2024-03-31-accounts

Registered Charity Number 1171395

Christ Church Cambourne

Trustees Annual Report and Accounts

for the year ended 31[st] March 2024

Registered Charity Number 1171395

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Contents

Page Legal Details of the Charity..................................................................................................... 3 Managing Trustees’ Report for the Year Ending 31[st] March 2024 ......................................... 4 Charity Structure, Governance and Management.......................................................... 4 Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit.............................................................. 4 Achievements.................................................................................................................. 5 Financial Review………………………………………………………………………………………………………….10 Financial Statements.………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 Independent Examiner’s Review…………………………………………………………………………………………13 Declaration..............................................................................................................................16

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Legal Details of the Charity

Charity Name: Christ Church Cambourne Charity Number: 1171395 Administrative Address: 8 Playcross Close Great Cambourne Cambridge CB23 5AF Principal Activity Address: Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School Sheepfold Lane Great Cambourne Cambridge CB23 6FR Charity Website: www.christchurchcambourne.org.uk Managing Trustees: Matthew Baalham, 22 Sterling Way, Upper Cambourne, CB23 6AR Richard Brown, 8 Playcross Close Great Cambourne, CB23 5AF Stephen Robinson, 39 Mayfield Way, Great Cambourne, CB23 5JA [stepped down in October 2023] Geoffrey Selley, 5 Coleridge Court, St Neots, PE19 7LY [stepped down in April 2023] Benjamin Twiss, 24 School Lane, Lower Cambourne, CB23 5DQ Principal Banker: Nat West Bank Community Banking Centre PO Box 575 Rotherham S63 3FJ Independent Examiner: Immanuel Kemp, 7 Miller Way, Great Cambourne, CB23 5FJ

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Managing Trustees’ Report for the Year ending 31[st] March 2024

Charity Structure, Governance and Management

The church is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a constitution that was adopted on 20th January 2017. Registration with the Charity Commission was confirmed on 30th January 2017. The church became fully independent from its parent church, St Neots Evangelical Church, on 6th April 2017.

The managing trustees are responsible for the management of the affairs of the church and consist of the elders, including the full-time pastor, together with any others who may be appointed to ensure there is always a minimum of three trustees. New elders are appointed according to Christ Church Cambourne’s Statement of Current Practice. Proposals for new elders are made by the existing elders to a business meeting of the church members. After a period of time for prayer, reflection and feedback, if the church should deem it appropriate, an appointment will be made. Where complete unity of members cannot be reached, the existing elders have the responsibility of deciding how to proceed and whether to appoint or not.

It is anticipated that any new elders appointed will become a trustee. New trustees will be appointed by the passing of a resolution at a formal business meeting of the managing trustees. The managing trustees who have held office during the period from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024 are set out on page 3.

Elders’ meetings are usually held on a bi-weekly basis where church business is discussed. During the past year it has become the practice to meet in addition on Zoom in the daytime specifically to pray for each church member regularly.

Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit

The objectives of the church are:

1. the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith, primarily, but not exclusively, within Cambourne and the surrounding neighbourhood; and

2. such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the charity trustees, put into practice the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith, including but not limited to: the prevention and relief of need, hardship and sickness; the advancement of education; and the provision of community facilities (provided that the advancement of such purposes must be undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the Doctrinal Distinctives and Ethical Statements as may be adopted and amended by the church from time to time).

Since January 2019, the church has been fully affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

As a church we exist to glorify God by

• Loving Jesus

• Loving one another

• Loving our community

When planning the activities of the church for the year, the trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.

Achievements

Loving Jesus, Loving One Another and Loving the Community

Throughout the course of the year, in both Sunday services and Home Groups, as strong a focus as was possible was maintained on these core objectives of loving Jesus, loving one another and loving our community.

We have continued to welcome regular visitors to our meetings and our membership continues to reflect many different nationalities. In addition to the activities below we encourage members to pursue informal fellowship with one another and to pray for one another.

Sunday Services held at Hardwick and Cambourne Primary School

We have stayed meeting each week at Hardwick and Cambourne Primary School for the duration of the year.

