## **Great Harwood Christian Fellowship Annual Report 2022**
## **– (Covering Financial Year April 2021 March 2022) Charity Registration Number: 1174952 Date of Annual General Meeting : Thursday 26[th] May 2022**
## **Aim and Purposes**
The aim and purposes of the Church are:
- The advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith primarily but not exclusively within Great Harwood and the surrounding neighbourhood; and
- 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 facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life;
- 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 in accordance with the provisions of the Church Handbook.
## **Objectives and Activities**
GHCF promotes the Christian faith by providing a weekly programme of events which are open to everyone and provided free of charge. In particular we try and support people in their Christian faith by providing:
- Times of Worship and Prayer where the gospel message is clearly shared and believers are built up and strengthened in their faith.
- Pastoral care for those who need support.
- Information about Missionary and Outreach work – sharing the Christian gospel with others, both at home and overseas.
- Mercy ministries – helping to provide for those in need.
In order to provide these services, it is important that we maintain our property on commercial Road, Great Harwood in accordance with all appropriate guidelines.
## **Achievements and Performance during 2021-2022**
## **Trustee’s Report May ’22 (Neil Collier – Elder)**
Last year at this time we were still wearing face masks! How we praise God that we’re done with all this now and we pray that we won’t ever need them again as we meet. Let’s never take for granted the gathering together of the Lord’s people and pray that our freedoms to worship remain.
## **April ‘21**
As we emerged from the various lockdowns of the previous year, and most people had had at least one covid vaccine, we gradually began opening up our church activities again. Easter was our first great celebration, albeit with social distancing in place and no Good Friday walk or Maundy Thursday Breaking Bread service.
## **May’21**
By May we had started having our after-church fellowship, along with tea & coffee outside in the old playground; and, Praise the Lord, the weather stayed fine almost every Sunday morning from then on.
## **June’21**
In June, Matthew announced that he had accepted a post as Pastor of Trinity Church, Tenterden in Kent; and that he, Hannah and the girls would be leaving Great Harwood at the end of August.
Before Matthew left, we welcomed into membership EIGHT people, most of whom had joined us during lockdown. The Lord has richly blessed us by directing
them to join us. And we thank them for the way they have all involved themselves in the life and witness of the church.
## **August ‘21**
So, on 22[nd] August, after a generous thank offering had been collected, as a parting gift, we said goodbye to Matthew, Hannah, Zoe and Ruth, so that they could take up the Lord’s work there, and also be near both sets of Grandparents. At that time we were still well separated but each month we relaxed the rules little by little and adding more chairs as others returned to church.
Because of Matthew’s departure, we therefore needed to seek God’s guidance concerning a new Pastor for GHCF and so a Pastor Search Group had already been formed who met regularly for prayer and discussion, working behind the scenes to find a new Pastor. And as you can see the Lord answered our prayers in His timing and we welcome Francois Van Staden most warmly.
During the time we were without a Pastor, besides searching for a new one, the church activities didn’t stop; Sunday Morning services continued to be held and we were helped in this task by many of our own Fellowship stepping in to lead services and to preach (many for the 1[st] time). We were greatly blessed too by Pastors and Elders from other nearby churches who also came to help. And special thanks to Colin for arranging all the rotas for this and contacting other churches for us. And to Joan for organising the rotas for people praying and reading. Glad to report too that many people who started using their gifts in this way, have continued to do so. We also continued with our Monthly church prayer meeting and, once a month, again Colin arranged for a speaker to visit, to talk about one of the missionary organisations we support regularly.
## **Autumn/Winter ‘21**
Services continued as outlined, and as more and more people returned for worship, as lockdown restrictions eased, more and more chairs were moved back into church, prompting Gil (Treasurer) to suggest we buy some new ones to replace the old tired brown ones.
We held our usual Harvest Thanksgiving Service at the beginning of October, with the food donated being sent, as usual to our local food bank.
Keswick in East Lancashire held their bi-annual meeting in our building, both in March - under Covid restrictions, and then again in October, when things were much free-er, and we could accommodate many more people to listen to Roger Carswell speak. By then, we had also started serving refreshments indoors.
By December, we realised that a Fellowship our size needed more than one Elder and so Justin was nominated and elected overwhelmingly at an extra-ordinary Meeting held in early December. He then hit the ground running in his new post by volunteering to preach throughout the whole of January on the Book of Philippians.
Christmas is always a busy time for everyone, but we still managed to hold a Carol Service on the 19[th] Dec, followed by a service on Christmas Morning (which last year was a Saturday), and by a Christmas Communion service the next day.
