Independent examiner’s report
to the trustees of
Christ Church Romford
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for the above charity for the year ending 31 December 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation, 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 CIO’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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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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.
Signed:
Name: Jon Trinder Address: 116 Shepherds Hill Harold Wood RM3 0NJ
Date: 24 Oct 2024
Charity Name No (if any) Christ Church Romford 1180079 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1/1/2023 31/12/2023 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Endowment Restricted funds Total funds Last year funds funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Giving | - | 50,082- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 50,082- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Church Offerings | - | 920- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 920- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| One off donations | - | 5,000- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 5,000- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Gift aid received | - | 10,677- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 10,677- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| CPC youth weekend | - | 210- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 210- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | - | 66,889- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 66,889- | - | -- |
| A2 Asset and investment sales, | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (see table). | ||||||||||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| Sub total | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| **Total receipts ** | - | 66,889- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 66,889- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| A3 Payments | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Salaries (Including NI & Pensions) | - | 48,951- | - | -- | - | 48,951- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
| Rent | - | 9,220- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 9,220- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Insurance | - | 261- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 261- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Professional Subscriptions | - | 142- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 142- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Safeguarding | - | 145- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 145- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Audit Fees | - | 200- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 200- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Bank Charges | - | 60- | - | 60- | ||||||||||||||||
| IPC Donation | - | 1,500- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 1,500- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| Church activities | - | 1,873- | - | 1,873- | ||||||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | 62,352- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 62,352- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| A4 Asset and investment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| purchases, (see table) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
| **Total payments ** | - | 62,352- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 62,352- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | - | 4,537- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 4,537- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | - | 32,521- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 32,521- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| **Cash funds this year end ** | - | 37,058- | - | -- | - | -- | - | 37,058- | - | -- | ||||||||||
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestricted | Restricted funds | Restricted funds | Endowment | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | funds | funds | |||||||||||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||||||||||
| B1 | Cash | funds | Cash at HSBC | - | 37,058- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| Total cash funds | - | 37,058- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account (s)) |
OK | OK | OK |
29/10/2024CCXX R accounts (SS)
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| B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Details | Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
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Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| Details Details Signature David Thomas (Oct 29, 2024 21:34 GMT) |
Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Print Name David Thomas Daniel Smith |
Current value (optional) |
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| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval | ||||
| David Thomas | 29/10/24 | |||
| Daniel Smith | 29/10/2024 | |||
29/10/2024CCXX R accounts (SS)
2
Trustees’ Annual Report 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2023
Charity Name: Registered Charity Number:
Christ Church Romford
1180079
Name of Managing Trustees:
| Trustee Name | Ofce | Dates acting as Trustees |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Fenn | Chairman | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 |
| Daniel Smith | Vice Chair | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 |
| Rev. David Thomas | Pastor | Jan 2023 - Dec 2023 |
Objectives and Activities:
The trustees of Christ Church Romford (CIO), have the responsibility of cooperating with the elders of the church to advance the Christian faith for the public benefit in Romford, the UK and worldwide in accordance with the church’s Statement of Faith.
Structure, Governance and Management
The appointment of trustees at Christ Church Romford is set out in the Constitution to be the minister of the church along with others who were appointed trustees at the incorporation of the charity. The trustees met formally on three occasions during the year 2023 and met informally on several further occasions. We held an Annual Church Meeting for regular church attendees on 29[th] October 2023.
The trustees of the church who are registered with the charity commission did not change during the year and therefore the trustees registered with the Charity Commission as of 31 December 2023 were:
Mr. Eric Fenn (Chairman) Mr. Daniel Smith (Vice Chair) Rev. David Thomas
The trustees actively look to appoint suitable additional trustees to share responsibilities as beneficial.
Administrative Information
Christ Church Romford is situated in the Mawneys area of Romford in Havering. It is a part of the International Presbyterian Church denomination. The correspondence address is 67 Linley Crescent, RM7 8RB.
The church owns no property of our own and leases a hall for our Sunday morning meetings in the Mawneys area of Romford. We continue to have a good relationship with the owners of the hall.
Summary of Activities:
The trustees are committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to foster community and relationships based on the Christian faith within Christ Church Romford.
When planning and evaluating our activities and ministries for the year, the pastor of the church and the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and guidance for charities for the advancement of religion. In particular we seek to enable people to discover, understand and grow in faith in Jesus Christ through:
| Worship and prayer | providing public weekly Christian worship services to declare the gospel and teach and support those who are seekingto live as disciples of the Lord Jesus. |
|---|---|
| Pastoral care and oversight | ofering spiritual and practical support in line with the Christian faith, to those members of the church who have particular needs |
| Mission and outreach | seeking to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who want to discover more about Biblical Christianity |
Specific Risks:
There have been no specific risks to the charity for the period.
Christ Church Romford – Charity Number 1180079
Achievements:
Worship and Prayer
Over the course of the year Christ Church Romford has sought to offer an act of worship, gathering in person on Sunday morning at St John’s Hall on Mawney Road. We have sought to include singing, prayers and celebrating the Lord’s Supper and have provided reading, teaching and preaching from the Bible throughout the year. We love to welcome those of all ages to our worship service, including children.
