ANNUAL REPORT
2021
Caversham Baptist Church
Registered charity number: 1181257
South Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8HY Tel: 0118 954 5353 Email: office@cavershambaptistchurch.org.uk
TRUSTEES AND LEADERSHIP TEAM
The names of all the trustees who have served between the start of the accounting period and the approval of these accounts are noted below with the dates of appointment and/or resignation where these fall within the same period.
Colin Baker, Minister
Sue Cantwell, Secretary
Richard Wilson, Treasurer
Andrew Blackband, (resigned 11 January 2022)
Roger Horsman (resigned 21 March 2021, reappointed 20 March 2022)
Shane Lowings (resigned 20 March 2022)
Rebecca Reading
Rob Sproule
Staff Team:
Helen Strong Administrator
LEGAL INFORMATION
Caversham Baptist Church (the Church) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission number: 1181257 Church Address: Caversham Baptist Church, South Street, Caversham, Reading, RG4 8HY
Bankers
Barclays Bank UK Plc, 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP
Solicitors
Anthony Collins LLP, 134 Edmund St, Birmingham B3 2ES
Independent Examiner
Nigel Wyatt BSC FCA, Wyatt & Co, 125 Main Street, Garforth, Leeds LS25 1AF
MINISTRY APPOINTMENTS
Team Ministries
Catering Team Fabric Team Media Team Men's Group Welcome Worship Team Youth and Children’s Team
Ministry Team Leader
Rosemary Sproule Alan Strong/John Blackmore Martyn Strong Shane Lowings Roger & Julia Horsman Martyn Strong Andrew Blackband
Ministry Appointments (Internal)
Safe to Grow/Safeguarding Safeguarding Designated person Communion Stewards Cradle Roll Flowers Health and Safety Officer
Registrars Redevelopment project Safe to Grow Policy Small-groups Co-ordinator Website
Sue Cantwell & Roger Horsman Helen Strong Robin & Yeye Benwell Gina Lowings Sheila Goldsmith/Alison Baker Sheila Goldsmith/Andrew Blackband Martyn Strong, Richard Wilson Rob Sproule Sue Cantwell Colin Baker Martyn Strong
Ministry Appointments (External)
Baptist Union Home Mission BMS/Overseas Mission group Caversham Good Neighbours Transform Reading Churches Together in Caversham World Day of Prayer
Richard Wilson Joseph Shin Margaret Wall Colin Baker Colin Baker Sheila Goldsmith
Community Ministry
CCA Drop In Little Lambs and You (baby & toddler group)
Colin Baker Judith Lewis
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Church is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by a constitution, in the form of the Approved Governing Document for Baptist Churches registered with the Charity Commission on 19th December 2018.
In line with its constitution, the Church operates under the authority of the Church Members Meeting, which is open to all Church members, and operates with a quorum of 25 per cent of Church members. The Church Members Meeting appoints trustees to oversee the running of the Church. The trustees are
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The Minister, as appointed from time to time from the list of Accredited Ministers of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.
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The Church officers, namely the secretary and treasurer who are appointed annually by the Church Members Meeting.
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Up to six Leaders who are appointed for a three–year term by the Church Members Meeting. Leaders may only serve two consecutive terms after which they must stand down for at least one year.
Except for the minister, any individual must have been a member of the Church for a year prior to being eligible for appointment as a trustee. The trustees received no payment for their work as trustees, with the exception of the minister as authorised within the church constitution.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. In fulfilling this objective, the Church engages in a range of activities, either on its own or in partnership with others. The main activities comprise worship services, prayer, bible study and discipleship groups and supporting the local community.
In planning our activities, the trustees consider the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
We support the wider work of the Baptist denomination through our membership of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Southern Counties Baptist Association and through our financial contribution to the Home Mission Scheme. We also support BMS World Mission financially and through prayer support for our link missionaries. We collaborate with other churches through Churches Together in Caversham and support other local, national and international organisations through grants and prayer support where that support will further our charitable objectives. An overview of all grants made in 2021 is in the note 11 to the financial statements.
MINISTER’S REPORT (Colin Baker)
Welcome to our Annual Report for 2021. Looking back over the year that has passed I can’t imagine that any of us thought that we would still be talking about COVID-19. Having reviewed last year’s report, I am glad to have challenged us as a church regarding our prayer lives. My goodness, how we have needed that!
2021 had a similar feel to 2020 as we continued to livestream our worship meetings until we were able to return to in-person gatherings. COVID-19 guidance continued to advise keeping safe distances and the wearing of a mask to help keep everyone safe.
The year must not be evaluated based upon the negative nature of the restrictions, but upon those areas of our fellowship where we have been truly blessed. During both our live worship and recorded services we have been served by our brilliant AV team (Martyn, Rob & Ben). They have created video, put up subtitles and edited where possible to make our output really excellent. Also, we express our gratitude for those who have led us in sung worship (too many to mention). They have prayed, planned and played or recorded their worship for us all to join with them – thank you! Not forgetting our open-air worship which, up to the time of writing, has been unhindered by adverse weather conditions – praise the Lord!
We have not only been able to meet face-to-face (with masks) but also from the comfort of our own home where we could see each other via Zoom. All of our church business meetings have been held via videoconferencing as well as all of our home groups when gathering together was not possible.
