Comberton Baptist Church
Charity registration number 1172657
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2021
Purposes of the charity
Comberton Baptist Church exists for the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination.
The Church may also advance education, relieve poverty and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.
Main charitable activities
In fulfilling the purposes, the Church engages in a range of activities either on its own or with others that will vary from time to time, with activities being initiated, expanded, or closed, as appropriate.
The activities may include but are not restricted to:
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regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching;
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baptism, as defined in the Baptist Union’s Declaration of Principle;
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the Communion of the Lord’s Supper which shall normally be observed at least once a month;
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evangelism and mission, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally;
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the teaching, encouragement, welcome and inclusion of children and young people;
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supporting elderly and vulnerable members of our local community;
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nurture and growth of Christian disciples;
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education and training for Christian and community service;
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giving and encouraging pastoral care;
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supporting and encouraging charitable social action in the United Kingdom and abroad;
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encouraging relationships with and supporting Baptists and other Christians.
Trustees’ statement
The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Achievements during 2021
Our vision as a church is to be an authentic community of disciples, becoming more like Jesus – walking in step with God, alongside each other and seeing lives transformed.
At the end of December 2021, Comberton Baptist Church had 63 members.
Lockdown
We continued to follow Government regulations and Baptist Union guidance regarding services and other activities, erring on the cautious side where discretion was permitted. For most of the year our main building was out of commission as building works were undertaken and our church community centre only became usable at the beginning of August 2021.
As a consequence, up until the end of July 2021, we continued to deliver pre-recorded online services by YouTube, followed by online discussion by Zoom. Special steps were taken to ensure elderly and others without internet access were able to access our services, e.g. by telephone dial-in or delivery of a pre-recorded DVD. Support for the elderly, housebound and self-isolating has also included help with shopping and transport to medical appointments.
In August 2021 we were able to restart in-person services in the community centre. These were limited to 30 people and the services were also streamed live on YouTube. Attendees were required to wear face coverings, socially distance from each other and sanitise as appropriate.
In November 2021 we were able to return to the refurbished main church building, continuing to stream services to those who were unable or unwilling to attend in person.
Weekday, children’s and youth activities were also able to restart in person – these are described later in this report.
Sunday services
Sunday Services are typically at 10.30am, with one service a month at 4.00pm followed by a picnic tea.
Our Sunday morning Bible teaching is divided into three sessions, broadly following the school term times. From January to Easter the theme was “Glimpses of Jesus” following the Gospel of John. The summer series to the end of July was entitled “Thinking, Being, Doing”, based on the letters 1 Peter and 2 Peter. Finally, our autumn series, leading up to Christmas, covered the book of Daniel and was entitled “God is King”.
Our teaching seeks to be relevant to modern day life, regularly asking the question, ‘so what?’
We also run programmes for our children and young people on a Sunday morning, with teams of volunteers helping our Youth Worker, and our Children & Families Worker deliver these sessions.
A small prayer group meets on a Sunday evening. We aim to hold a communion service once a month, though were not able to achieve this consistently during 2021.
Activities for Children
Since the lockdown in March 2020 all of our face-to-face work with children had to close and was replaced, where possible, with online provision. Weekly videos have been available through our website and resource packs have been sent to families each week.
On-site children’s activities, including on Sunday mornings, were able to restart in August 2021, though we continued to provide a range of online activities and resources.
Activities for Young People
We continued to support and work with local youth organisation WCCYM (West Cambridge Christian Youth Ministries) to provide online resources for young people in the area. These have included a monthly youth service “Thirst” and a virtual Weekend Away. WCCYM was also allowed back into the local secondary school from the beginning of the summer term and on-site services for young people resumed in August.
EDGE Community Youth Club was able to restart on-site for the final three weeks of the summer term.
Schools Work
As well as engaging with children and young people at the church we also support local schools in the delivery of certain aspects of the National Curriculum.
Our Minister regularly takes whole school assemblies at Barton Primary School. When this has not been possible because of school closures these assemblies have been delivered as pre-recorded assemblies available to the children via YouTube.
Our Minister and Youth Worker also helped to deliver “It’s Your Move” transition workshops for Year 6 pupils moving on to secondary school, in a number of primary schools in the area.
Along with the Minister, Our Youth Worker, as a part of the WCCYM team, was involved in the delivery of RPE and PSHE lessons for Years 10 and 11 at Comberton Village College. Our Youth Worker was also involved in the leading of the Christian Union in CVC. These have been done both virtually and in person – depending on when the schools have been in lockdown.
