## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **Report and Accounts - 31 March 2023** 

## **CONTENTS** 

||Page|
|---|---|
|General Information|1|
|Trustees' Annual Report|2-4|
|Independent Examiner’s Report|5|
|Receipts and Payments Account|6|
|Statement of Assets and Liabilities|7|
|Notes to the Accounts|8-10|





## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **General Information** 

|**REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER:**|1174871|
|---|---|
|**CUSTODIAN TRUSTEE:**|The Baptist Union Corporation Ltd|
||PO Box 44|
||129 Broadway|
||Didcot|
||Oxfordshire|
||OX11 8RT|
|**TRUSTEES**:|Mr C Bennett|
||Mrs B Farringdon|
||Rev S Downing|
||Mrs H Lodge|
||Mrs B Nanson|
||Mr D Robinson|
||Mr J Smith|
||Mrs J Smith|
|**ADDRESS:**|43 Gossamer Lane|
||Aldwick|
||Bognor Regis|
||West Sussex|
||PO21 3DD|
|**INDEPENDENT EXAMINER:**|Jason Foxwell FCCA FCIE|
||39 Enfield Road|
||Poole|
||BH15 3LJ|
|**BANKERS:**|Santander Bank plc|
||Bridal Road|
||Bootle|
||Merseyside|
||G1R 0AA|



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## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT** 

The church trustees present their report for the year ended 31 March 2023. 

## **STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES** 

The trustees (elders and deacons) are required to prepare accounts for each financial year.  As the income is below £250,000, the trustees have prepared receipts and payments accounts as permitted by the Regulations. 

The trustees are responsible for: 

- the financial position of the charity; and 

- safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE** 

The Church is governed by its own church constitution (last revised and approved at the church members’ meeting in July 2017) in order to become a CIO in September 2017 (Charity Number 1174871). 

## **OBJECTS** 

The Church exists to proclaim the Christian faith and to serve the local community through its work and witness.  Its purpose is to turn people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The church’s mandate is to LOVE GOD, LOVE EACH OTHER and LOVE LOST PEOPLE. 

## **REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES** 

During 2022/23 the church has continued with its regular worship services and Love Aldwick outreach events which have seen a number of new community attendees in attendance during the week as well as seeing a steady return of members and regular attendees on Sundays. As well as Toddler Time, Craft Group, Community Café, Luncheon Club, Messy Church and Peace Together Puzzlers, a new Table Tennis club commenced attracting new clientele. 

In addition, the church began supporting (with five other churches) a new initiative of a Bognor Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt scheme as well as itself beginning a Bognor CAP Life Skills Course. 

During the year the church has sadly (for ABC not for the individuals concerned) lost some of its older members who have gone to glory but also seen a number of new members and held a baptismal celebration. 

There were five pastoral care groups started during the year (with four sub-groups in each to make sure that no one is missed out within the fellowship and in addition the eight home groups continue to meet bi-weekly for Bible study and prayer (one more group added during the year). 

There is a strong focus on The Word of God as well as the Spirit of God and this has been further strengthened by additional deacons being elected to the group of Trustees. 

The Leadership Team members each continue to take responsibility for specific ministries in the church and during the course of the year two additional trustees/deacons were added to the team. 

2 



## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** 

## **REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED)** 

Rev Simon Downing continued to pastor the church as part of the leadership Team with the following changes being made during the year as follows: 

- Rev Simon Downing (Pastor) 

- Derek Robinson (Elder/Treasurer) 

- Clive Bennett (Church Secretary): re-elected from July 2022 

- Barbara Farrington (Deacon) 

- Brenda Nanson (Deacon) 

- John Smith (Deacon) 

- Hazel Lodge (Deacon) - elected from July 2022 

- Joy Smith (Deacon) – elected from July 2022 

There have been a number of changes within the Membership during the year with the number in membership now at 100 (with a further 42 regular attenders). Six new members joined the church and three went to glory during the year but there is still a sense of excitement as ABC moves into 2024. 

## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** 

Over this financial year, we have continued to receive cash collections through a locked box at the back of the church which has generated a comparatively small amount of money as most of our giving is now done through direct debit and by cheque. Our offertory giving remained fairly constant at £65,129.40 (compared to £66,121.61 last year). In addition, we also received a legacy from one member of £1,500, £1,700 in donations following funerals and £915 from hiring the hall to outside users.  Consequently, the health of the church has been maintained with sufficient funds available to complete the activities of the church. 

