## **Debre-Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church London** **Trustees' Annual Report for the year end 31[st] December 2023** 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 ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Financial review .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Reserves policy .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Declaration ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Independent examiner’s report to the trustees/members of ‘Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in London’………………………………………………………………………………………….6 Statement of Financial Activities ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Balance Sheet ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Notes to the Accounts .............................................................................................................................................. ..9-10 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: 1. Rev Kefeyalew Aschalew 2. Rev Addis Abebe (From 25 October 2020) 3. Rev. Kibret Asnakew (From 25 October 2020) 4. Rev. Samuel Asres (From 25 October 2020) 5. Mr Aschalew Terefe Zeleke (From 25 October 2020) 6. 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, BSC, FCCA. Bankers: Lloyds Bank plc 25 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HN Barclays Bank (UK) PLC 147-149 Ray Lane London SE15 4ST Page 1 of 10 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 has been a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) (Charity No. 1180553) since November 2018. The Trustees meet fortnightly 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 ecclesiastical and legal guidance mentioned above, the Church has internal policies, guidelines and procedures that guide the day-to-day running of the charity. All congregants are encouraged to be members of the Church 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. The PAC is responsible for promoting the mission of the Church in the ecclesiastical parish, as well as pastoral, evangelical, social, and ecumenical. PAC members are charity Trustees. The PAC must ensure compliance with charity law, (ecclesiastical) law and exercise prudence and a duty of Care. To advance these objectives, the PAC carries out different activities that align with the guidance set out in The Charity Commission's general regulation on public benefit. Page 2 of 10 Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London ## **Performance and Achievements** The year 2023 started with an excellent Christmas service. The Church welcomes visitors and worshippers from the area and outside the parish. The volunteers within the Church worked tirelessly to make the Church welcoming to the congregation. The Sunday services, including the holy mass, the choir, and the youth fellowship, progressed well and were attended by many faithful. Our Sunday morning service remains the most highly attended service, and we also added weekly Saturday spiritual and communal involvement services. The Church also has two regular monthly liturgy services. Over the year, we have seen a steady rise in service attendance, and it has been a great encouragement to welcome new members to DGHT church. The Saturday services continued to grow from strength to strength, especially attendancewise. It is a practical alternative to Sunday services for those who can not attend on Sundays. Our program for young people has been very encouraging. Youth are very interested in learning about their faith and using it in daily practical life. The Parish Administration Council has taken several measures to cater to the needs of the children and young adults, ensuring that the services are catered to be useful not only as spiritual guidance but also to be humble and kind with complete confidence. As always during 2023, Children were at the centre of the church activities, and through the Church's various sub-committees, 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. 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 and have free discussions. During Lent, the Church provided daily mass and evening prayer services and left the Church open all day long to ensure it was used for private prayers and meditation for those interested in using it. The Parish Administration Council also developed its communication with the community, and as part of the community engagement, it created a positive relationship with the primary school nearby. The Parish Administration Council happily offered the school the opportunity to use the Church for carol services. The Church, as always, welcomes visitors and worshippers from within and outside the parish boundary. Visitors attend by personal choice, and it is our great pleasure to welcome 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. The children and youth services programs progress with strength. The number of attendees also increased. Our Children's Ministry and Youth Ministry are particularly critical to how we help the younger members of our Church grow in their faith. The Church has been offering a range of services during the week and over the year that are both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling to the community. For example, evening prayers provided a quiet, intimate, and reflective environment for worship. We continue to share the good news of Jesus through a range of programs and ministries that we run. Pastoral Care for families, as well as for troubled or needy individuals, has also been provided throughout 2023. In addition to individual guidance and counselling services, our clergies have provided