Chaplain’s funding ends in November 2024 so the Church Council has agreed to use church monies to fund the post for at least a year. We also agreed to seek funding for a Cornerstone Centre Manager as a lot of the management work at the Cornerstone has fallen onto the Chaplain’s shoulders. The Church Leadership Team is trying to ease this situation.
Lancaster Methodist Church continues to seek God’s will in all we do and to reflect the love of Jesus Christ to all people.
Rev Linda J Catlow
Superintendent Methodist Minister/Chair of Trustees of Lancaster Methodist Church:
Signature:
Date: 04/04/2025
CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS
THE METHODIST CHURCH
STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS
Lancaster Methodist
Church
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 August 2024
| Circuit North Lancashire |
Circuit no. | 0125 |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Charity - Charity Registration number | ||
| 1170840 |
If not a registered charity His Majesty's Revenue and
Customs Gift Aid number
(The HMRC number is equivalent to a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist charities in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242)
Minister:
Revd Linda J Catlow
Church Stewards: Paul Bowden Lesley Brookbanks Andy Lund Alison Love
Treasurer: Dr Ian Love
LMC SFA 2023-24.xlsx
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ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024
Church
Lancaster Methodist
| SECTION A | Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds |
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds |
£ 43,460 6,759 64,072 33,573 147,864 (a7) Totals this year |
£ 43,460 6,759 64,072 33,573 147,864 (a7) Totals this year |
£ 43,460 6,759 64,072 33,573 147,864 (a7) Totals this year |
Totals last year |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||||
| a1 | RECEIPTS | Note | ||||||||
| a2 | Offerings and Tax recovered | 43,460 | 43,460 | 47,820 | ||||||
| a3 | Bank and CFB interest and Investment income |
6,759 | 6,759 | 4,011 | ||||||
| a4 | Lettings | 64,072 | 64,072 | 55,513 | ||||||
| a5 | Other receipts | 14,073 | 19,500 | 33,573 **147,864 ** |
75,105 | |||||
| a6 | TOTAL RECEIPTS | 128,364 | 19,500 | (a7) | 182,449 | |||||
| SECTION B | 37,800 270 18,691 20,345 80,983 158,089 (b9) |
|||||||||
| b1 | PAYMENTS | |||||||||
| b2 | CircuitAssessment orShare | 37,800 | 37,800 | 36,000 | ||||||
| b3 | Donations | 270 | 270 | 1,784 | ||||||
| b4 | Repairs and Maintenance | 15,496 | 3,195 | 18,691 | 30,164 | |||||
| b5 | Utilities (Insurances, water charges,heating& lighting) |
20,345 | 20,345 | 16,782 | ||||||
| b6 | Capital Works | 6,042 | ||||||||
| b7 | Otherpayments | 64,283 | 16,700 | 80,983 **158,089 ** |
86,600 | |||||
| b8 | TOTAL PAYMENTS | 138,194 | 19,895 | (b9) | 177,372 | |||||
| (10,225) 237,417 (c6) 227,192 76 (c7) |
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| SECTION C | ||||||||||
| c1 | NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR (a6-b8) |
(9,830) | (395) | (10,225) | 5,077 | |||||
| c2 | Total funds brought forward from last year |
215,984 | 21,433 | **237,417 ** | (c6) | 232,448 | ||||
| c3 | (c1+c2) Sub total |
206,154 | 21,038 | 227,192 | 237,525 | |||||
| c4 | Transfers and adjustments | 76 | **76 ** | (c7) | (108) | |||||
| c5 | TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR (c3+c4) |
206,230 | 21,038 | **227,268 ** | (c8) | 237,417 | (c6) |
| SECTION D | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| d | £ £ (3) 132 4,562 6,426 4,566 6,561 (7) (3) FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID (d1+d2-d3) Balance broughtforwardfrom last year Offerings/Gifts- receivedforexternalorganisations Offerings/Gifts -passed to external organisations (these amounts are not to be included in total receipts/payments figures |
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| d1 | Balance broughtforwardfrom last year | (3) | 132 | |
| d2 | Offerings/Gifts- receivedforexternalorganisations | 4,562 | 6,426 | |
| d3 | BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID (d1+d2-d3) Offerings/Gifts -passed to external organisations |
4,566 (7) |
6,561 | |
| d4 | (3) |
LMC SFA 2023-24.xlsx
| Lancaster Methodist | Lancaster Methodist | Lancaster Methodist | Lancaster Methodist | Church | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUMMARY OF CHURCH ACCOUNTS AND INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS REPORTING TO THE CHURCH COUNCIL | ||||||||||||||
| SECTION E | Please follow the Guidance Notes to complete this page | |||||||||||||
| Summary of the Church accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024 and Internal Organisations reporting to the Church Council/Church Meeting. Note that the funds of an Internal Organisation would normally be Restricted funds unless it could be clearly shown that they could be used for any Methodist purpose. This section must be completed to arrive at the gross income and expenditure totals of the Church. If gross income exceeds the Accruals threshold, then the Accruals method of accounting AND A DIFFERENT FORM must be used to report the accounts (see Methodist website). Please refer to the guidance notes regarding transfers between the District and connected District Organisations. |
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| INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS |
Receipts | Payments | Net Receipts/ Payments |
Adjustments | Opening balances |
Closingbalances | ||||||||
| e1 | ||||||||||||||
| e2 | ||||||||||||||
| e3 | ||||||||||||||
| e4 | ||||||||||||||
| e5 | ||||||||||||||
| e6 | ||||||||||||||
| e7 | ||||||||||||||
| e8 | Sub total of Internal Organisations funds |