During the year we continued our regular support for BMS, Home Mission, Barnabas Fund, MAF, Bible Society. We also made other gifts of approximately £3,000 which includes our contributions to CAP. In total our missionary/charity giving represented 13.2% of our income. 

During the year the Baptist Union recalculated the pension deficit and reduced our monthly contribution to £1 per month. 

During the year there were several large items of expenditure as we indicated might be the case in last year’s accounts. The repairs to the roof were £7,140 which was less than we had anticipated, electrical testing and subsequent remedial work totalled £4,822, repairs to the heating system (£,1230), upgrading the back gate structure and laying a concrete base for a new shed (£1,930), car park relining (£1,140), new signage (£1,430) and a new baptistry heater (£768). There are no major maintenance items planned for 2023-24 but as the buildings get older we have come to expect the unexpected! Nevertheless, we ended the year in a sound financial position with a relatively small decrease in our net assets of £95,339.94 (compared to £98,722.37). 

Approved by the trustees on 22 June 2023 and signed on their behalf by 


Clive Bennett **Church Secretary** 

3 



## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Aldwick Baptist Church (“the charity”) for the year ending 31 March 2023. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the trustees of the charity, 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 charity’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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the accounts do not accord with those records. 

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. 


## **Jason Foxwell FCCA FCIE** 

independent-examiner.net 39 Enfield Road, Poole, BH15 3LJ 

Date: 22 June 2023 

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## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2023** 

|||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**|
|||**£**|**£**|
|**RECEIPTS**||||
|Gifts received||79,189|81,638|
|Legacies received||1,500|25,750|
|Other income||1,888|875|
|||`──────`|`──────`|
|**Total receipts**||£82,577|£108,263|
|||`──────`|`──────`|
|**PAYMENTS**||||
|Pastor’s stipend, NI and expenses||25,580|24,768|
|Pension costs||6,021|5,791|
|Pension deficit payment||1,258|3,709|
|Gas, electricity and water||8,602|9,157|
|Insurance||2,901|2,651|
|Repairs, furniture and equipment||17,498|13,362|
|Manse repairs and renewals||450|92|
|Manse council tax||2,881|2,795|
|Cleaning||1,686|739|
|Visiting speakers||60|270|
|Office expenditure and supplies||2,715|3,008|
|Independent examiner’s fee||660|655|
|Subscriptions and licences||2,050|1,811|
|Catering||-|386|
|Outreach and Children’s work||499|1,137|
|Coffee time||992|752|
|Grants/donations paid|2|10,625|11,139|
|Other costs||(1,367)|265|
|||`─────`|`─────`|
|**Total payments**||£83,111|£82,487|
|||`─────`|`─────`|
|**Surplus/(deficit) of receipts over**||||
|**payments**||**(534)**|**25,776**|
|Balance brought forward at 1 April 2022||99,146|73,370|
|||`─────`|`─────`|
|**Bank balance at 31 March 2023**||**£98,612**|**£99,146**|
|||`═════`|`═════`|



5 



## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 March 2023** 

## **Assets** 

The church building and the church manse are owned by the Baptist Union Corporation Limited who are the custodian trustee and are effectively assets held in an endowment fund as the sale proceeds can only be used for the purchase of other church buildings and have an insured value of £2,170,731.  The church holds various assets such as PA equipment and furniture.  An estimated value of this is £5,000. 

The charity has the following bank and cash balances: 

||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Current account|97,764|99,136|
|Activities and ministries accounts|-|-|
|Petty cash|848|10|
||────|────|
||**£98,612**|**£99,146**|
||════|════|



## **Liabilities** 

Agency collections of £3,272 (2022 – £1,573). 

The Baptist Union Employer Hub has provided an estimate of the charity’s share of the overall pension deficit at £120,000.  Full details of the pension liability are available on request. 

Approved by the trustees on 22 June 2023 and signed on their behalf by 


Derek Robinson Treasurer 

6 



## **ALDWICK BAPTIST CHURCH** 

## **Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023** 

**1. Accounting policies** 

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis. 

## **2. Grants/donations paid** 

||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|BMS|2,630|2,700|
|Baptist Home Mission|2,400|2,400|
|MAF|600|600|
|Bible Society|600|600|
|Barnabas|772|2,164|
|SAT-7|600|600|
|Mission work donations|761|525|
|Other projects|2,262|1,550|
||────|────|
||**£10,625**|**£11,139**|
||════|════|



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