MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
31 AUGUST 2022
Charity Number 1178813
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the independently examined financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2022.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity Name: Charity Registration Number: 1178813
Market Harborough Methodist Church
THE TRUSTEES (Church Council)
The Trustees who served the charity during the period were as follows:
Rev Andrew T Murphy (Chair) David Nixon (Secretary) Richard Huntington (Treasurer)
Church Stewards
Catherine Clarke Paul Colliss Maggie Hadkiss Helen Green Emma Hadkiss to 16 July 2022 Emma Ferreri from 16 July 2022 Peter Hales Susan Nixon Ian Varey to 30 September 2021 Rachel Hounsfield from 14 October 2021
Other members of the Church Council
Anita Beer Gill Billington Alan Cox Margaret Cox Brenda Davies Neil Hadkiss Shirley Hales Christine Hodgson Audrey Huntington Caroline Osborne from 24 February 2022 John Pearce Susan Routley Hannah Russell Gordon Shorley to 24 February 2022 Margaret Shorley to 24 February 2022 Ruth Thomas-Twinn Rev David Tomlin Roland Whatton
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
THE TRUSTEES (Church Council) (continued)
In attendance from the Market Harborough Methodist Circuit:
Peter Arnold
In attendance as an observer, the Circuit Growth and Nurture worker:
Melissa Wheeler
Independent Examiner
Sarah Atwell-King
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Market Harborough Methodist Church is part of the Market Harborough Methodist Circuit, which in turn is a component of the Northampton District of the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
With effect from 1[st] September 2022, the Market Harborough Methodist Circuit will merge with the Kettering and Corby and the Rugby and Daventry Methodist Circuits to form the East Mercia Methodist Circuit, a component of the Northampton District of the Methodist Church of Great Britain.
The Minister, who will relinquish the position of Superintendent, is supported by internal groups and committees as follows:
Church Council
The Minister appointed to the Circuit, Church Stewards, Treasurer, Church Council Secretary, up to 21 representative Church Members (elected annually by the General Church Meeting). In attendance is a Circuit Growth and Nurture worker. All appointments are made annually, although there is an expectation that members will serve for a number of years.
All the Committees listed below report to the Church Council, which meets at least twice annually.
Church Stewards
8 stewards are elected by the General Church Meeting, for a maximum of six years. Responsible, with the Minister, for leadership over a whole range of the church’s life and for acting on decisions and policies of the Church Council. Nine stewards have served over the current year.
Property Committee
5 Property Stewards manage the property on a day to day basis and develop property proposals for presentation to the Church Council, covering maintenance and building enhancements.
Pastoral Committee
Minister and Pastoral Visitors. Concerned with the pastoral care of Church members and attenders, maintenance of membership roll and promotion of fellowship through church groups.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (continued)
Safeguarding Officer
The Church Council appoints a Safeguarding Officer who is appropriately trained and qualified, and this officer is supported by the Circuit Safeguarding Officers, and those at a District level.
Children and Youth Work Activities
Leaders of the various groups of children’s activities are accountable to the Church Council and are also supported by a Circuit committee appointed to oversee youth work more widely.
Stewardship Committee
Meets twice-annually to discuss a nominated charity for the year, and to co-ordinate our financial appeal to members, encouraging them to review their giving.
Prayer Ministry Team
This team of volunteers is active on a Sunday morning to provide prayer support when requested.
Worship and Music Team
Worship services are led by our Minister and other Preachers appointed by the Circuit. Musicians are co-ordinated by our music co-ordinator, and the wider church are occasionally consulted by the Minister in reviewing our provision of worship services.
Governance
Our statutes of governance and procedures such as the appointment of Trustees and other officers follows ‘ The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church’ ( CPD ), which is revised annually by the Methodist Conference and published annually by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP).
The primary governing body of Market Harborough Methodist Church, in accordance with CPD, is the Church Council. Members of the Council are the Managing Trustees, and the Council is chaired by the Minister. Church Council representatives and Church Stewards are elected at the General Church Meeting which is held annually. All church members can attend this meeting and are entitled to vote and raise any issues for discussion. The Trustees actively seek nominations for new Trustees who can represent all aspects of the church community and its activities.
At the first Church Council meeting of each year, new members receive documentation explaining their role as Trustees, which includes information provided by the Charity Commission. The Trustees receive no remuneration or other financial benefits from their work. All decisions taken at the Church Council meetings are minuted, and a summary is made available to church members and others by newsletters and in the weekly church service notices. A full copy of the Council minutes is displayed on a church noticeboard.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (continued)
Management
The Trustees have maintained financial management arrangements requiring dual signatures on all cheques, and prior approval for all except minor items of expenditure.
The Trustees have maintained a Safeguarding policy with appropriate DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks for all aspects of the work of the Church with children and vulnerable adults.
The Trustees have maintained a system of formal risk assessment and a risk register. This includes mitigation strategies and is reviewed annually by the Trustees and by relevant sub-committees.
