Debre-Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church London
Trustees' Annual Report for the year end 31[st] December 2022
Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
Contents
Reference and administration details .......................................................................................................................... 1 Structure, governance and management ................................................................................................................... 2 Appointment of Trustees ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Performance and Achievements ............................................................................................................................... 3-4 Public Benefit .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 Financial review .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Reserves policy .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Declaration ...................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Independent examiner’s report to the trustees/members of ‘Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in London’ ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Statement of Financial Activities…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8 Balance Sheet……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9 Notes to the Accounts…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………10-11
Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
Reference and administration details
Charity Name: Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Registered Charity number: 1180553 (and Shell charity number 1124941) Charity's Principal Address: St. Michael's Road
Cricklewood London NW2 6XG
Names of Trustees during the year:
-
Rev Kefeyalew Aschalew
-
Rev Addis Abebe (From 25 October 2020)
-
Rev. Kibret Asnakew (From 25 October 2020) 4. Rev. Samuel Asres (From 25 October 2020)
-
Mr Aschalew Terefe Zeleke (From 25 October 2020)
-
Mr Mesfin Taddesse Demu (From 25 October 2020) 7. Mr Samuel Wodajo (From 25 October 2020) 8. Ms Raheal Gelana (From 25 October 2020) 9. Rev. Fisseha Teferi (From 25 October 2020)
Independent Examiner: Mr. Gizachew Weldeyes, FCCA.
Bankers: Lloyds Bank plc 25 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HN
Barclays Bank (UK) PLC 147-149 Ray Lane London SE15 4ST
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Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
Structure, governance and management
As a body of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC), Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (DGHTC) follows the Canon Laws of EOTC and the guidance of the Holy Synod, whose seat is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Diocese of the United Kingdom and Ireland EOTC represents the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the UK.
DGHTC is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) (Charity No. 1180553) since November 2018. The original charity will be closed once all assets are transferred to the new charity (CIO). We are transferring all assets to the CIO to close the unincorporated charity.
The Trustees held regular meetings via Zoom or at the church office and are responsible for the day-to-day running of the church's activities and the financial and legal aspects of the charity. Relevant matters may be submitted to the church General Assembly of Members' Meeting for resolution or may be raised by members for further consideration by the Trustees.
Appointment of Trustees
The church is governed by its Constitution, and the Parish Administration Council (PAC) (the Trustees) of the charity are elected by the church members at a General Assembly Meeting for a three-year term with the prime responsibility of managing the church's day-to-day affairs. In addition to the pastoral and legal guidance mentioned above, the church has internal policies, guidelines and procedures that guide the dayto-day running of the charity. All congregants are encouraged to be church members and to exercise their rights and duties, including electing and standing for PAC election.
Objectives
The mission of DGHT church is promoting the message of Christ to the world to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Apostolic Faith and Acts of The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and emulation of Christ's mission to the world, particularly in His ministry to transform individual lives, communities, and the world, and to share the burden of the most vulnerable in society and to cater the needs of some of the neediest people irrespective of their faith.
The second objective of the church is to help young people grow into responsible and dependable citizens. It focuses on teaching and supporting the youth to protect themselves from substance abuse, antisocial behaviours and other distractions through Christian moral teachings and engagement in various religious and social activities to build solid moral integrity shared by the church community and the wider society.
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Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
The PAC is responsible for promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. PAC members are charity Trustees. The PAC must ensure compliance with charity law, church (ecclesiastical) law and exercise prudence and a duty of care.
To advance these objectives, the PAC carries out different activities, in line with the guidance set out in The Charity Commission's general regulation on public benefit.
Performance and Achievements
Worship and prayer
Church services in 2022 have been expanded based on congregational needs. The clergy have been kind and supportive of the program's success. Although difficulties and trials have been faced by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Ethiopia and its faithful, the unity and active prayers for those suffering and being prosecuted remain encouraging.
We also made improvement works and continue to work on the buildings to ensure the preservation of the building is appropriately looked after. The support from skilled members of the church is impressive and very encouraging.