We have sought to support children, young people and adults with activities to consider Biblical teaching, doctrine and to provide pastoral support. On several occasions throughout the year we have shared lunch together as a church family, either at the hall in which we meet or at one of the members’ homes.
From October 2023 we began a First Sunday of the Month Evening Worship Service, to help families and individuals make good use of Sundays as a day focused on God.
We have welcomed a number of new families and individuals from Romford and the wider local area to our Sunday morning activities. We have seen several couples join us. We have also welcomed two new babies into the church family and celebrated two of our members getting married to each other.
During the year we were glad to baptise three people in total, one person on profession of faith and two children as covenant members of the church. At the beginning of the year, the church membership stood at 20 communing members (members admitted to the Lord’s Table) along with 5 non-communing members (baptised children of communing members).
During the year we welcomed 10 new members into communing membership, two of whom had been non-communing members, who were admitted to the Lord’s Supper on a profession of faith. The two baptised children became non-communing members of the church. We continue to encourage others into membership through membership classes. At the close of the year the church membership stood at 30 communing members and 5 non-communing members.
Our weekly midweek Prayer Meeting provides an opportunity for the church family to pray together, and we additionally held a week of prayer at the beginning of the year.
Christ Church Romford – Charity Number 1180079
Mission and Evangelism
During the year we have engaged in some door-to-door work, inviting those around the church hall to join us for our Carol service and Christmas activities. In October we ran a Hope Explored course for those wanting to explore the Christian faith, and our pastor also met up with individuals to do one to one Bible reading and share the gospel.
We continue to seek to share the Christian good news and invite people to join us in worshipping the living God together.
Pastoral Care
As a relatively small church, we seek to foster a strong church family ethos and our pastor seeks to maintain ongoing contact with each family and individual connected to the church, through hospitality and more focused meetings to offer pastoral support where required. During the year, the minister has offered more intensive support to a number of members and attendees who have been in difficult circumstances.
General pastoral support for all the church has been received through the weekly preaching and teaching ministry and pastoral visiting has progressed throughout the year, with membership interviews for those seeking to enter membership.
Those families who have welcomed new babies, along with those recently bereaved, have been supported through the organisation of the supply of cooked meals for a few weeks after their life event.
We have run a group for those in their 20-30s to provide an opportunity to study and for fellowship and have invited those from other like-minded churches in this age range to these events. We additionally saw a number of our young people go to Christian camps during August.
All of those at Christ Church who have volunteered to work with children and vulnerable adults have been DBS checked and all of our ministries have been run in accordance with our Safeguarding policy.
For those who are unable to attend our worship services we make previous sermons available to access online.
Christ Church Romford – Charity Number 1180079
Leadership
At the June IPC Presbytery meeting, a motion was passed for Simon Arscott and Chris Roberts, ministers at All Nations Church, IPC, Ilford, to continue as loan-elders at Christ Church Romford, for a further period of 12 months. While the pastor understands the importance of raising up elders from within the church, the addition of two elders has helped with preaching and pastoral support for the church this year.
In addition to meeting church members as necessary, the eldership meet twice monthly to discuss relevant matters and additionally meet later in the month to pray together for the church family.
Church Relations
We have been grateful for our partnerships and collaboration with other churches throughout the year. On several occasions throughout the year, we have run joint events, including the 20-30s ministry, with All Nations Church, Ilford, who belong to the same denomination.
We have remained active members of the International Presbyterian Church (IPC) with the pastor and others from the church attending presbytery and synod meetings on four occasions during the year in London, Derby, and York. The pastor additionally attended the annual IPC Catalyst Conference in June.
Our pastor is a part of a locally organised ministers fraternal and meets with other church ministers at various groups throughout the year. In addition, the pastor has preached at a number of other churches, and we have welcomed ministers to preach for us on occasion.
Finances and Reserve Policy
As a church we seek to be financially self-sustaining. In 2023 we received one significant donation from outside the church family. We were thankful to see approximately a 10% increase in our internal budgeted giving from 2022, arising from a number of new regular attendees and some increase in giving by others.
We encourage all those who are regular attenders to give financially towards supporting the objectives and activities of the church, as they are able.
As promised in 2022, a voluntary payment of £1500 was made to the International Presbyterian Church to support Church Planting and Ministry Training ministries. These figures are reflected in the accompanying accounts.
Our intention is to maintain an amount of three months average expenditure in funds.
Christ Church Romford – Charity Number 1180079
Volunteers
We would like to thank all of the church members and attendees who act in various ways as volunteers for their hard work to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. Without their support, Christ Church Romford would not be the welcoming church it endeavours to be.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signed:
Eric Fenn (Oct 29, 2024 21:32 GMT)
29/10/24
Eric Fenn (Chairman of Trustees)
Christ Church Romford – Charity Number 1180079