Once again, we managed to get all our midweek groups together for Lent and Advent studies which was a lot of fun to do. Perhaps as we move forward into greater freedoms, we might look back with some joy at the blessings we had in meeting each other on screen and in small break out groups. Certainly, for some who are more advanced in years, the opportunity of staying at home and meeting online on a cold, dark night beats having to brave the elements! On reflection we have to regard this simple use of technology as having helped us in gathering together for some important things:
Listening to God . Every Sunday evening between 6-7pm we have devoted the hour to the Lord through listening, sharing scripture, praying and pondering the Lord’s leading.
Leaders’ prayer and business meetings. Our leaders have continued to meet on Tuesdays online once per month for business, and weekly for
prayer. We have a gifted, diverse and committed group of men and women who serve our fellowship – praise the Lord!
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Church meetings. Throughout the last year we have met online for our regular Church Meetings, including being able to welcome new church members. We also held Special Church Meetings connected with our building redevelopment, which allowed us to discern God guiding us to move forward with the project. The building work then began in September 2021 and should be completed in Spring 2022.
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Online services. Despite the lockdown it seems that many were watching the services on our YouTube channel. We are delighted that some of these decided to join with us and are now regulars in person on Sunday mornings – praise the Lord!
In the life of any fellowship, seeking the Lord for guidance and direction is a significant and important discipline. Throughout our Listening to God evenings, we have sensed the leading of the Holy Spirit as we moved closer to the vital decisions that were to be made. The Lord has clearly taken our fellowship on a journey of faith. With any church building project there is rarely a 100 per cent agreement, therefore it was vital that we discerned the Lord’s leading with the project for Caversham Baptist Church. There was a strong sense that we were called to trust the Lord for the work we were considering. Showing the heart of Jesus, in the heart of Caversham is our strapline but also our mission and challenge. Showing the heart of Jesus in any area of church life or mission requires faith . Much prayer was invested in this project in the running up to our church meeting and so, when it came to decision time at that meeting, we agreed that in the following week pledges for the finance would confirm the Lord’s leading of our fellowship. ‘And it came to pass’ . Indeed our fellowship responded with gifts, commitments to increased giving and interest-free loans. There was no need to seek any further borrowing. Praise the Lord, we were able to vote in agreement for the church redevelopment project.
We give thanks to the Lord for all that 2021 had to offer us and look forward prayerfully to all that 2022 has in store for us. Notably, our re-landscaped frontage, appealing new entrance and access to our worship space, enhanced and airy lounge, refreshed and modern toilets, transformed upper hall for our children’s ministry and outside users - and the smell of fresh paint.
Before all the planning for this work was complete, we had no idea that the church organ would be rehomed in Ireland. But with its removal in September a decision was made to add a piece of work to our plans, filling the archway with acoustic plasterboard and removing the wooden screen from the stage.
Our stage is now a little larger and a new carpet has been laid throughout the worship space.
As we look forward, obviously our faith dream is to see our building used to the glory of God and filled with people joyfully worshipping. We also look to the Lord for vision as to how we creatively use the space we have and also what we will do with the space we have gained from the removal of the organ – this gives us the opportunity to re-imagine what we can do with the North end of our building.
Of course, our work as disciples of Jesus continues through the worshipping life of our fellowship, pastoral care, leadership, prayer life and relationships (church and community). We are to do all this in love. Kent Keith in his wonderful book Jesus did it anyway reminds us: “Jesus didn’t say that we should love each other only when we feel like it, or when it is convenient, or when the people we are supposed to love are charming and lovable. He didn’t say we can give it a try, but if we get tired, or it doesn’t work out, we can just give up. Jesus doesn’t allow any excuses…” . We must love people anyway.
The reason for us to love is because love is what the Christian life is about. It is implicit in Caversham Baptist Church’s strapline Showing the heart of Jesus, in the heart of Caversham. The heart of Jesus is all about love as we are reminded in that famous verse John 3:16. So as we engage this year in our individual and shared ministries as God’s people let’s do so with love.
pastor Colin & Alison Baker
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
The reports on the following pages detail the regular activities and any one-off events that took place during the year. A number of ministries were on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions.
AV, WORSHIP & ONLINE (Martyn Strong)
We continue to keep the website, social media pages and YouTube updated with all the information you need to know about the Church.
Our worship musicians have continued to serve our worship times whether streamed, live, in the building or from home; we are grateful for their dedicated service.
We continue to put together a video for our YouTube channel and to supply DVDs for those unable to get to church or get online.
Please do like and follow our platforms, share our content and engage online with us.
SUBSCRIBE: http://www.youtube.com/cavershambaptist
- CONTACT: http://www.cavershambaptistchurch.org.uk/contact us WEBSITE: http://www.cavershambaptistchurch.org.uk
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cavershambaptistchurch
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/cavershambap
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/cavershambaptist
SMALL GROUPS (Colin Baker)
Being a member of a small group in our fellowship is a vital way for us as disciples of Jesus Christ to grow and ‘Show our heart to others’. Discipleship is not a programme or a course, but a journey that is shared with others.
We have groups meeting on different days and times each week which gives a wonderful opportunity for us to minister to each other and receive ministry. Each group meets and centres around worship, prayer and scripture. This is the ideal setting for individuals to grow in faith and give support to others.
Groups have met safely in homes or, when that has not been possible, online. Once again, we have held Advent and Lent groups combining all the groups online and have been pleased to welcome newcomers.
All the groups would welcome new members and we encourage those who are not in a group to join one. If you would like to be part of a group or are interested in starting/hosting a new group, please contact Colin Baker.
