MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS
31 AUGUST 2025
Charity Number 1178813
MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the independently examined financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2025.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Charity Name: Market Harborough Methodist Church Charity Registration Number: 1178813
THE TRUSTEES (Church Council)
The Trustees who served the charity during the period were as follows:
Rev’d Nathan Falla (Superintendent Minister) Revd Andrew T Murphy (Chair) Neil Hadkiss (Secretary) Richard Huntington (Treasurer) Church Stewards Catherine Clarke Paul Colliss Emma Ferreri Helen Green Maggie Hadkiss Rachel Hounsfield Emily Murphy
Other members of the Church Council Anita Beer Gill Billington Susie Colliss Alan Cox Margaret Cox David Haddow Peter Hales Shirley Hales Christine Hodgson Sue Nixon Caroline Osborne John Pearce Susan Routley Hannah Russell Ruth Thomas-Twinn
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
THE TRUSTEES (Church Council) (continued)
In attendance from the East Mercia Methodist Circuit:
Marilyn Calvert
Independent Examiner
Sarah Atwell-King
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Market Harborough Methodist Church is part of the East Mercia 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 merged 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 Superintendent Minister oversees the whole Circuit, with a Circuit Leadership Team of lay and ordained people.
The Superintendent Minister delegates responsibility for the church to the Minister in pastoral charge, who is supported by internal groups and committees as follows:
Church Council
The Superintendent Minister, the Minister appointed to the Church, Church Stewards, Treasurer, Church Council Secretary, up to 21 representative Church Members (elected annually by the General Church Meeting). 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.
Church Leadership Team
Regular meetings of Church Stewards and all other Church officers to ensure a forward-vision in the life of the Church and bring bringing proposals to the Church Council.
Pastoral Committee
Minister and Pastoral Visitors. Concerned with the pastoral care of Church members and attendees, maintenance of membership roll and promotion of fellowship through church groups.
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.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (continued)
Church & Community Chaplain
The Circuit has appointed a lay chaplain to assist the minister in the pastoral work of the church and in community outreach. She works 18 hours per week, of which approximately 6 hours are spent in our church and community in Market Harborough.
Children and Youth Work Activities
Leaders of the various groups of children’s activities are accountable to the Church Council, and to the Church and Circuit Safeguarding Officers, and their activities are reviewed regularly.
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 is 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.
Management
The Trustees have maintained financial management arrangements requiring dual signatures on all cheques and other payment methods, 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.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT (continued)
Day to Day management of the premises of the Church and the caretaking staff is delegated to the Church Leadership Team, some members of which are members of the Church Council.
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: evangelism, worship, service, learning and caring. The Methodist Church is called to be a growing, inclusive, evangelistic and justice-seeking church.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Every effort is made to ensure that the services are excellent in quality and accessible and inviting to all. As part of the ‘Inclusive Church’ network and as an ‘Eco-Church’ (silver award), the church endeavours to be both inclusive to all and ecologically sound.
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
The pattern of Sunday worship has been sustained with weekly services at 10.15am every Sunday, and occasional other services for special days and festivals. The church has a willingness to innovate as well as maintaining a tradition of excellence, and continues to welcome visitors and new members. Our congregation is regularly around 80 people.
The ‘live streaming’ system to the church’s YouTube internet site continues to allow housebound and other members to experience worship in their own homes alongside the congregation in the Church or at a later date. Our Sunday services regularly gain 50-100 views online.
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. £30,438 (2024 £27,802) 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 2025
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (continued)
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, and to continue to grow, learn and serve, in fellowship, worship and service in the community. In the year 2024-25, we received seven new members and conducted two baptisms of adults. Sadly, three members died during this period, while a further two funerals were conducted by our minister on behalf of the church. There were no weddings conducted during the year. The current membership is just over 100.
Community Service
The premises remain available to a wide range of community groups and activities, including youth and community organisations, various charities, musical groups, and mutual interest groups such as the U3A. Church members engage as volunteers with a number of these organisations and others outside of church premises. In particular, members support the Jubilee Food Bank, the Bower House counselling service, and are involved in collecting for Christian Aid.
We have continued our regular café for Ukrainian people, established in 2022 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 regular Sunday School which meets 2 or 3 times per month, with currently around 7 children regularly attending.
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‘Pizza Club’ is a fortnightly gathering for young people in school years 4-9, 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 the young people once again presented our Christmas Nativity Service. In total, 37 young people attended (with around half of them attending 10 sessions or more).
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‘Stay, Play and Weigh’ is a fortnightly group for parents with babies, run by volunteers from the Church. This has continued to grow in popularity, and is always very busy, with 30-40 families regularly attending.
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The Minister also regularly leads assemblies or classroom sessions in two Market Harborough primary schools, and Welland Park Academy (secondary school), as well as two other village schools in the area. In 2024-25, the minister was involved in 32 live assemblies, two visits from GCSE classes to the church, one school carol service, and 5 classroom talks.
Ecumenical Links
The Church has participated actively in Churches Together in Harborough (CTH) and supported the ecumenical events organised. Our premises also hosted a ‘Holiday at Home’ event for older citizens during the summer holidays, organised by CTH.
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MARKET HARBOROUGH METHODIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Church achieved a small surplus for the year ended 31 August 2025 as expenditure on routine maintenance of the buildings returned to more normal levels. Offerings from members were 9% higher than the previous year and Gift Aid increased accordingly. During the year, it became necessary to replace the front part of the Church roof, at a cost of £48,000 due to deterioration of the underlying felt. Church members donated over half the cost; the balance being covered by a grant from the East Mercia Circuit.