Day to Day management of the premises of the Church and the caretaking staff is delegated to the Property Committee, some members of which are members of the Church Council.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Market Harborough Methodist Church seeks to achieve its purpose of advancing the Christian Faith by holding public worship on Sundays and on occasional weekdays, and by encouraging its members to live up to the priorities of the Methodist calling, namely evangelism, worship, service, learning and caring.
Every effort is made to ensure that the services are excellent in quality and accessible and inviting to all. The church buildings are open during the week both as a resource for local community groups to utilise and to provide a space for prayer, reflection and rest. Facilities are offered for baptisms, weddings and funerals, together with accompanying pastoral care.
The Church is an active member of ‘Churches Together in Harborough’ which promotes ecumenical dialogue, services and inter-denominational activities within Market Harborough and the surrounding area.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
WORSHIP IN 2022
Throughout the year, the Church was open for public worship having taken the necessary precautions to make the buildings covid-safe.
In addition to services held in the Church when the prevailing covid risk was low, contact with members has been maintained at other times by ‘Zoom’ meetings, weekly pastoral letters/emails, and regular telephone calls by pastoral visitors to those people on their pastoral lists.
Property & Finance
A steady programme of maintenance has continued through the year to ensure that the buildings provide a safe and welcoming space and to reduce their carbon footprint. £13,033 of funds has been donated during the year to support a number of local and overseas projects which help people in need.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (continued)
Worship
Whilst the buildings have been open for public worship, the pattern of Sunday services has been sustained, with a willingness to innovate as well as maintaining a tradition of excellence. The church continues to welcome visitors and new members.
The ‘live streaming’ system introduced the previous year continues to allow housebound and other members to experience worship in their own homes alongside the congregation in the Church.
Growth in Membership / Loss of Members
Market Harborough Methodist Church encourages people to express their Christian commitment in terms of baptism, confirmation and church membership. In the year 2021-22, we received eleven new members and conducted no baptisms. One of our members moved away and, sadly, ten members died. In total, thirteen funerals were conducted either on our church premises or by the Minister at another venue (for members and non-members). There was one wedding conducted during the year.
Community Service
The premises remain available to a wide range of community groups and activities. Church members engage as volunteers with a number of these organisations. In particular, members act as Street Pastors, support the Jubilee Food Bank, the Bower House counselling service, and are involved in house-to-house collecting for Christian Aid.
During the year a café was established as a safe meeting place and a source of information for Ukrainian families living within the area. It has been well supported.
Work with Children & Young People
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‘Fishes’ is our fortnightly Sunday School, with currently around 6 children regularly attending.
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‘Pizza Club’ is a fortnightly gathering for young people in school years 4-7, who meet for 2 hours with a group of leaders to socialise, eat together, play games and grow in Christian discipleship. Over the year we had 21 sessions, and one youth residential weekend at a national Methodist event. In total, 22 young people attended for at least 3 sessions, with 13 young people attending 10 sessions or more. A decision was taken to extend the age range to include school years 8 & 9 in future.
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‘Stay, Play and Weigh’ is a fortnightly group for parents with babies, now relaunched and run by volunteers.
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The Minister also regularly leads assemblies or classroom sessions in two Market Harborough primary schools, and Welland Park Academy (high school), as well as four other village schools in the area. In 2021-22, 19 live assemblies, 4 video assemblies and 22 classroom talks were conducted.
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Our Methodist Circuit have appointed a new Growth and Nurture Worker, whose job includes pastoral work, children’s work, outreach, Christian nurture of adults and children, organising a network of small groups for Bible study, fellowship and Christian education including helping to prepare study material.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2022
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (continued)
Ecumenical Links
The Church has participated actively in Churches Together in Harborough and supported the events organised by CTH.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Church achieved a surplus for the year ended 31 August 2022 as the buildings were able to reopen and income from received from lettings returned to more normal levels. Offerings from members returned to their previous levels due to many members maintaining their contributions by standing order. Costs were minimised wherever possible to reduce the impact of the lower income although the effects of escalating energy costs are being felt throughout the Church.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees aim to maintain free reserves in the unrestricted General Fund at a level which equates to approximately six months of unrestricted expenditure. The Trustees consider that at this level, the reserves will provide sufficient working capital to cover the normal fluctuations in income and expenditure and to meet emergency calls on cash, for example for unexpected repairs. At the end of the year, General Funds equated to 42.2% of annual General Fund expenditure. (2021 = 39.3%).
During the year a number of legacies were received, principally to support Children & Young Peoples work within the Church. At the end of the year, these funds amounted to £36,694. (2021 = £5,280).