There is also potential for some specific interest groups such as walking, cycling, car mechanics, computers, gardening etc. Such groups are not specifically centred on what a traditional home group is about but would have a more relational focus. These kinds of groups would be ideal for introducing those who might like to explore faith alongside members of our fellowship.
PASTORAL TEAM (Colin Baker)
Caversham Baptist Church’s pastoral team has continued to meet monthly via Zoom to pray and share prayer concerns and needs for our fellowship. Having expanded the team in 2020 due to the lockdown and the perceived workload we continue keep in touch with the church family by telephone or visits. Our particular focus has been in keeping contact especially with those who have been unable to return to in-person worship or where there are pressing pastoral needs.
Our desire is to continue to grow this ministry. It may be that you have the ability to be a prayerful listening ear and would like to be considered for this team. As things are opening up, would you be willing to visit friends in our fellowship at home, or are you available to help with any hospital visits? In recent nursing studies it has been demonstrated that patients who are visited and prayed for spend 25 per cent less time in hospital.
We give thanks to the Lord for the many and varied giftings we have in this team. May I also encourage all of us to pray for those who serve the Lord in this way.
BAPTIST UNION/OVERSEAS MISSION (Joseph Shin)
The main activity of BMS ministry is to keep consistent contact with, and to receive updates from, partners in 'Law & Justice' / Africa. During the last year, two mission partners (the Barrell family and Naama*) said farewell to their BMS roles either due to personal or visa issues. A new couple working in a confidential area has been assigned to us and will need our prayers. We hope to resume sharing printed copies of prayer letters soon as things are slowly getting back to normal.
(*name changed for security reasons)
READING FESTIVAL (Colin Baker, on behalf of the Leadership Team)
It was looking decidedly uncertain whether Reading Festival would be held in 2021, but finally the go-ahead was given by the authorities. It was an event unlike many before because of the restrictions upon the festivalgoers. They were having to take lateral flow tests upon entering the festival site, which meant for our ministry and Caversham as a whole that there was a lot less footfall. We decided to create an open-air café style space in our car park offering the usual welcome, pastoral care, phone charging, conversation, fresh fruit and a safe quiet space ‘to be’.
The short lead time for planning before the event meant that we didn’t hire portable toilets, but then found that the majority of our guests wanted to use our facilities. So, with our COVID-19 protocols to follow we tried to maintain the cleanest and most hygienic toilet facilities in Caversham. A straw poll of those using the toilets suggested they were highly appreciative and would come again - and would even pay for the privilege of using clean showers if we were to provide them in future years!
It was a lot of fun. We shared our faith and had the opportunity to pray with our guests…and we enjoyed lot of good weather in the process. If you are looking to be creative and use your ministry gifts, then please ask to be part of this ministry in 2022.
CATERING (Rosemary Sproule)
We started the year with the Church still meeting online until we returned on Sunday 25th July. In anticipation of church returning to the building Rosemary Sproule was asked to take on the Acting Catering Manager role whilst Shirley Strong concentrated on her health. In September Shirley made the decision to step down from the position and Rosemary agreed to take it on. Shirley has spent many years serving the Church in this role, and we would like to thank her for her service and dedication; it has been very much appreciated by all.
Before returning to morning worship in our own building, we carried out a COVID-19 focused risk assessment. One of the outcomes was a decision not to regularly prepare food or refreshments on site.
Before we could use the kitchen, it needed a deep clean and Claudine Lowings came to the rescue doing a great job just in time for us to put on lunch when we hosted the Churches Together in Caversham Holiday Club on Friday 23rd July.
Bacon baps were served to volunteers helping to clear the south end of church over the August bank holiday, with GeoCafe providing food for Sunday lunch.
The south end of the building was handed over to the builders in late September. In preparation, everything from the kitchen and lounge was packed for storage in a shipping container located in the car park – a massive job; thank you to all who helped!
We held a Welcome Lunch in the Worship area for new CBC attenders on 5th December, with delicious food and refreshments once again provided by GeoCafe.
We look forward to being back in our newly redeveloped church building and reopening the kitchen for service once again. We will be looking for volunteers to help with the catering…
PRAYER CHAIN (Rose Blackmore)
It is hard to believe that another year has passed with COVID-19 still with us. Another year of momentous change in the world, in the UK and in our church. As this report is written, we are out of our familiar CBC building, whilst those involved in the redevelopment programme finish the major renovation.
However, some things never change……In Luke 18 “Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up (see verses 1-8). His story related to an unjust judge who granted a persistent widow her request because she persevered in petitioning him and He said that even this unfair judge “rendered a just decision in the end.” He then asked the questions: “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”
Therefore, our need to pray and our need for prayer is never redundant. The prayer chain is vital in such significant times as these. Grateful thanks to every prayer partner and also to all who have requested prayer over the past year. Thank you all for your tenacious, purposeful, constant prayers. We can all have the utmost ‘confidence that if we ask anything according to God’s will, He
hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.’ (1 John 5: 14-15)
BUILDING REDEVELOPMENT (Rob Sproule)
Our architect developed and issued the tender pack in late April 2020. We received three responses and awarded the contract to Morris & Blunt, a local construction firm with a good reputation and recent experience working with local churches, including Crowthorne Baptist Church. Morris & Blunt also submitted the lowest priced tender.
We saw the Lord’s hand on our journey as the fellowship responded in faith and generosity to fully fund Phase 1 of the project with gifts and interest-free loans. It is always a wonderful blessing when the financial support matches the need to within a very small amount – in this case our combined resources for the project were a few hundred pounds over what we needed – praise God!