Again, thanks to all involved in leading, preaching, praying, or reading at all those services within the space of a week.
## **Spring 2022**
By early January, just as the Pastor Search Group were considering re-advertising for a Pastor, someone who had voluntarily withdrawn his application the firsttime round, re-applied, as his circumstances had changed. He was therefore interviewed, asked to preach-with-a-view and finally answered the call to be our new Pastor. Francois then, very fittingly, preached his first sermon, as Pastor on Easter Day this year – which brings us full circle.
Finally, we can’t finish the Trustee’s report without paying tribute to two members, who went to be with the Lord this past year.
Firstly, in June last year, Malcolm died after a short illness. He had been a regular attender at church with his wife Olga, who is herself recovering from a recent illness, and he was always so cheerful and pleased to see everyone, despite his ongoing health issues;
And then in March this year, as will be fresh in your memories, Keith our first Pastor died after a protracted illness, during which for the most part, he had kept cheerful and kept in touch with many of the Fellowship. Keith was certainly a great help shortly after Matthew left. Although by then, unable to help with preaching himself, he provided us with a list of people he had known over many years of ministry, who might be able to help with preaching during those first few months. His standing in the local Christian community was evidenced by the number of people from all over Lancashire and beyond who attended his funeral, held here in March.
We continue to uphold Olga, Aileen & Helen in our prayers.
Finally, thanks to all of you – the church – for your prayers and support during this last year. We have faced many difficulties and trials but the Lord has led us through good times and bad and we go on serving Him, as he leads us forward into a new and exciting era.
## **Future Plans**
## GHCF Vision (Pastor Francois van Staden)
The overarching vision of GHCF is to be a **“Visible Church”** (Matthew 5:14-16). In addition to this we see the mission of the church to be a **praying** (Rom 12:12; 1Thess 5:16-18; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 2 Chron 7:14; Heb 5:7; James 5:13, 16; 3 John 1:1; and a
**serving** (Peter 1:10; Matt 5:16; Matthew 20:28; Matt 25:35-40) church.
## Visible Church:
GHCF should endeavour to be the light of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 5:14-16).
GHCF exists to help build the catholic church of God in and around Great Harwood for all
people through the declaration of the gospel that brings about personal conversion,
Christian community and impacts the culture in a biblical way.
As God’s New Covenant church, we are not called to conform to the culture in order to
preach the gospel but to engage the culture in our area first and also further afield.
We engage the culture through relationship and divine appointments. This means that we
engage those who are unbelievers by building relationships and befriending our neighbours and those in our area. We also believe that God in His sovereign grace can
arrange a divine meeting where through evangelism someone asks to know more about
Jesus Christ. We will then respond giving a reason for the hope we that we have in Jesus
Christ with gentleness and respect. The church sees all its ministries flowing from mission and evangelism as demonstrated in
the following diagram:
Church ministry Mercy Ministries Youth Ministry/ Outreach Outreach Table Evangelism & Mission Community Engagement Sunday School Teaching Resources
## **Prayer**
Both believers and by default the whole church is called to pray without ceasing. Through
this the church shows its dependence on God. We are called to pray both for the church
but also for God to grant men and woman repentance. Jesus gives us this example.
## **Serving**
The church is called to good works both to believers and unbelievers. We see examples
of this in both the Old testament and in the New Testament as well as in the examples of Christ and the Apostles.
For the church to be visible it has to preach the whole counsel of God declaring the
truth of God to the nations. But faith has to be accompanied by works and we are to
follow Christ’s example in this regard. Jesus sat and ate with tax collectors and
prostitutes, there was no one who he would not associate with showing them God’s love.
We believe that we can far more effectively spread the gospel of Jesus Christ when we
have built relationships with unbelievers. This may include serving them not only spiritually but also practically. We need to show the love of Christ in a practical way. This
may be as simple as having a coffee with someone who is lovely or mowing the lawn of
your neighbour or their neighbour who is not able.
## **Evangelism and Mission**
All of the ministries that flow from the church is driven by evangelism and missionary
outreach. We are called to make disciples which means that we are called to build
relationships and come alongside any new believers to encourage them as they mature as believers.
## **Mobilise**
The whole church is called to mobile through active evangelism or active prayer. The
church is a family that bows in submission to the God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We
serve in obedience to our God and pray that He adds to the church in GHCF and that the
gospel will go out faithfully to Great Harwood, Rishton, Clayton le Moors, East Lancashire and the rest of the United Kingdom.
## **Public Beneft Statement**
When planning our activities for the year, the Trustees have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.
We aim to enable people to live out their faith as part of our community through worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus.
Provision of pastoral care and Missionary and Outreach work.
