Market Overton Free Church CIO 1174840
Annual Report 2025
The trustees are: Peter Rush Tim Perkins Peter Crompton (Acting Trustee)
Correspondence address: The Croft, West End, Wymondham, LE14 2AX
Market Overton Free Church is an independent church affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). The church is governed by its Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, as he has made his will known in the Bible. Under his authority, the elders lead the church, which has a congregational form of church government. The number of members at the end of 2025 was 17. We have re-appointed Carl Meachem from a neighbouring church to assist with leadership for a 12-month period.
Church activities Sunday morning meetings were held at Market Overton Village Hall throughout the year, with a regular congregation of around 50 people. We post recordings of the message on our YouTube channel. Sunday evening meetings were held in Edmondthorpe until July, when we relocated to Market Overton. Thursday evening meetings were held in members’ homes. A monthly informal ladies’ gathering has continued throughout the year. Prayer meetings were held on a regular basis, some in person and some online. We have linked in with The Rural Project, which supports church work in rural communities. We supported the East Midlands Churches Day event and the Midlands Men’s Conference.
Community activities. Our monthly ‘Communi-Tea Break’ meetings in Market Overton and street evangelism in Oakham have continued through the year. We took part in the Market Overton Feast Weekend event in June, showing a film. We held an advent craft and carols event in November. Our work in schools continued with our pastor’s regular assembly visits to 9 local primary schools and also a visit to an RE GCSE class in a secondary school.
Finances. The Lord has continued to provide for the financial needs of the church through the faithful giving of members and friends, and through grants from local Christian Trusts. A legacy gift of £23,301.11 in 2023 has been vital in sustaining the work financially – we have drawn on this reserve to the tune of £8,800 this year. During the year gifts have been made to UK missionary organisations working in the UK and abroad, amounting to £3,162. Harvest gifts were sent to the local Oakham Food Bank, and a special offering was made at our Christmas Day service for support of Open Doors, a Christian charity supporting persecuted Christians.
The overall income for the year was £41,503 and expenditure £49,938. The year therefore ended with an overall surplus of £-8,435. With £33080.94 brought forward from 2024 and drawing £8,800 from Reserves our balance at the end of the year is £24,645 for which we are grateful to God.
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3 Ascendale Deeping St James PETERBOROUGH PE6 8NZ 01778 342699 or 07736 335234 aul.muldoon btintsrneLcom Mr T R Palframan The Croft Rookery Lane WYMONDHAM LE14 2AX st 21 February 2026 Dear Roy Market Overton Free Church CIO l am pleased to confirm that I have examined the accounts and supporting documents relating to the church for the year ended 31 December 2025 and have found everything to be in order. With kind regards Paul Muldoon