## **Trustees Annual Report 2023** In January 2023, the Windmill trustees reviewed our charitable objectives and Church of England Mission Order Objectives against the activities we were carrying out as a missional community. ## Charitable Objectives: The advancement of the Christian faith as a fresh expression of Church, in accordance with the mission and values of the Church of England. The Objectives of the Mission Initiative: - To be a fresh expression of church that makes the Christian faith more accessible and relational for all ages - To help more people follow Jesus as a way of life - To help vulnerable families engage with the Christian faith - To exist primarily for those who are not yet connected to church or the Christian faith, but also for those who welcome an occasional different way of worshipping alongside attending their normal church and for those who seek to belong to a contemporary worshipping community In light of the retirement of one of the Pioneer Ministers, it was agreed in January 2023 to end our indoor worshipping activities and focus all our efforts on our outdoor Forest church gatherings, which were more in line with our missional objectives. Three trustees resigned and four new trustees, who were members of Forest church, were appointed. A service to reflect the changes and to thank and honour those stepping down was held on 12 February 2023. Since then, Forest Church gatherings have been held in a local Forest on a monthly basis in partnership with ‘A Little Bit Wilder Limited’, a local Forest School provider. By the end of the year, our Forest Church community had grown significantly to a membership of approximately 50 people. Here is a snapshot of our gatherings in 2023: - Our Easter gathering in April was moved to a local churchyard due to vandalism at our Forest site - The King’s coronation was celebrated with an afternoon tea in May alongside an exploration of the Christian origins of the Coronation service - We held a pop-up service at St Marys Church in Bottesford in June to welcome their new Growing faith minister - We held our annual summer camp at the end of July, cooking a campfire dinner for 30 and enjoying a glass painting workshop based on Psalm 100 - In September, we enjoyed meeting at Farm Eco in Screveton where we picked lots of apples from their orchard and berries from the hedgerows, using a fruit press to make a hot mulled apple drink. This session was based on the fruits of the spirit and how we can live more fruitfully for God. - Our annual light party was held in October 2023 with the usual games including the donut game and hot dogs and mushy peas. Sparkler prayers were introduced for the first time. - In November, we focussed on being kind and loving using the story of the Good Samaritan and ‘Children in need’ charity as our focus. We made a large Pudsey bear out of leaves, held a cake sale and used sweets and sticks to pray we would act with kindness to those who are different to us. - In December, we met in Muston Old School due to the forest being flooded because of heavy rains. We had fun finding nativity stones hidden in the churchyard and then using the stones to make a stable scene. We made and lit christingles and told the nativity story through chocolate. Alongside the gatherings, pastoral care of our community continued and an evening small group began in autumn 2023. An art afternoon in early December was trialled with members making felt nativity decorations. Windmill also took a leading role in the annual village Christmas light switch on and carol singing event in early December. ## Windmill Trustees October 2024 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectlon A Independent Examlnerfs Report Report to the trustees i *J3￿., On accounts for the year ended