The church welcomes visitors and worshippers from the area and outside the parish boundary. Visitors attend by personal choice, and it is our great pleasure to receive anyone from all walks of life to participate in the church's life. We contend that voluntary attendance to worship God is a significant demonstration of the public benefit of our activities.
We continue to have weekly Saturday mass service and youth spiritual and communal involvement services. The church also has two regular monthly liturgy services. Welcoming new congregation members has continued and has been a great encouragement to welcome new members to DGHT church.
We look to encourage the deepening of faith for all ages, and alongside our regular spiritual services, there are programs for children and young people to join in. Children were at the center of the church activities, and through the church's various subcommittees, it has worked tirelessly to enable children and young persons to stay safe and healthy, enjoy life, achieve their potential, and positively contribute to the community.
The Parish Administration Council has taken several measures to cater to the needs of the children and young adults, ensuring that the youth receive proper spiritual
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Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
services in the language they understand most. Our Children's Ministry Youth Ministry are particularly essential to how we help the younger members of our church grow in their faith. A significant area in which the Children's Service seeks to share the Christian faith and moral values is through the development of continued training. These trainings consist of leadership development, leadership in youth ministry, deaconship studies and hosting bible studies programs. The primary purpose is for them to learn how to positively influence society, and help them develop in community service provision.
Special services at Christmas and Easter were well attended as usual, and five other annual feasts of the church have also been celebrated. Through baptism, we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage, vows are exchanged with God's blessing; and through funeral services, friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life which is now complete in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping. We have celebrated over 55 baptisms and five weddings and held 15 prayer services for the departed in our church this year.
During the season of the Great Lent, we held mass liturgies, evening prayers and bible studies during weekdays and morning liturgies on the weekends. The two-week fasting period preceding the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady Virgin Mary feast was also celebrated similarly, with mass liturgy, evening prayers, and bible studies every day. Various people have delivered preaching and covered different themes during these times.
We continue to share the good news of Jesus through a range of programs and ministries that we run. Pastoral Care for families and troubled or needy individuals has also been provided throughout 2022. In addition to individual guidance and counselling services, our clergies have provided counselling and mediation services to couples and families that are going through difficult times. The clergies have visited all church members who have requested a service to celebrate communion at their homes or in the hospital.
The DGHTC has continued its ecumenical role by teaching people new to the Orthodox Christian faith and promoting tolerance in the community for those of other religions and none. Clerical services such as schools, character references, and holy matrimony have also been provided to church members and the wider community.
Public Benefit
The Trustees are aware of the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission, and we believe that the church activities described above provide significant public benefit in line with the guidance. It has always been the vision of the church to reach as many people as possible in our community with the Christian message and to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
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Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
Acknowledgements
Praising God first for giving us the means and opportunity to serve His Church, the PAC would like to give special thanks to all DGHTC clergies who have continued serving the church with great passion and dedication. We are also grateful for everyone who participated, including the Sunday school services and all other subcommittees' contributions to the church services in various ways.
Financial review
The annual accounts for 2022 have been prepared. They are recommended by the PAC to the Annual General Church Meeting thanks to the hard work of our Finance Officers from the Parish Administration Council and our independent examiner.
During the current year, the church administration observed the following: It was mainly due to the expansion of the overall activities of the church that the church's income and expenditures increased by about 23.28% and 6.71%, respectively, during the year.The church administration has managed to keep sufficient funds to cover its running costs for over a year and keep it in operational existence for the foreseeable future
Reserves policy
The PAC's policy is to maintain sufficient funds, if possible, which equates to approximately 12 months, to cover mortgage payments, bills, maintenance, clergy transportation and any emergencies that may arise occasionally.