Our meetings followed the general pattern of previous years with singing, prayers, Bible reading and the preaching of God’s word (sermons) which included systematic, expository and practical Bible teaching mostly from the Books of Psalms and Ephesians. We also followed a topical series on the Christian and Work. Communion is normally organised every month and the first Sunday of the month is designed to be for ‘all ages’. This means children stay with the adults for the whole meeting and the preaching is to be more deliberately accessible for them. On other Sundays, it has been the norm that primary-aged children separate from the adults and attend ‘Sunday Groups’ during the latter part of the meeting. From April those of secondary school age also began separating from the adults for their own group once a month.

Refreshments are provided at the end of the meeting. Once a month there has also been a bringand-share lunch.

The number of people attending Sunday morning meetings has gradually increased with new visitors joining us and one new member. Typically, we had around 70-80 adults and children attending each week.

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Sunday Groups (Rockets)

The purpose of these groups is to teach children about the Christian faith in age-appropriate ways during the Sunday morning sermon. During the 45 minutes session, they learn about a Bible story or Bible passage with age-appropriate activities, such as games, worksheets and craft activities, as well as songs and a memory verse of the term. Children sometimes have a take-home sheet with questions or a memory verse to share at home with their family. From April 2023-March 2024, we have studied the Easter Story (from John's Gospel), key stories from Genesis (Creation to Jacob), the Book of Ephesians, the Christmas story, 'Meals with Jesus' - a series looking at people Jesus ate a meal with in the Gospels, and the Easter story (from Luke's Gospel). Some of these topics have followed along with the main teaching series of the adults, whilst some sessions/series have been chosen to provide balance and an adapted curriculum for the children for both Old and New Testament knowledge.

Sunday Groups cater for the age range of 5-11 (primary school age). We meet as one large group and have a regular group of 12-14 children with 2 leaders (and a standby). All of our leaders are DBS checked, and we ensure we meet expected ratios as per our Safeguarding Policy.

We have used a variety of pre-planned Sunday School resources from Mustard Seeds and Faith in Kids, alongside some materials being written by the Sunday Group leaders from scratch or amended from other resources.

Sunday Creche Facility (Sparklers)

Creche caters for 0-4 year olds and allows them to benefit from age appropriate teaching during the main talk of a Sunday service. It also provides them with a space to play, sing and do craft activities related to the Bible story being told. Over the year, the children have used the Beginner's Bible to look at key stories from the Old Testament (Creation to Jacob), the Christmas Story, 'Meals with Jesus' and the Easter story.

Creche had, on average, 6 children who regularly attended during this period. Creche runs each week with 1 leader and 1 helper, all of whom are DBS-checked. Ratios are in line with the national guidance and are regularly checked.

CCC Teens

CCC Teens started to meet in April 2023 and does so once a month during the main talk of the Sunday service. The idea behind starting the group was to acknowledge that going from regular children’s groups to sitting in the main teaching with adults can be a big jump for some children at 11. It was hoped that seeking to engage more deliberately with teenagers once a month in their own setting would help them to follow along with the sermon series and make them feel more welcome. CCC Teens is open to those aged 11-18.

Home Groups (Growth Groups)

In April the church took the decision to allow not only members but anyone regularly meeting with the church to attend a Home Group. Our groups were subsequently renamed Growth Groups to

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

emphasise their focus on Christian discipleship and mutual edification. Three Growth Groups were operational, one in each of Lower, Great and Upper Cambourne. These were often helpful in

reinforcing the teaching and lessons learned the previous Sunday as well as organising independent Bible studies. For the summer term a series on Christians and work was followed, in the autumn term groups followed a DVD series called God’s Big Picture (a Bible overview), and in the winter groups studied a book called God’s Not Done With You Yet (following various Bible characters).

Growth Groups provided opportunities for fellowship, encouragement and mutual support as well as learning about God’s word. Some weeks were intentionally more social gatherings.