## **Structure, governance and management**
Great Harwood Christian Fellowship is an Independent Church and a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The Fellowship adopts the FIEC statement of faith. Its governing document (Constitution) and its Church Handbook for members, were approved at an Annual General Meeting of the membership on 9[th] May 2017
The Trustees meet as a Leadership Team on a monthly basis to discuss all matters relating to the running of the Fellowship, including worship, outreach, finance and building maintenance. The Elders meet with the Pastor also on a monthly basis to discuss the direction of worship, teaching, Bible Study meetings etc. and report to the full Leadership Team at their monthly meetings.
## **Policy Documents**
In addition to the Constitution Document, Great Harwood Christian Fellowship has the following policies in place to ensure the health, safety and protection of church members:
Fire, Health and Safety Management
Data Protection
Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults
The church undertakes regular reviews of each of these policies and carries out audits and training as required by named individuals.
## **Administrative Information**
The principal address of the charity was 15 Coleridge Place, Great Harwood BB6 7JY until 31[st] August 2022. This will be replaced with the new Pastor’s address asap.
The Trustees are as follows:
Matthew Clay – Pastor (Resigned 31.8.21)
Neil Collier – Elder
Justin Willis - Elder
Gil Ratcliffe, Deacon, Treasurer
Shirley Collier – Deacon, Secretary
Jennifer Blackmore – Deacon
Colin Kay – Deacon
Pastor Matthew Clay took up a new position in Kent on 1[st] September 2021 and GHCF entered a period of interregnum until 1[st] April 2022.
## **Policy on Reserves**
The Fellowship holds a sum of money in a Reserve Account for use in exceptional circumstances. The current level of these funds (at 31[st] March 2022 is £18,152) The funds are not restricted or specifically designated for certain uses. The Trustees authorise any use of these funds when requested by the Treasurer.
## **- Treasurers Report and Financial Statement April – 2021 March 2022:**
|||||**Receipts**
**and**
**Payments**
**2021-22**|**Receipts**
**and**
**Payments**
**2021-22**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||
|**Cash in bank 31.3.21**|||||**£2,874**||
|**Cash in Reserve**
**account 31.3.21**|||||**£7,151**||
|||**(A)**|||**£10,025**||
|||**Receipts**|||||
|**Donations (Keith**
**Nichol)**|||||**£960**||
|**Church service**
**ofertories**|||||**£12,433**||
|**Oferings via Bank**|||||**£23,892**||
|**Other Income (Matthew**
**Clay)**|||||**£600**||
|**Reserve Account**
**interest**|||||**£1**||
|**Tithe income**|||||**£4,560**||
|**(B)**|||||**£42,446**||
||||||||
||**Payments**||||||
|**Church maintenance**
**£2,189**|||||||
|**Church running costs**
**£9,761**|||||||
|**Donations to**
**Missions/Tithes**
**£4,466**|||||||
|**Other payments**
**£988**|||||||
|**Wages and expenses**
**£13,304**|||||||
|**Payments**||
|---|---|
|**Church maintenance**|**£2,189**|
|**Church running costs**|**£9,761**|
|**Donations to**||
|**Missions/Tithes**|**£4,466**|
|**Other payments**|**£988**|
|**Wages and expenses**|**£13,304**|
|**Worship, SS, Mission**
**resources**|**Worship, SS, Mission**
**resources**|**£1,130**||
|---|---|---|---|
||**(C)**|**£31,838**||
||**(A plus B minus C =)**|**£20,634**
*****||
|||||
||**Restricted Funds**|||
||**Hardship Fund**||**£287**|
|**Cash in bank 31.3.22**||**£2,482**
**+**|**£287**|
|**Cash in Reserve**
**account 31.3.22**||**£18,152**||
|||**£20,634**
*****||
||**Great Harwood Christian Fellowship**|**Great Harwood Christian Fellowship**||
|---|---|---|---|
|||
**Tithes 2021-22**||
|**Missionary Ventures (Until July 21)**|||**£600.00**|
|**Blackburn C.A.P.**|||**£500.00**|
|**Scriptural Knowledge**|||**£360.00**|
|**Slavic Gospel Association**|||**£650.00**|
|**SASRA**|||**£300.00**|
|**Samaritan's Purse**|||**£350.00**|
|**Open Doors**|||**£400.00**|
|**The Gideons**|||**£400.00**|
|**Platform 67**|||**£100.00**|
|**Uma Sharma (Nepal church)**|||**£505.70**|
|**Keswick in East Lancs (KIEL)**|||**£200.00**|
|**Real Lives Mission**|||**£100.00**|
||||**£4,465.70**|
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