(e11) | (e12) | |||||||||||
| e9 | Church accounts (totals brought forward from page 2 - totals column) |
**147,864 ** | (a7) | **158,089 ** | (b9) | (10,225) | **76 ** | (c7) | **237,417 ** | (c6) | 227,268 | (c8) | ||
| e10 | TOTAL CASH FUNDS HELD BY CHURCH |
147,864 | 158,089 | (10,225) | 76 | 237,417 | (x) | 227,268 | (y) | |||||
| Continue on a separate sheet if necessary and bring the totals forward |
TOTAL RECEIPTS | TOTAL PAYMENTS |
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| SECTION F | ||||||||||||||
| STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES | ||||||||||||||
| CHURCH - CASH FUNDS HELD at 31 August 2024 | OPENING BALANCES |
CLOSING BALANCES |
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| f1 | Cash in hand | 278 | 383 | |||||||||||
| f2 | Bank Current Account | 106,591 | 79,578 | |||||||||||
| f3 | Bank Deposit Account | |||||||||||||
| f4 | Central Finance Board | 36,145 | 48,506 | |||||||||||
| f5 | Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes | 94,403 | 98,801 | |||||||||||
| f6 | Other funds | |||||||||||||
| f7 | SUB TOTAL - Church accounts | 237,417 | (c6) | 227,268 | (c8) | |||||||||
| f8 | Total funds held by Internal Organisations (the closing balance total from above) (e12) |
(e11) | (e12) | |||||||||||
| f9 | TOTAL CASH FUNDS HELD | BY CHURCH | 237,417 | (x) | 227,268 | (y) | ||||||||
| SECTION G | At | At | ||||||||||||
| OTHER ASSETS and LIABILITIES | 1 September 2023 | 31 August 2024 | ||||||||||||
| g1 | Investments(include Endowments) | |||||||||||||
| g2 | Land & Buildings (see notes re Insurance value) |
(please refer to Note 1) | 5,172,351 | 6,069,961 | ||||||||||
| g3 | Other Assets | |||||||||||||
| g4 | Loan(s)- show amount outstandingatyear end | |||||||||||||
| g5 | Other Liabilities | |||||||||||||
| f4 Include onlyFunds held at the Central Finance Board | ||||||||||||||
| f5 Include onlyFunds held at Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes | ||||||||||||||
| g1 Include any other investments (not the cash element of TMCP trusts accounts this is included in line f5 |
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LMC SFA 2023-24.xlsx
Name of Church ...... Lancaster Methodist No...012522 Declarations and Scrutiny I confirm that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2024 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees. Signature of treasurer . Date.... . 12 Oct 2024.. Name and address oftreasurer..................Dr lan Love............. 10 Johnson Close, Lancaster...... Post Code LA15EU Prosentation to th8 Church trustsOS I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024 were presented to the meetinq of the Church trustees held on 17 October 2024 Signature of the Chair of the meeting Nama of the Chair of themeeting . Rev Linda J Catlow....... Date . .17 Oct 2024 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Lancaster Methodist Church Charity Number 1170840. Responsibilities and basis of report I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Lancaster Methodist Church for the year ended 31 August 2024 set out on pages . to As the Church's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the Church's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and, in carrying out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under sedion 145(5)(b) of the Act. delete or circle as appropriate 4of6 LMC SFA 2024
Name of Church ... ... Lancaster Methodist . No...211622 Independent Examinerfs Statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below") which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act. or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in conn8Ction with the examination io which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. I havelhave not" obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balance sheet date. Signature of independent examiner Name of independent examiner Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner Name of firm (where appropriate) Address TO CAftNPoRTH Post Code LA6 IE Date BIJAN 2 delete or circle as appropriate Aug-24 LMC SFA 2023-24.xlsx Sof6
Name of Church …Lancaster Methodist……… No…211622
Notes to the Accounts
Note 1:
The Church buildings are entered at their insured value, as is standard Methodist practice. However, they are not realisable by the local church (by sale or mortgage, for example) and so the church does not have the right to dispose of the buildings, or to gain from their disposal.
The two properties for which we are responsible enable the charity to carry out its objectives, and to generate income by hiring facilities to outside bodies. TMCP (Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes) is the custodian trustee.
LMC SFA 2023-24.xlsx
Page 6 of 6
Name of Church ......Lan¢aster Methodist ............ No...211622
Independent EXarnines Statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in
connection with the examination (other than that disdosed below") which give me cause to believe
that in, any material respect..
the accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act. or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no cOnmS arKI have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to
which attention should be drawn tn this reFrf)rt in order to enable a proper understanding of the
accounts to be reached.
I havelhave not" obtained indeperKlent verffication of all irvrfestments with the Trustees for
Methodist Church PuOseS or held in other trusts. bank balances and funds at the Central Finance
Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in eXsS of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds)
at the balance sheet date.
Signature of independent examiner
Name of independent examiner
Jl