Prayer Meetings

Meetings have been held in various member’s homes. The meetings started with a very short message based on our Statement of Faith suitable for the children present, followed by a prayer time. This was then followed by a communal tea provided by the host.

Week of Prayer

We commenced 2024 with a special week of prayer. Church members were encouraged to pray in accordance with our church aims at various extra times during the week as well as during regular activities.

Women’s Ministry

The Ladies Group met on Friday, meeting in a member’s home, with the host usually leading a Bible study. The ladies studied the Book of Galatians (summer term), a book called God’s Not Done With You Yet (autumn term) and The Lord’s Prayer (winter term).

Each week consisted of a Bible study, a time of prayer and informal fellowship where the ladies could share their lives together. Approximately six ladies attended on a fairly regular basis and new ones were joining by the end of the year.

There was also a seminar organised for women on February 10, a Saturday morning, on the subject of understanding the menopause. The seminar was held at St Neots Evangelical Church in partnership with them and another local church.

Men’s Ministry

There have been ad hoc breakfast meetings for men held on Saturdays through the year. These have mostly been social with an informal atmosphere and good times of spiritual conversation.

Young People’s Group - Ignite

The Ignite group is designed for young people (ages 11-16) to explore the Christian faith more. The group also aims to allow the young people to feel integrated into the life of the church, getting to know their peers and our church members more. The group ran on a Friday evening, usually at Hardwick and Cambourne Primary School, and consisted of a combination of games and fun, Bible

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

studies, discussion and prayer with drinks and snacks provided. Social events were also incorporated at appropriate times and members’ homes were still used on some weeks.

For the Bible studies, some were specially prepared by the leaders and some were purchased preprepared. The group have looked at 1 Peter. Members of Ignite have also helped out at the Light Party and Easter Eggstravaganza children’s events (see below), running games and activities.

An average of 5 young people were attending Ignite each week, but this was growing throughout the year. By March 2024, 9 young people were regularly present. The group is a mixture of young people who profess faith and those who are still exploring the Christian faith for themselves. Ignite is open to young people to invite their friends along to.

Ignite always runs with two DBS-checked adults in attendance.

Community Outreach Events

The church has run two events designed with local families with children in mind, as a way of communicating to them the gospel and showing love to the community. These events shared the same format with craft activities and games for the children and an age-appropriate talk explaining an aspect of the gospel. The first in April was called Easter Eggstravaganza and the second was called Light Party and was held in October. Both events were well attended by visitors who do not normally come to church meetings.

In August, we ran a ‘Holiday Club’ over three successive mornings. This was an opportunity to invite primary aged children from across Cambourne to learn about Jesus in a fun environment. There were Bible stories, games, crafts and other activities, all based on the theme of Superheroes. Around 30-40 children attended with a team of helpers from the church.

The church also held an annual carol service at Hardwick and Cambourne Primary. This was another opportunity to specifically invite newcomers along to a church meeting, perhaps for the first time.

The Blue School was hired for an evening of Christmas craft activities for women in December. This was another opportunity to invite people along who did not regularly attend other church meetings and besides the craft activities, a speaker from another local church was organised to give a gospel message part way through the evening for the benefit of visitors.

Church website

A new website for Christ Church Cambourne was developed during the year and formally launched just after March 31[st] . The new website is a great improvement and is recognised as a key way that people first interact with our church before visiting.

Mission Partners

We continued to support mission partners in Greece both financially and through prayer. A mission partner is someone set aside for gospel work oversees. We also began to explore taking on an additional mission partner who had been made known to the elders during the winter of 2024.

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Annual GDPR Report

In 2022 the trustees received a complaint regarding the sharing of personal information outside of Christ Church Cambourne and they made a self-referral to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in May 2023. The ICO chose not to take any further action but made some recommendations including training for staff members. All trustees completed online GDPR training during the remainder of 2023. The church also formally adopted a revised Data Protection (GDPR) Policy in March 2024 to help make our handling of personal data clearer and more robust.