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Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London
Declaration
The Parish Administration Council (Trustees) declares that it approves the above report. Signed on behalf of the Trustees,
Signature:
Date:
Rev. Kefeyalew Aschalew
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Independent Examiner's Report on the accounts of ‘Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in London’
| Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages Responsibilities and basis of report Independent examiner's statement |
‘Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in London’ | ||
| 31 December 2022 | Charity no: | 1180553 (Shell charity no.1124941) |
|
| 8 to 11 | |||
| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2022. As the charity's trustees, 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 Trust’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. I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the ACCA_._ I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: • the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or • the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or • the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. |
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: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: |
26/10/2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gizachew Weldeyes | ||
| ACCA | ||
| 24 Geary Court | ||
| 24 The Concourse | ||
| N9 0TQ |
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ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
| NOTE Incoming resources Income from: Donations 4 Charitable Activities 5 Total Resources expended Expenditure on: Raising funds 6 Charitable Activities 7 Total Net income Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
TOTAL TOTAL 2022 2021 £ £ 225,144 191,181 162,495 123,262 |
|---|---|
| 387,639 314,443 |
|
| 70,459 44,130 85,758 102,264 |
|
| 156,217 146,394 |
|
| 231,422 168,049 |
|
| 1,833,537 1,665,488 |
|
| 2,064,958 1,833,537 |
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ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2022
| NOTE FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets 2 TOTAL FIXED ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank and on hand 3 Prepayments TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS LIABILITIES Amounts falling due with in one year NET CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors:Amount falling due after more than one year NET ASSETS REPRESENTED BY Reserves Income and Expenditure Statement ACCUMULATED FUNDS |
TOTAL TOTAL 2022 2021 £ £ 1,977,160 1,999,739 |
|---|---|
| 1,977,160 1,999,739 |
|
| 972,540 765,039 1,834 1,692 |
|
| 974,374 766,731 |
|
| 10,000 59,603 |
|
| 964,374 707,128 |
|
| 2,941,534 2,706,867 876,576 873,330 |
|
| 2,064,958 1,833,537 |
|
| 2,064,958 1,833,537 |
|
| 2,064,958 1,833,537 |
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ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
1 Accounting Policies
Basis of accounting
The churche's accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Statement of Recomended Practice for Charities (SORP)
Going Concern
The trustees have reviewed the financial plans for the coming year and are satisfied that it is appropriate to prepare the accounts on a going concern basis
Capitalization and depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Fixed assets are initially recorded at cost. Depreciation is calculated as follows:
| Building | 1% Per annum Staight-Line | 1% Per annum Staight-Line |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 25% Per annum staight-Line | |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | |
| Note 2 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Tangible Assets | £ | £ |
| Building | 2,050,000 | 2,050,000 |
| Equipment | 13,532 | 12,228 |
| Less:Accoumulated Depreciation Building | 76,875 | 56,375 |
| Less:Accoumulated Depreciation Equipment | 9,497 | 6,114 |
| 1,977,160 | 1,999,739 | |
| Note 3 | ||
| Cash at bank and on hand | ||
| Cash at bank | 971,970 | 762,411 |
| Cash on hand | 570 | 2,628 |
| 972,540 | 765,039 | |
| Note 4 | ||
| Donations | ||
| Members Contributions | 197,051 | 146,644 |
| Tithe and Gift | 28,093 | 44,537 |
| 225,144 | 191,181 |
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ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021
| Note 5 Charitable activities Babtism Certificates Sunday School Marriage Certificates Funeral Prayers Prayers Sales Annual Conference Collections Note 6 Cost of raising funds Allowances Conference Feasts Telephone Postage,Stationery,Printing and church materials Others Note 7 Cost of charitable activities Insurance Cleaning Subscription Water,Gas and Electricity Travel and Transport Bank Charges Repais and Maintenace Donation and Gifts Legal and Professional Depreciation |
TOTAL TOTAL 2022 2021 £ £ 7,820 5,420 2,921 2,222 300 430 5,282 4,515 1,725 2,338 43,539 20,944 12,872 13,740 88,035 73,652 |
|---|---|
| 162,495 123,262 |
|
| 61,511 32,270 0 0 0 0 626 533 7,232 10,062 1,090 1,265 |
|
| 70,459 44,130 |
|
| 8,906 8,312 2,047 995 144 0 2,985 700 100 0 44,449 32,606 3,245 11,094 0 0 0 25,000 23,883 23,557 |
|
| 85,758 102,264 |
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