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 45.9% of annual General Fund expenditure. (2024 = 40.7%).
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| AC | COUNTSFOR THEYEARENDED31AU | GUST2025 | Market | Harborou | gh | Church | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Totalsthis | Totalslast | |||||
| SECTIONA | Funds | Funds | year | |||||
| f, | € | f, | e | |||||
| a1 | RECEIPTS | Note | ||||||
| a2 | Offerings andTaxrecovered | 77,998 | 58,272 | 136,270 | 78,225 | |||
| Bank and CFB interest and | ||||||||
| a3 | lnvestment income | 2,781 | 2,834 | 5,615 | 5,442 | |||
| a4 | Lettings | 25,402 | 25,402 | 26,047 | ||||
| a5 | Other receipts | 544 | 9,656 | 10,200 | 11,563 | |||
| a6 | TOTALRECEIPTS | 106,725 | 70,762 | 177,487 | (a7l | 121,277 | ||
| SECTIONB | ||||||||
| b1 | PAYMENTS | |||||||
| b2 | Circuit Assessment orShare | 50,334 | 50,334 | 45,390 | ||||
| b3 | Donations | 17,782 | 17,782 | 23,409 | ||||
| b4 | Repairs and Maintenance | 30,438 | 48,173 | 78,611 | 27,802 | |||
| Utilities(lnsurances,water | ||||||||
| b5 | charges, heating & lighting) | 12,248 | 12,248 | '10,766 | ||||
| b6 | Capital Projects | 1,870 | ' | .,870 | 3,090 | |||
| b7 | Otherpayments | 6,088 | 6,088 | 7,095 | ||||
| b8 | TOTALPAYMENTS | 100,978 | 65,955 | 166,933 | (be) | 117,552 | ||
| SECTIONC | ||||||||
| NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS | ||||||||
| c1 | FOR THEYEAR | (a6:!!) | 5,747 | 4,807 | 10 | 3,725 | ||
| Totalfundsbrought fonuard from | ||||||||
| c2 | lastyear | 46,564 | 71,910 | 118,474 | (c6) | 112,883 | ||
| c3 | Subtotal | (c1+c2) | 52,311 | 76,717 | 129,028 | 11 608 |
||
| c4 | Transfers and adjustments | 1,331 | 1,331 | (c7l | 1,866 | |||
| c5 | TOTALFUNDSATEND OFYEAR | (c3+c4) | 53,642 | 76,717 | {30,359 | (cB) | 118,474 | (c6) |
| INTERNAL | Net Receipts/ | Opening | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORGANISATIONS | Receipts | Adiustments | balances | Closinq balances | |||||
| el | Benevolence Fund | 1,137 | 1,182 | 944 | |||||
| -1 | Bowls Club | 202 | 202 | ||||||
| e3 | Tooether Lunches | 2,893 | (700) | 534 | 418 | ||||
| e4 | Tuesdav Coffee Morninqs | 2.102 | (631) | 1,213 | 579 | ||||
| e5 | |||||||||
| e6 | |||||||||
| e7 | |||||||||
| e8 | Sub total of lnternal Oroanisations funds |
6,132 | 789 | 3,1 31 | {e11) | 2,143 | (e121 | ||
| Church accounts(totals | |||||||||
| e9 | brought forwardfrompage 2-totalscolumn) |
177,487 (a7l | 1,331 (c7) | 1',18,474 | (c6) | 130,359 | (cs) | ||
| e10 | TOTALCASH FUNDSHE,LL' BYCHURCH |
183,61I | '172,722 | 121,605 | (x) | 132,502 | (v) | ||
| Continue onaseparate sheet | |||||||||
| if necessary and bring the totalsfoMard |
TOTALRECEIPTS | PAYMENTS |
| STATEMENTOFASS | ETSAND LIABILITIES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPENING | CLOSING | ||||||
| CHURCH FUNDS HELDat31 |
2025 | BALANCES | BALANCES | ||||
| fl | Cash in hand | ||||||
| f2 | Bank Current Account | 2.015 | 1,044 | ||||
| f3 | Bank Deposit Account | ||||||
| f4 | Central Finance Board | 52,497 | 63,283 | ||||
| f5 | Trustees for Methodist | ChurchPurposes | 63,962 | 66,032 | |||
| f6 | Other funds | ||||||
| f7 | SUBTOTAL-Church | accounts | 118,474 | (c6) | 130,359 | (c8) | |
| f8 | Total funds held by lnternal Organisations(the closing balance total from above)(e12) |
3,131 | (e11) | 2,143 | (e12| | ||
| f9 | TOTALCASH FUNDS | HELDBY CHURCH | ,t21,605 | (x) | 132,502 | (v) | |
| SECTIONG | At | At | |||||
| 1September2024 | 31August 2025 | ||||||
| LIABILITIES | |||||||
| lnvestments(includeEndowments) | 34,836 | 35j22 | |||||
| s2 | Land & Buildinqs(seenotes relnsurance value) | 3.400.374 | 3.488,795 | ||||
| s3 | Other Assets | ||||||
| s4 | Loan(s)-show amount | outstandinqatyear end | |||||
| s5 | OtherLiabilities |
| 1. | GeneralFunds held atYIE3110812025 | t53.642(2024=[46,563) | t53.642(2024=[46,563) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | RestrictedFunds held | t41 | =t37 |
| 3 | EndowmentFundsheld | 122 |