Working Together
It has been great to continue to work together with other local churches. Along with St. Mary’s (Anglican) and the local Catholic Community we normally run Oasis Tea once a month in the Village Hall. This provides an opportunity for older members of our community to come together to engage in various activities and socialise over tea and cake. During the early part of 2021 Oasis Tea continued to be replaced by a monthly newsletter with articles, a quiz and other interesting content, restarting in the Village Hall in June 2021.
We also normally run the Oasis Holiday Club for three mornings in the summer holidays – a mix of activities and talks culminating in a hot lunch together. Following a year’s absence, this was able to restart for a full day in August 2021.
Along with many other local churches we also hold a Joint Service in November, where many of the local churches close their individual buildings on a Sunday morning and we meet together in the performance hall at Comberton Village College. In 2021 the Joint Service was held in person with online access also available.
Finally we also normally meet with other local Baptist Churches for a Cluster Tea and Celebration, three times a year. Again this had to be cancelled for 2021, with planned restart in 2022.
Summer festival
To celebrate the return to being able to meet together again, we held a week-long summer festival at the end of July. This was aimed not only at members of the fellowship but also the community and included children’s activities, a special “Bumps and Babes”, a one-off youth club, a cream tea aimed at elderly people and a barbecue for the village.
The summer festival attracted many people and helped demonstrate to the community that the charity remained active during and following lockdown.
Serving the Community
In addition to those events already mentioned above there is a number of other ways in which we normally serve our local community on a weekly basis throughout the year.
Bumps & Babes is our very popular parent and baby/toddler group that meets each Wednesday afternoon and is run by a team of volunteers. Although the meetings were cancelled during lockdown, members of the group still met informally on social media, with on-site meetings restarting in September.
Fabric & Yarns normally runs on a Tuesday afternoon and has developed out of an earlier initiative called Patchwork. Initially focused on quilting, Fabric & Yarns now encompasses a whole range of crafts including knitting and crochet. It not only provides a place where people can learn and develop new skills but a place to come together with others and make friends. Fabric and Yarns was meeting on Zoom fortnightly during the pandemic, restarting on site in September 2021.
The local Walking for Health Group, supported by the local GP Practice, is led by a member of the church and uses our premises as the base for their weekly Monday morning walks. A range of walks is on offer including short walks that can be accessed by those who have restricted mobility but who also benefit from the exercise and social wellbeing these walks provide. During lockdown the Group has met socially on Zoom every week and members have continued walking individually or in pairs, as permitted by the government regulations. Group walks restarted in June 2021.
Finally, we continued to work with the local Anglican church to extend our support to all members of the community, whether or not they were churchgoers.
Facilities
Following the granting of planning permission in 2018 for an extension and improvements to our church buildings, a programme of giving and fundraising to cover the costs of this work and a competitive tender, work started on our building improvements in February 2021.
The programme of works was completed in November 2021. Grant income and personal giving fully covered the cost of these works.
Financial review
2021 was the fourth year Comberton Baptist Church operated as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
The net current assets of the Charity on 31[st] December 2021 were £44,168. The Charity has full beneficial use of a church building, community centre (on the same site) and manse for the minister. These are held in trust by the Baptist Union Corporation as Property Trustees.
Operating receipts during 2021 were £75,250 and operating expenses £69,775. Full accounts, in accordance with FRS 102, have been prepared and submitted.
The bulk of the receipts were charitable giving from Members and others who attend Comberton Baptist Church, along with other charitable income.
Non-operating receipts included grant income and giving specifically related to the building project.
Payments included the stipend of a full-time minister and salaries for part-time administrator, children’s worker and youth worker.
As a policy, the charity seeks to maintain a minimum reserve of six months’ salaries and related costs. Also as a policy the charity gives 10% of its operating income to other relevant charities. In 2021 these included BMS (the Baptist Missionary Society), EBA (The Eastern Baptist Association) and WCCYM (West Cambridge Christian Youth Ministries).
Even though regular giving dropped slightly during 2021, the Trustees have no concerns regarding the Charity as an ongoing concern.
Governance
The Charity is governed by a CIO constitution in an approved format for churches that are members of the Baptist Union.
Selection of Trustees
Apart from the Minister, who is a Trustee ex-officio, all trustees are elected by Members and serve for a maximum of three years before re-election or replacement.