counselling and mediation services to couples and families that are going through Page 3 of 10 Debre Genet Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church - London difficult times. Our clergies also coordinated visitation of the sick, housebound and elderlies. The clergies have visited congregants at home or in hospitals who have requested a service to celebrate communion. The DGHTC has continued its ecumenical role by teaching people new to the Orthodox Christian faith and promoting tolerance and living with harmony in the community with others. Clerical services such as schools, character references, and holy matrimony have also been provided to church members. The church youth service provision of food to the homeless on Fridays has grown increasingly, and more volunteers have come forward to join and support the cause. ## **Public Benefit** The Trustees are aware of the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission, and we believe that the Church's 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. ## **Acknowledgements** Praising God first for giving us the means and opportunity to serve His Church, the PAC would like to thank all DGHTC clergies who have continued serving the Church with great passion and dedication. The Trustees are grateful to everyone who participated in different forms to benefit the Church, including the Sunday school services, youth and children services in general, and all other sub-committees who contribute to the church services in various ways. ## **Financial review** The annual accounts for 2023 have been prepared thanks to the work of our finance officers from the Parish Administration Council. And the PAC recommends them to the Annual General Church Meeting. The church’s administration managed to raise more income compared to the previous year enabling it to do some maintenance work and cover a spike in electricity and mortgage interest costs. It has also managed to set aside sufficient funds to cover its costs and keep it in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Overall, both total income and expenditure have gone up by 24% and 89% respectively. Despite the significant increase in expenditure, the total fund has gone up by a modest 8.8% and the target reserve balance has been exceeded. ## **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 allowance, and any emergencies that may arise occasionally. The target is a reserve balance of £150,000 cash at the bank at the year-end. Page 4 of 10 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: 28/10/2024 ## **Rev. Kefeyalew Aschalew** Page 5 of 10 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 2023|**Charity no:**|1180553 (Shell
charity no.1124941)| ||||| ||7 to 10||| ||I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2023.
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:**

||26/10/2024| |||| ||Gizachew Weldeyes|| |||| ||ACCA|| |||| ||24 Geary Court|| ||24 The Concourse|| ||N9 0TQ|| Page 6 of 10 ## **ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON** ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** |**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**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
319,915
225,144
159,259
162,495| |---|---| ||**479,174**
**387,639**| ||80,427
70,459
215,219
85,758| ||**295,647**
**156,217**| ||| ||**183,527**
**231,422**| ||| ||2,064,958
1,833,537| ||| ||**2,248,485**
**2,064,958**| Page 7 of 10 ## **ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON** ## **BALANCE SHEET** ## **AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023** |**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**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
1,953,277
1,977,160| |---|---| ||**1,953,277**
**1,977,160**| ||1,142,436
972,540
1,652
1,834| ||**1,144,088**
**974,374**| ||624
10,000| ||**1,143,464**
**964,374**| ||3,096,741
2,941,534
848,256
876,576| ||**2,248,485**
**2,064,958**| ||| ||2,248,485
2,064,958| ||**2,248,485**
**2,064,958**| Page 8 of 10 **ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** ## **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 Equipment 1% Per annum Staight-Line 25% Per annum staight-Line |**Note 2**
**Tangible Assets**
Building
Equipment
Less:Accoumulated Depreciation Building
Less:Accoumulated Depreciation Equipment
**Note 3**
**Cash at bank and on hand**
Cash at bank
Cash on hand
**Note 4**
**Donations**
Members Contributions
Tithe and Gift|**TOTAL**
**TOTAL**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
2,050,000
2,050,000
13,532
13,532
97,375
76,875
12,880
9,497| |---|---| ||**1,953,277**
**1,977,160**| ||1,127,490
971,970
14,946
570| ||**1,142,436**
**972,540**| ||293,789
197,051
26,126
28,093| ||**319,915**
**225,144**| Page 9 of 10 ## **ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHDO DEBRE GENET HOLY TRINITY CHURCH IN LONDON** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023** |**Note 5**
**Charitable activities**
Babtism Certificates
Sunday School
Marriage Certificates
Funeral Prayers
Prayers
Sales
Gift Aid
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 and Bank Interest
Repais and Maintenace
Donation and Gifts
Legal and Professional
Depreciation|**TOTAL**
**TOTAL**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
7,200
7,820
1,439
2,921
1,210
300
4,440
5,282
3,290
1,725
60,546
43,539
12,120
0
0
12,872
69,014
88,035| |---|---| ||**159,259**
**162,495**| ||64,275
61,511
0
0
0
0
716
626
13,292
7,232
2,144
1,090| ||**80,427**
**70,459**| ||8,331
8,906
2,806
2,047
0
144
76,965
2,985
0
100
72,998
44,449
30,237
3,245
0
0
0
0
23,883
23,883| ||**215,219**
**85,758**| Page 10 of 10