Work commenced on-site in late September 2021 and is due to complete in March 2022 in terms of the inside work, and May 2022 for the remodelled entrance. We expect to deliver the project within the planned budget.
A good home was found for the pipe organ; it was removed during September and relocated to a RC Church in Athlone, Ireland.
Removal of the organ was essential to allow Phase 2 of the redevelopment (the north end of the building) to proceed. With the organ gone, we took the opportunity to bring forward some of the work that was scheduled for Phase 2 – filling in the central arch wall, reconfiguring the platform and renewing the carpet in the worship area. This work is all fully funded from within the Phase 1 budget by a combination of savings from Phase 1 scope and making use of some of the contingency.
Funding was helped by receiving a grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) to fund about 95 per cent of our VAT bill. This, coupled with the element of work that is zero rated means we will only pay approximately 3.4 per cent of the potential VAT bill. Whilst we had budgeted for some reduction in VAT, the additional saving is a wonderful blessing.
Despite the challenging environment, impacted primarily by COVID-19 restrictions, there have been many opportunities for all at CBC to engage with the project. This is our opportunity to formally thank everyone for their faithful, prayerful support, their financial generosity and willing hands-on support – ‘all we have needed thy hand has provided’ – thank you all and thank you Lord!
CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH WORK
SUNDAY MORNING GROUPS (Andrew Blackband)
2021 was largely dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we were very pleased to be able to re-start in September the Sunday morning groups for children and youth.
Since September we have had the privilege of teaching on average about eight children and young people from the church family, together with occasional visitors and friends, to share the Bible through stories, discussion, games, prayer, craft and music; helping the children to discover and develop their own relationships with God. The young people in the over-10s group formed a band during the autumn and are now regularly involved in leading musical worship on Sunday mornings.
Christmas was celebrated with 'Christmas Gone Worng' a light-hearted Nativity play telling the traditional Christmas story with the help of Christmas carols, which all go a bit 'worng' . It incorporated readings from the gospels of Mathew, Luke and John. The theme was that God came to us at Christmas, despite things not being perfect. Immanuel, God With Us, even in our mess and muddle. It was very good to see so many of our adults and children involved in telling the story.
The trustees thank all of those who work with the children and young people at the Church. We are blessed with a good number of leaders and volunteers, all of whom are DBS checked and have completed safeguarding training. Without your support, help and dedication we would not be able to sustain this vital teaching and sharing of God's love; thank you. We are also grateful to Queen Anne's School for the use of some excellent classrooms during the two months that we were worshipping in the school chapel during our building refurbishment.
LITTLE LAMBS Parent & Toddler group (Judith Lewis)
Little Lambs and You (renamed from Time4U) usually meets on a Monday morning 10.00am to 11.30am in the worship area. Due to COVID-19 we had been unable to open at the beginning of 2021. However, we were finally able to open in May, in a limited format due to COVID-19 restrictions, with a team that courageously took on board all the extra duties of making the space as safe as possible in difficult circumstances. We moved to an online booking system with 20 places available each week. We were unable to serve refreshments and, for the summer term to encourage social distancing, encouraged parents to stay at individual tables with a prepacked box of toys, books and a craft activity. There were limited opportunities for communal singing, but we did introduce a regular story time. Despite this the group was well attended and usually booked up quickly.
The Autumn term opened on 6th September and, although maintaining the booking system, we were able to relax some measures which allowed for more free roaming play and a return to communal singing. We continued having a regular short story each week and set up a craft table. We were also able to purchase new equipment (including sit on toys and a climbing frame and slide) due to the kind donations of the family and friends of Shelia Bowcock, in her memory. Sheila was a much loved and respected member of the team who we all miss.
At the beginning of November, due to refurbishment of the building, we were unable to provide an indoor venue, so we arranged to meet outside at Caversham Court gardens, weather permitting. We had a handful of attendees leading up to Christmas but did have to cancel at times due to the cold or rain. With the help of our hardy volunteers, we did manage to do some activities including nature hunts and leaf pictures, but it wasn’t really working as a longer-term solution.
We hoped to reopen in the church building on 10th January. Due to delays this didn’t happen, but we will be starting on 28th February. Thanks to the online booking system we know 90 parents/guardians have attended since opening in May 2021 and we hope to reconnect with them as quickly as possible once we are back in the building.
HOLIDAY CLUB (CBC Representative: Helen Strong)
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the decision was made at the start of 2021 to not plan for a Churches Together in Caversham holiday club to take place in the summer in the usual format. The restrictions in place made club not viable in its usual form, but the core team of leaders considered whether something else could be planned. One of the team had a vision for a weekly session for families, once a week and moving around the churches in the area. Food was to be provided, and the theme was ‘Holiday at Home’ which included activities, bible stories and games based around different holiday locations, such as the beach and the zoo. The sessions took place at CBC, Caversham Methodist Church, Grace Church, St Andrews and St. John’s.
Numbers who attended varied, with several different families attending each session, as well as some who attended more than one session. We were able to reach a similar number of children as usual, 150, but in smaller groups, which made it more Covid safe.
We are hoping and praying that we will be able to return to our usual structure of holiday club in the summer of 2022, as well as an additional club at Easter for secondary school children
POLICY STATEMENT ON CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE CHURCH
This statement was agreed at a church meeting held on 27/5/97 and amended at the AGM on 25/3/03. It will be read annually at the AGM where progress in carrying it out will be monitored.
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As members of this church we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection and safekeeping of all, especially children and young people.