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| Unrestricted | Restricted | Totalsthis | Totals last | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SECTION A | Funds | Funds | eaf | |||||
| f | f | e | f | |||||
| a1 | RECEIPTS | Note | ||||||
| dL | Offerings andTaxrecovered | 67,703 | 22,027 | 89,730 | 76,718 | |||
| Bank and CFB interestand | ||||||||
| a3 | lnvestrnentrncome | 138 | 119 | 257 | 9B | |||
| a4 | Lettings | 18,992 | 18,992 | 2,091 | ||||
| a5 | Other receipts | .1516 | 13,701 | 15,217 | ZZ,ZII | |||
| aG | .TOTAL RECEIPTS | 88,349 | 35,847 | 124,196 | (a7) | 101,184 | ||
| SECTIONB | ||||||||
| b'1 | PAYMENTS | |||||||
| b2 | Circuit Assessmentor Share | 45,395 | 45,395 | 44,316 | ||||
| b3 | Donations | 13,033 | 13,033 | 13 965 | ||||
| b4 | irs andIVlaintenance | 24,250 | 24,250 | 28,958 | ||||
| Utilities(lnsurances. water | ||||||||
| b5 | charges, heating &lighttng) | 9,370 | 9,370 | 5,809 | ||||
| b6 | ||||||||
| b7 | Other ments |
4,379 | 1,320 | 5,699 | 2,568 | |||
| bB | TOTALPAYMENTS | 83,394 | 14,353 | 97,747 | (bs) | 95,616 | ||
| SECTIONC | ||||||||
| NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS | ||||||||
| c'1 | FOR THE YEAR | (a6'b8) | 4,955 | 21,494 | 26,449 | 5,568 | ||
| -[otalfundsbroughtforward from | ||||||||
| t"2 | last year | 35,244 | 50,356 | 85,600 | (c6) | 78,775 | ||
| c3 | Subtotal | (c1+c2) | 40,199 | 71,850 | 112,049 | 84,343 | ||
| C4 | Transfers and adlustments | 1,248 | 280 | 1,528 | (c7'1 | 1,257 | ||
| ^F | TOTALFUNDSATEND OFYEAR | (c3+c4) | 41,447 | 72,130 | 113,5771 | (c8) | -as,eool | lcel |
| conirectedllstrlcl Organs | atiors | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS |
Re()epts | Net Reoeiptsi | Adiustrnents | Opening ba lances |
Clos ng balances | ||||||
| el | Seeseparatcshcct | 5,182 | 283 | 899 | (1,528) | 3,412 | 4,783 | ||||
| e2 | |||||||||||
| e3 | |||||||||||
| c-l | |||||||||||
| e5 | |||||||||||
| e6 | |||||||||||
| e] | |||||||||||
| eE | Sub tolal of lnternal Orqanisationsiufds |
5182 | 899 | 3,412 | (e11) | 4783 | (e12| | ||||
| Church accounts(totals | |||||||||||
| e9 | brought forwardfromPage 2-totalscolumn) |
124,196 (a7) | 97 | 47 | (be) | 26,445 | 1 528 (c7) | 85,600 | (c6) | 113,577 | (c8) |
| e I t) | TOTALCASHI-UND5 HELIJ BYCHURCH |
129,378 | 1 | 89,012 | (x) | 118,360 | (v) | ||||
| Cont nu0 onasepa.lrat0sheet 1ileoessary:trdbrlngtllc |
TOTALRECEIPTS | PAYMENTS AL |
|||||||||
| totalls Iorwalfd |
| SEC'IIONF 913!EI4E-!Iol-l\9$.qr!.ANDLUlBlLlIrES |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPENING | CLOSING | |||||
| CHURCH FUNDS HELDat3'1 |
2022 | BALANCES | BALANCES | |||
| 1'l | CashLnhand | |||||
| u | []ankCLrrrentAccount | 5,693 | 3,432 | |||
| l-l | Bank l)epositAcoo!nt | |||||
| til | Central Financelloard | 34551 | 49,710 | |||
| f5 | Purposes Trustces lorIt4ethodrsl |
45,3 56 | 60,435 | |||
| tb | Othcr iunds | |||||
| n | SUBTOTAL-Churchaccounts | 85,600 | (co1 | 113,577 | (c8) | |
| tt | funds held bylnternaOrganisations (the closing baance tolal fromabove)(e l 2) |
3,412 | (e11) | 4,783 | (e12) | |
| p | TOTALCASH FUNDSHELD BY CHURCH | 89,01 2 | (x) | 1 18,360 | (v) | |
| SEC'TIONG | At 1September2021 |
At 31August 2022 |
||||
| ql | Ifvcstnalnts(irlclude hrrdownlents) | 34,337 | 34348 | |||
| N.2 | Iand &Buidinqs(see notes re lnsurance valLlg) | 2,701,486 | 2,877,257 | |||
| u-l | Othor Ass0ts | |||||
| s4 | t-oan(s) - show.tlltount outstandlngatyearend | |||||
| g5 | Otherl-iabr lties |
| 1. | GeneralFunds heldatYIE3110812022 |
L41 | 447 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | RestrictedFundsheld | L37 | 782 |
| 3 | EndowmentFundsheld | t3 | 348 |
| 4. | ReservespolicyforGeneral Funds |
||
| TheTrustees aimtomaintainfreereservesinthe General Fund | (unrestricted)at a levelwhich | ||
| equatesto approximatelysixmonths of unrestrictedexpenditure. |