Cultural Review and Safeguarding

Following a ‘cultural review’ carried out by Christian Safeguarding Services (CSS) in 2022, the elders have continued to work through the recommendations suggested by CSS. In February 2024, the elders commissioned a survey to be filled in by church members anonymously as a way of monitoring progress and seeing what improvements still needed to be made. The survey was analysed by Richard Underwood, a retired church pastor who had been helping the elders think through the implications of the cultural review since January 2023. He wrote a report based on the survey to be shared with church members. The report was largely positive and supportive but highlighted potential improvements where they could still be made. Richard Underwood formally ended his regular work with the elders after this as he was confident that they were able to carry this forward without outside help.

There have been no safeguarding concerns raised between April 2023 and March 2024.

A number of new church policies were drafted throughout 2023 and formally adopted by the church in March 2024. They are all available on our church website and include the following: Safeguarding Policy, Complaints Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Data Protection (GDPR) Policy.

Staff and Church Membership

For the duration of the year, the church employed Ben Twiss as pastor/elder on a full-time contractual basis.

Ben Twiss attended the FIEC Leaders Conference which was held in November in Blackpool. He also attended a Living Leadership pastoral refreshment conference with his wife in February 2024.

During the winter of 2024 the church advertised for a women’s worker to come and lead the church’s work among women on a part-time contractual basis. Three candidates were interviewed by a panel made up of selected church members. The panel’s preferred choice accepted the role and is due to start in September 2024.

The formal membership of the church grew slightly over the year with others going through the membership process at the close of March 31[st] .

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Financial Review

The balance carried forward from 2022/23 was £56,108. This consisted of £29,010 unrestricted funds, £25,000 restricted funds relating to the FIEC grant funding given for a Women's Worker and £2,098 residual endowed cash funds retained for maintenance of the manse.

Receipts were generated solely from members regular freewill giving and one-off gifts from individuals. On these gifts, a gift aid debtor of £11,876 was due to be claimed at the end of the year.

Grant payments for the year included voluntary member contributions to the FIEC of £1,260 and payments totalling £3,000 to Al and Rachel MacInnes, our mission partners working with SIM International in Athens, Greece. Throughout the year we continued to set apart 10% of our regular income to support missionary work elsewhere and at the end of the year we had a balance in our missionary fund, a designated fund within our unrestricted funds waiting to be allocated, of £4,094.

The final balance for the year was £46,038 including the £25,000 of restricted funds for the Women’s Worker, not used during the period, and residual cash funds of £1,699 held in the endowment fund for manse maintenance.

It is the aim of the trustees to adopt a reserves policy of maintaining reserves at a minimum level of three months of staff costs and we were enabled to consistently achieve this objective throughout the year. This figure was set at £13,400 for the 2023/24 year. Mr Ben Twiss (Pastor) was employed by the church on a full-time basis and is also a trustee. The remuneration of the Pastor is reviewed by the trustees each year. In accordance with the church’s constitution, the Pastor does not attend the meetings at which the staff salary reviews take place. None of the other trustees received any remuneration from the church during the course of the year.

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of	Christ Church Cambourne
On accounts for the year ended	31/03/2024	Charity no (if any)	1171 395
Set out on pages	1-2
Respective responsibilities of trustees and 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 Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and * to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement	My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

	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 the 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.	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 the 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.	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 the 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	In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:		Date:	30/01/20 25
Name:	Aaron Immanuel Kemp

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

	Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):	Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):	Foundation Certificate in Accounting (AAT, Level 2)
	Address:		7 Miller Way, Great Cambourne
			Cambridge
			CB23 5FJ
Section B	Disclosure
		Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.(E.g. accounting records have not been kept in accordance with s132 of the Charities’ Act 2011 and those accounts do not comply with the requirements of the 2008 Regulations setting out the form and content of charity accounts; any material expenditure or action which appears not to be in accordance with the trusts of the charity; any failure to be provided with information and explanations by any past or present trustee, officer or employee; and any material consistency between the accounts and the trustees’ annual report.)
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.		n/a

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Registered Charity Number 1171395

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees:

RICHARD BROWN

Elder and Trustee

MATTHEW BAALHAM

Elder and Trustee

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