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It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children and young people and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.
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We recognise that work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church.
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We undertake to exercise proper care in the selection and appointment of those working with children and young people, whether paid or volunteer.
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The Church is committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with children and young people and to provide supervision.
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The Church is committed to following the Home Office Code of Practice: Safe from Harm and adopts the guidelines and procedures published by the Baptist Union of Great Britain in its booklet Safe to Grow. Each worker with children and young people must know the recommendations and undertake to observe them. Each shall be given a copy of the Church’s agreed procedure and good practice guidelines.
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As part of our commitment to the children and young people, the Church has appointed:
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A Designated Person to advise the Church on any matters relating to the safeguarding of Children and young people and to take appropriate action when abuse is disclosed, discovered or suspected. Their role will be regularly explained to children and their names, addresses and phone numbers publicly displayed.
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The Church will appoint a responsible person and administrator to see that this policy is implemented.
Children and young people are a part of—and belong to—church today. They have much to give as well as to receive. We will listen to them.
As we nurture them in worship, learning and community life, we will respect the wishes and feelings of the children and young people.
Designated person: Helen Strong, 7 Gravel Hill, Emmer Green Reading RG4 8QN
POLICY STATEMENT ON PHOTOS OF CHILDREN
Children and young people are a valued part of our church. In our use of photography, we seek to celebrate and communicate the life and activities of this church and to affirm the importance of all who are part of your church life, young and old. This policy is to ensure that such photography protects the safety of the children and young people in our care. It supplements our existing ‘Safe to Grow’ policy.
This policy statement will be read and confirmed at the AGM each year where the process of carrying it out will be monitored.
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It is the responsibility of each church member to prevent misuse of photographs of children and young people and to report any misuse discovered or suspected.
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We recognise that written parental/guardian consent must be given for the publication or display of a recognisable photograph of any person under the age of 18. Parents must be aware of which type of publication/display will be used. No consent is needed for photos of people whose faces are not recognisable.
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Borderline cases will be decided by the designated person.
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Photos by an individual of activities within or related to our church, which involve children and young people is only allowed with the permission of the leader of the activity.
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Each leader, publisher and photographer will be given good practice guidelines on taking photos of children and young people, including being made aware of this policy.
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We will exercise proper care ensuring children and young people will not be identified by name or other personal details in captions and accompanying text.
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Data protection: Photos are to be stored in a safe and secure way, separated from personal details of the child or young person. Photos, negatives or computer images that are against parental consent must be completely destroyed. Others must be kept securely and, when no longer needed, destroyed.
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As part of our commitment to children and young people, the Church has appointed a designated person to listen to children, young people and parental concerns.
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The Church has appointed a responsible person as an administrator to see that the policy is implemented.
Children and Young People’s Vision and Mission Statement
Our Vision is:
To see the lives of children, young people and their families in the local community be transformed and for them to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our mission is:
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To provide a safe, secure, warm environment where all are welcome and have equal value
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To be positive Christian role models and develop relationships built on love and acceptance
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To reach out to children and young people in the local area and equip them to participate responsibly in the community
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To provide an opportunity for children and young people to experience the love of God and learn about the Christian faith
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To disciple children and young people in their relationship with Christ and encourage them to live differently and make a difference
CHURCH FINANCES
The major financial story of 2021 was the raising of the funds to undertake the first phase of the refurbishment of the church building. £194,649 was raised in 2021 to add to funds already held. A further £120,000 in interest free loans was pledged, giving the Church sufficient resources to commission the project. At the time of writing, the project is on track to complete within the approved budget of £485,000. This budget was after reclaiming the majority of VAT on the project through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme offered by the Department of Culture Media and Sport. £31,874 was claimed from this scheme by the end of 2021, with a similar amount expected to be claimed in 2022.
Freewill offerings and the associated Gift Aid received in our general fund declined slightly to £75,057 from £78,898 in 2020. Total general fund income fell to £75,947 from £80,255 in 2020 adding in interest income and a Listed Places of Worship VAT grant relating to maintenance works.
Overall income rose to £302,676 from £92,107 in 2020 due to the fundraising for the refurbishment work.
General fund expenditure increased slightly to £77,588 from £74,173 in 2020, due primarily to inflationary cost increases.
Overall, an operating surplus of £1,641 was recorded in the general fund, down from £6,082 in 2019. £3,244 was transferred to the Manse Reserve to fund repairs to the front garden wall. The general fund ended 2020 with a total balance of £27,444, down from £32,425 at the end of 2020. This comprised of the chairs, valued at £8,226 and cash of £19,219.
The manse is valued in the accounts at £329,902 after a depreciation charge of £1,881 and capital investment in the of £3,244. We believe the actual market value of the property is somewhere in excess of £500,000. The Church is valued at £1,250,000, based on a market valuation carried out by Haslams Surveyors. This is a change to the previous policy of using an insurance valuation and resulted in a reduction in the value of £1,680,000.
RESERVES POLICY
It is the policy of Caversham Baptist Church to hold sufficient reserves (including general and uncommitted designated funds) to ensure we have sufficient funds to meet our obligations in the event of a deterioration in our finances, or a major cost (e.g., a building repair) arising. Specifically, our policy is to hold cash equivalent to three months of general running costs and an additional three month’s staffing costs. This policy is reviewed at each Annual
General Meeting. The Trustees believe that, as at 31st December 2021, our reserves policy currently requires us to hold approximately £30,600 in unrestricted and designated cash reserves, whilst we actually held approximately £110,400 in general and designated cash reserves, giving an excess of approximately £79,800 above what is required. This excess is committed to the project currently underway on the building.
