New Growth Ministry (Charity no. 1172546) – Trustees Annual Report for 2023 Charity Address: 27 Peto Avenue, Colchester, Essex
Trustees as of December 2023 Trustees as of October 2024 Michael Baker Michael Baker Lesley Walder Lesley Walder Lynsey Heslegrave Lynsey Heslegrave John Pulford Jon Jarratt Pauline Heron
Board and Membership
The New Growth Ministry (NGM) board consists of 4-5 trustees. Trustees are active Christians who have an interest in or are involved with the ministry of NGM. A balance is sought of different skills and professional or voluntary experience related to the work of NGM or governance of an organisation, such as finance, pastoral ministry and education. NGM has a small membership who, along with the trustees, make decisions by consensus about the everyday activities of the ministry as well as issues such as finance and safeguarding. NGM members are all practising Christians who are a regular attenders at NGM activities. Membership is reviewed each year.
Gatherings for worship, prayer and discipleship
NGM is a small Christian Church and a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. It aims to enable people to explore faith and grow as Christian disciples, particularly through alternative ways of worship – meeting in homes, local community spaces and nearby woodland. NGM uses contemplative approaches to spirituality and is interested in styles of prayer, worship and discipleship that support each person’s day-to-day emotional well-being as well as their spiritual development. Gatherings are facilitated so that all can share, ensuring that worship, prayer and study is multivoiced. Throughout 2023 NGM has met weekly as a small ‘house church’ community, exploring faith and the Bible through books and films and other media, and learning Christian meditative and mindful prayer practices.
Forest Church
NGM also runs a monthly Forest Church in the local country park. In 2023, NGM pastor Lynsey qualified as a Level 3 Forest School Leader, this has enabled more activities to be included in Forest Church sessions. Forest Church runs in a similar style to Forest School and allows people to explore Christian themes out in the natural world. Several new families from the community joined the Forest Church in 2023 and most of the children who attend have additional needs or are neurodivergent. The sessions give freedom to children (and adults) who struggle in traditional church environments to find their own way of connecting with God as well as building physical and social confidence.
Drop-in, Warm Space and Community Pantry
NGM also seeks to serve the local community of Myland, Colchester in a number of ways. In November 2022, in partnership with the local Methodist Church, NGM established a drop-in, warm space and Community Pantry. Throughout 2023 the Methodist Church building was open for weekly sessions, for a drop-in with lunch and refreshments and surplus supermarket food – supplied in conjunction with Fareshare Go and Neighbourly. Fortnightly, the drop-in also included the Community Pantry, where for a donation of £2 a session people can collect a bag or more of food
provided by Fareshare East Anglia. By the end of 2023 the community pantry had 50 members from the local community. Anyone from the Myland area is able to become a pantry member but over half of the members have indicated that they are in receipt of benefits or are on a low income. As well as providing food for individuals and families and reducing food waste, each week at the drop-in and pantry people are supported, signposted to local agencies, experience friendship and have a listening ear. The drop-in is also a hub where members of the community can get to know each other, share their experiences and advice, and sometimes pass on items such a children’s clothes and equipment. Each week the drop-in is open at the end of the school day, so that parents and carers can bring their children for snacks, games and friendship.
MakeLunch
Another project that ran throughout 2023 was MakeLunch, again in partnership with the Well Methodist Church. MakeLunch Myland provided free freshly prepared hot lunches and activities for families in the school holiday. MakeLunch ran one session a week in the summer and once in each of the other school holidays through that year. In the summer alone, well over 100 hot lunches were provided, as well as other food provision from surplus food collections. Families value the warm welcome and friendship at the group and the children feel valued and cared for. Some of the families who come to MakeLunch are facing difficult circumstances or are at crisis point and appreciate the care and support they receive at the group.
School Chaplaincy and Mentoring
NGM’s pastor, Lynsey, has provided chaplaincy at a local secondary school since 2020, offering weekly one to one mentoring sessions for student, support to staff and input into the spiritual life of the school. In 2022 another member of NGM become a volunteer mentor at the school. Both roles are supported by a local Christian school’s work charity, CYO. At the beginning of 2023 Lynsey and ran sessions for all year 11 students to explore the theme of soul, including thinking about what is important to them and what makes them who they are.
Pastoral Care in the neighbourhood
Members of NGM seek to use all they have learnt and experienced in their gatherings together to enable them to be a non-anxious presence in the local community. Much of the work of NGM is difficult to quantify but has involved people finding more peaceful ways to deal with conflict and supporting others they know do the same, to provide a compassionate and non-judgment listening ear to those who need it, to explore spirituality and the Christian faith with those who are interested and have questions, and simply being good neighbours. NGM is a member of Churches Together in Myland and seeks to contribute to the ministry of the family of churches in the area as they offer spiritual care within the community.
Funding
NGM is funded through grants (particularly Baptist Home Mission) as well as regular and one-off donations from individual, organisations and churches.
New Growth Ministry Charity Number 1172546 Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 2022 Income Donationslgiving HMF Grants Other donations Regular giving Income from activities Annabaptists cyo Spiritual Director Preaching 13,250 500 1,551 4,372 9,468 500 1,146 5,207 19,673 6,945 3,422 1,045 265 7,018 1,739 733 755 11,677 Total Income 31,350 26,566 Expenditure Stipend/pension Housing allowancelrates Travel/telephone/expenses Training Insuran BUGB donation Total Expenditure General surplus/(deficit) Make Lunch Income Expenditure Surplus/(Deficit) 24,670 5,901 1,160 186 237 52 18,341 4,043 921 1,525 214 59 25,103 1,463 32,206 (856) 1,064 1,382 1,250 1,565 1,148 318 (1,174) Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2023 Current assets Cash at bank Debtors Current liabilities Creditors Net assets 4,203 1,358 3,484 1,102 5,561 2,371 222 4,364 3,190 General reserve Opening balance Movement in current year Closing balance 4,364 1,174 3,190 3,216 1,148 4,364 Trustee: Independent reviewer: LL+ Iii rL4. IT, 8Ac£/< 1(3L 1¥111 | li)IL
New Growth Ministry Accounts and Report 2023 Independent Examiners Statement In connection with my examination of New Growth Ministry accounts for 2023, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me reason to believe that in any material respects: Accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act The accounts do not accord with the accounting records The accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements of the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirements that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should have been drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Independent Examiner: L IL2AE I K)Crfa li- Ptr¥ifLI Dated: ILklii l ItL