List of Trustees
The following trustees served for the entire period, except where indicated
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Keith Tarring (Minister)
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Bob Crichton (Secretary)
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Debi Goodchild (Treasurer)
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Debbie Davies
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Sean Trace
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Mark Catley
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Keren Mallinson
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Graham Seed
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Tom Smith (from April 2021)
Contact information
Comberton Baptist Church Green End Comberton Cambridge CB23 7DU
Tel 01223 264707 | Email info@c-b-c.org.uk | Web www.c-b-c.org.uk
Declaration
The Trustees and Members of Comberton Baptist Church declare that they have approved this annual report for 2021.
Signed on 23[rd] March 2022 by:
Bob Crichton (Secretary)
Debi Goodchild (Treasurer)
Comberton Baptist Church
Statement of Assets and Liabilities (by code) As at: 31 December 2021
| Last year Class and nominal code General Designated Restricted Endowment Total |
Last year Class and nominal code General Designated Restricted Endowment Total |
|---|---|
| 108,736 Net total assets 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 — Total 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 108,736 6590 : Cash in hand 15 — — — 15 125 6530 : PayPal 1 — — — 1 — 6520 : Soldo Account 538 — (368) — 170 38,120 6518 : Building Society Acts2 — — — — — 7 6514 : Building Society Invested Reserve — 445 3,097 — 3,542 7,054 6512 : Building Society Monies in Trust 1 — — — 1 1 6510 : Building Society Enabling Reserve 6,685 762 279 — 7,726 12,534 43,254 6505 : Bank Deposit account 20,178 — — — 20,178 20,175 Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand 6501 : Bank Current account 11,715 7,903 (7,084) — |
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| Total 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 108,736 |
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| 108,736 Net total assets 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 |
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| 475 Total 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 108,736 Restricted - EDGE — — (141) — (141) 8 Restricted - Building — — (10,212) — (10,212) 66,562 Restricted - PuddInPark — — — — — 4 Restricted - HolidayCl — — 750 — 750 — Restricted - Oasis — — 7 — 7 121 Restricted - Childrens — — 155 — 155 189 Restricted - BumpsBabes — — 110 — 110 1,556 Restricted - Community — — 13 — 13 13 Restricted - Acts2 — — 2,145 — 2,145 1,606 Restricted - Kitchen — — 3,097 — 3,097 3,085 Designated - Manse — 1,318 — — 1,318 1,054 Designated - MensGroup — 117 — — 117 117 Designated - Capital — 445 — — 445 — Designated - Passover — 126 — — 126 126 Designated - FurnishFit — 6,366 — — 6,366 161 Designated - Festival — 538 — — 538 — Designated - Christmas — 200 — — 200 Represented by Unrestricted - General 39,133 — — — 39,133 33,659 |
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| Total 39,133 9,110 (4,076) — 44,167 108,736 |
Comberton Baptist Church
Receipts and payments
For the period from 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | Total | Prior year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | total funds | |
| Receipts | ||||||
| Donations and legacies | 74,248 | 27,580 | 46,314 | — | 148,142 | 119,380 |
| Income from charitable activities | 257 | — | 1,295 | — | 1,552 | 1,836 |
| Investments | 9 | 2 | 11 | — | 22 | 87 |
| Other income | 735 | 860 | 98 | — | 1,693 | 1,091 |
| Total receipts | 75,249 | 28,442 | 47,718 | — | 151,409 | 122,394 |
| Payments | ||||||
| Raising funds | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Expenditure on charitable activities | 68,878 | 22,356 | 124,744 | — | 215,978 | 77,469 |
| Other expenditure | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Total payments | 68,878 | 22,356 | 124,744 | — | 215,978 | 77,469 |
| Excess of receipts over payments before transfer | 6,371 | 6,086 | (77,026) | — | (64,569) | 44,925 |
| Transfers | ||||||
| Gross transfers between funds - in | — | 768 | 937 | — | 1,705 | 474 |
| Gross transfers between funds - out | (897) | (808) | — | — | (1,705) | (474) |
| Excess of receipts over payments before other gains | 5,474 | 6,046 | (76,089) | — | (64,569) | 44,925 |
| Net movement in funds | 5,474 | 6,046 | (76,089) | — | (64,569) | 44,925 |
| Reconciliation of funds | ||||||
| Excess of receipts over payments at beginning of | 33,659 | 3,064 | 72,013 | — | 108,736 | 63,811 |
| Excess of receipts over payments for the year | 39,133 | 9,110 | (4,076) | — | 44,167 | 108,736 |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of
Comberton Baptist Church
On accounts for the year ended
| 31 December 2021 | Charity no (if any) |
1172657 |
|---|---|---|
Set out on pages 1
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31.12.2021.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: LATrollip Date: 4.5.2022 Name: Linda Trollip Relevant professional MAAT qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: 5 Sweetentree Way, Lower Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6FH
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