FINANCIAL AUTHORISATION POLICY
In order to maintain appropriate control of expenditure, the Church has adopted the following financial authorisations policy. Spending or spending commitments:
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up to £250 within budget may be authorised by Team Leaders
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up to £1,200 may be authorised by the Treasurer
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up to £6,000 may be authorised by a vote of the Leadership team
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in excess of £6,000 may only be authorised by a vote of the Church Meeting.
These limits are reviewed each year at the Annual General Meeting and have been increased by 20% this year after being unaltered for 10 years.
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
For the period 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021
| Note Unrestricted | Note Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | Endowment | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Incoming Resources | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Donations and Legacies | 2 | 75,057 | - | 194,649 | - | 269,706 | 89,428 | |
| Income from charitable | ||||||||
| activities | 3 | 640 | 31,874 | - | - | 32,513 | 980 | |
| Other Trading Activities | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 785 | |
| Investment income | 5 | 250 | - | - | 207 | 458 | 914 | |
| Other income | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total incoming resources | 75,947 | 31,874 | 194,649 | 207 | 302,677 | 92,107 | ||
| Resources Expended | ||||||||
| Raising funds | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | |
| Charitable Activities | 8 | 77,588 | 2,170 | 127,978 | 115,725 |
323,461 |
136,266 | |
| Other Expenditure | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Total Resources Expended | 10 | 77,588 | 2,170 | 127,978 | 115,725 |
323,461 |
136,268 | |
| Gains and losses on | ||||||||
| revaluations and disposals | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| of investment assets | ||||||||
| Net Incoming Resources before Transfers |
(1,641) | 29,704 | 66,671 | (115,518) |
(20,784) | (44,161) | ||
| Gross Transfers between | ||||||||
| funds - in | 15 | - | 3,339 | - | - | 3,339 | 1,614 | |
| Gross Transfers between | ||||||||
| funds - out | 15 | (3,339) | - | - | - | (3,339) | (1,614) | |
| Net Incoming Resources before other gains/losses |
(4,980) | 33,043 | 66,671 | (115,518) |
(20,784) |
(44,161) | ||
| Gains and losses on revaluations of fixed assets |
16 | - | - | - | (1,680,000) | (1,680,000) | 91,343 | |
| Actuarial (losses)/gains on | ||||||||
| defined benefit pension | 25 | - | 194 | - | - | 194 | 11,010 | |
| schemes | ||||||||
| Net Movements in Funds | (4,980) | 33,237 | 66,671 | **(1,795,518) ** | (1,700,590) | 58,191 | ||
| Total Funds brought forward |
32,425 | 370,339 | 11,420 | 3,045,518 | 3,459,701 3,401,510 | |||
| Total funds carried forward | 27,444 | 403,575 | 78,091 | 1,250,000 |
1,759,111 3,459,701 | |||
| Please note: figures are rounded to the nearest pound and therefore totals | may not | always | match exactly. |
BALANCE SHEET
As at 31st December 2021
| Notes | As at 31/12/2021 | As at 31/12/2021 | As | at 31/12/2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Tangible Fixed Assets | 17 | 1,588,127 | 3,267,793 | ||
| 7 | |||||
| Current Assets | 239,575 | 213,732 | |||
| Debtors | 18 | 38,332 | 5,835 | ||
| Bank and Cash | 19 | 201,242 | 207,897 | ||
| Current Liabilities | |||||
| Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year |
20 | (5,637) | (724) | ||
| Net Current Assets | 233,938 | 213,008 | |||
| Long Term Liabilities | |||||
| Member Loans | 25 | (45,454) | |||
| Defined benefit pension scheme liability |
26 | (17,500) | (21,100) | ||
| Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year |
(67,500) | (21,100) | |||
| Net Assets | 1,759,111 | 3,459,701 | |||
| Charitable Funds | |||||
| Endowment | 22 | 1,250,000 | 3,045,518 | ||
| Restricted | 23 | 78,091 | 11,420 | ||
| Designated | 24 | 403,575 | 370,339 | ||
| Unrestricted | 27,444 | 32,425 | |||
| Total | 1,759,111 | 3,459,701 |
Please note: figures are rounded to the nearest pound and therefore totals may not always match exactly
The notes on the following pages form an integral part of these accounts.
These accounts were approved by the Trustees on 12 April 2022 and signed on their behalf by
Treasurer Secretary .
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES
a Basis of preparation
The accounts are prepared in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities SORP 2019), FRS102 and with the Charities Act 2011. Caversham Baptist Church is a registered charity, no. 1181257 and meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognized at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
b Income recognition
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably, and it is probable that the income will be received.
c Donations
Donations are accounted for gross when received.
d Legacies
Legacies are accounted for when their receipt is certain and can be properly quantified.
e Investment Income
Investment income is included in the accounts in the year in which it is receivable.
f Expenditure recognition
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is recognized where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
g Cost of raising funds
The Church does not make formal appeals for funds, and expenditure on these items is therefore not material.
h Grants payable
The Church makes grants to other organisations whose charitable objects complement its work. They are accounted for when the recipient has been notified of the grant and payment is unconditional.
i Support costs
Support costs are those that assist the work of the Church but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs and governance cost. Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to the cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. This represents direct expenditure on the governance of the Church. Most of the management is carried out without charge by volunteers. This intangible cost is not included in the Statement of Financial Activities since there is no measurable cost to the volunteers for their service.
j Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £1,000. They are initially recognised at cost, or for donated assets, at a reasonable estimate of their value on receipt. The church premises were included in the balance sheet
for 2020 at insurance value, but in 2021 the trustees agreed to use a market value based on a surveyor's valuation. The Manse premises are initially recognised at cost.
k Depreciation
Depreciation has not been charged on the Church premises as they are revalued each year on the basis of the insured value. The Church manse has been depreciated based on 50% of the initial purchase value being land and 50% buildings. The land is retained at cost and the building depreciated on a straight-line basis at 1% per annum. Depreciation on other fixed assets is calculated to write off the cost on a straight-line basis over their expected useful life. Office and IT equipment is depreciated at 20% per annum. The chairs are depreciated at 10% per annum. No depreciation is charged in the year of acquisition and a full year in the year of disposal.
l Funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes.
The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Endowment funds represent those assets which must be held permanently by the charity, principally the Church Building Reserve. Income arising on the endowment funds can be used in accordance with the objects of the charity and is included as unrestricted income. Any capital gains or losses arising on the investments form part of the fund. Investment management charges and legal advice relating to the fund are charged against the fund.
m Employee benefits
The charity operates a defined contribution pension plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the charity pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the charity has no further payments obligations. The contributions are recognised as an expense when they are due. Amounts not paid are shown in accruals in the balance sheet. The assets of the plan are held separately from the charity in an independently administered fund.
Prior to 2012 pension provision was made through multi-employer defined benefit pension plans. Where it is not possible for the charity to obtain sufficient information to enable it to account for a plan as a defined benefit plan, it accounts for the plan as a defined contribution plan. Where the plan is in deficit and where the charity has agreed, with the plan, to participate in a deficit funding arrangement, the charity recognises a liability for this obligation. The amount recognised is the net present value of the contributions payable under the agreement that relate to the deficit. This amount is expensed in the Statement of Financial Activities. The unwinding of the discount is recognised as a finance cost.
2 DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
| Unrestricted | Designated |
Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freewill Offerings | 62,942 - |
159,554 - |
222,496 77,370 |
|||
| Gift Aid | 12,115 - |
35,095 - |
47,210 12,058 |
|||
| Legacies | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Total | 75,057 - |
194,649 - |
269,706 89,428 |
3 INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
| Unrestricted | Designated Restricted |
Designated Restricted |
Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listed Places of WorshipGrants |
640 31,874 - |
- |
32,513 980 |
|||
| Other Activities | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| Total | 640 31,874 - |
- |
32,513 980 |
4 OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use of Premises | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
785 |
| Total | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
785 |
5 INVESTMENT INCOME
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Interest | - | - |
- |
- - |
1 |
| BUC Interest | 250 - |
- |
207 458 913 |
||
| Total | 250 - |
- |
207 458 914 |
6 OTHER INCOME
There was no other income in 2021 (2020: £nil)
7 RAISING FUNDS
| Unrestricted | Designated | Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card fees | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
| Total | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
8 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
| Unrestricted | Designated |
Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry | 36,090 289 1,164 - |
37,543 35,798 |
||||
| Mission | 9,780 - |
- |
- |
9,780 10,602 |
||
| Premises | 31,717 1,881 126,814 115,725 276,137 89,866 |
|||||
| Total | 77,588 2,170 127,978 115,725 323,460 136,266 |
9 OTHER RESOURCES EXPENDITURE
The Church had no other costs in 2021 (2020: £nil)
10 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
The following table summarises expenditure in line with our reporting categories.
| Charitable Activities Grant Funding Support Costs 2021 |
Charitable Activities Grant Funding Support Costs 2021 |
Charitable Activities Grant Funding Support Costs 2021 |
Charitable Activities Grant Funding Support Costs 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry | 36,438 - 1,105 37,543 35,798 |
||||
| Mission | - | 9,492 288 9,780 10,602 |
|||
| Premises | 268,009 - |
8,128 276,137 89,866 |
|||
| Cost of GeneratingFunds | - |
- |
- |
- |
2 |
| Total | 304,448 9,492 9,521 323,460 136,268 |
11 GRANTS MADE TO OTHER CHARITIES
| Unrestricted Designated | Unrestricted Designated | Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMS World Mission | 3,710 - |
- |
- |
3,710 3,640 |
||
| Baptist Home Mission |
4,017 - |
- |
- |
4,017 4,200 |
||
| Prospects | 275 - |
- |
- |
275 300 |
||
| CCA Caversham | 300 - |
- |
- |
300 300 |
||
| Churches Together in Caversham |
550 - |
- |
- |
550 760 |
||
| Zimbabwe Victims Support Fund |
600 - |
- |
- |
600 600 |
||
| Women’s World Dayof Prayer |
40 - |
- |
- |
40 - |
||
| Total | 9,492 - |
- |
- |
9,492 9,800 |
12 SUPPORT COSTS
| Unrestricted Designated | Unrestricted Designated | Restricted | Endowment | 2021 |
2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office Expenses | 7,935 - |
- |
- |
7,935 7,704 |
||
| Bank Charges | - | - |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
| Subscriptions | 1,042 - |
- |
- |
1,042 1,273 |
||
| Church Administrator |
375 - |
- |
- |
375 408 |
||
| Magazine & Publicity |
169 - |
- |
- |
169 139 |
||
| Other Sundry Expenses |
- | - |
- |
- |
- |
780 |
| Total | 9,521 - |
- |
- |
9,521 10,310 |
Support Costs have been allocated to the Charitable activities in the general fund of the Church in proportion with their other expenses (included in note 8 above) as follows:
| 2021 2020 |
|
|---|---|
| Ministry | 1,105 2,708 |
| Mission | 288 802 |
| Premises | 8,128 6,799 |
| Total | 9,521 10,310 |
13 STAFF COSTS AND TRUSTEE EXPENSES
| 2021 2020 |
2021 2020 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Salaries | Gross Salary | 33,660 32,904 |
|
| Social SecurityCosts | Employer's National Insurance | - | - |
| Pension Costs | Employer's Pension Contributions | 3,200 3,145 |
|
| Other Costs | Council tax,water, phone,expenses | 10,130 9,190 |
|
| Total | 46,990 45,239 |
The average number of staff in the year was 2 (2020: 2). No employee received emoluments in excess of £60,000 during the year (2020: none)
Revd Colin Baker as Minister acted as one of the Church's trustees in accordance with the church constitution from 1st April 2018 and received a stipend of £25,725 (2020: 25,200). He was also reimbursed out of pocket expenses and mileage (at the HMRC approved rate) of £1,372 (2020: £1,159). Contributions of £3,200 (2020: £3,145) were made on to the defined contribution section of the Baptist Pension Scheme.
The Church pays deficit contributions in relation to the service of past Ministers of the Church to the Baptist Pension Trust Limited, which is a final salary defined benefit scheme, which is not contracted out of the State second pension. These amounted to £3,695 in 2021 (2020: £2,724). The scheme is a multi-employer scheme and it is not currently possible to identify the assets and liabilities of the scheme which are attributable to the Church. In accordance with FRS17 therefore, the scheme is accounted for as a defined contribution scheme. Further details can be found in note 28.
£2,381.42 of expenditure incurred by Trustees was reimbursed to 3 trustees during the year.
14 GAINS AND LOSSES ON REVALUATIONS AND DISPOSALS OF INVESTMENT ASSETS
The Church held no investment assets in 2021 and thus recognised no gains or losses (2020: £nil)
15 GROSS TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS
In 2021, £3,244 (2020: £1,614) was transferred from the General fund to the Manse Reserve to fund improvements to the manse during the year and £95 (2020: £nil) was transferred from the General Fund to the Pension Reserve to match the movement of the Pension liability.
16 GAINS AND LOSSES ON REVALUATIONS OF FIXED ASSETS FOR THE CHARITY’S OWN USE
The Church premises at South Street based were re-valued based on a market valuation by Haslam’s Surveyors, which was a change to the previous policy of using insurance valuations received from our insurers, the Baptist Insurance Company Plc. This resulted in a significant reduction in the value as shown below.
| 2021 Valuation 2020 Valuation Gain /(Loss) |
|
|---|---|
| South Street Premises | 1,250,000 2,930,000 (1,680,000) |
| Total | 1,250,000 2,930,000 (1,680,000) |
17 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| 17 TANGIBLE FIXED | ASSETS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Street Premises |
Manse |
Chairs | Total | |
| Cost | ||||
| As at 01 Jan 2021 | 1,026,300 355,664 10,282 1,392,246 |
|||
| Additions inyear | - | 3,244 - |
3,244 |
|
| Disposals inyear | - | - |
- |
- |
| As at 31 Dec 2021 | 1,026,300 358,908 10,282 1,395,490 |
|||
| Accumulated Depreciation | ||||
| As at 01 Jan 2021 | - | 27,125 1,028 28,153 |
||
| Charge for theyear | - | 1,881 1,028 2,909 |
||
| As at 31 Dec 2021 | - | 29,006 2,056 31,062 |
||
| Gain/Loss on revaluation | ||||
| As at 01 Jan 2021 | 1,903,700 - |
- |
1,903,700 |
|
| Charge for theyear | (1,680,000) - |
- |
(1,680,000) |
|
| As at 31 Dec 2021 | 223,700 - |
- |
223,700 |
|
| Net Book Value | ||||
| As at 01 Jan 2021 | 2,930,000 328,539 9,254 3,267,793 |
|||
| As at 31 Dec 2021 | 1,250,000 329,902 8,226 1,588,128 |
The Church is the beneficial owner (subject to the relevant trusts) of two premises, the legal titles to which are held by the Church’s custodian trustee the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd. These are the South Street Premises at South Street, Caversham and the Church Manse at 2a Rotherfield Way, Caversham. As per the Church's accounting policy stated in paragraph j of note 1, the value stated at 31 December 2021 for the South Street Premises is a valuation carried out by Haslam’s Chartered Surveyors on 23 March 2022 estimating their market value. The valuation at 1 January 2021 was the insurance valuation. The cost for the Church Manse is the price paid when it was acquired plus the cost of subsequent capital improvements.
18 DEBTORS
| 18 DEBTORS | ||
|---|---|---|
| As at 31/12/2021 | As at 31/12/2020 | |
| Accounts Receivable | 35,919 3,700 |
|
| Prepaid Expenditure | 2,414 2,136 |
|
| Total Debtors | 38,332 5,835 |
19 BANK AND CASH
| 19 BANK AND CASH | |
|---|---|
| As at 31/12/2021 As at 31/12/2020 | |
| Cash in hand | 22 20 |
| Current Account(Barclays) | 198,229 18,961 |
| Baptist Union Deposit Accounts | 1,683 187,901 |
| Cash Pre-payment card balance | 1,309 1,014 |
| Total | 201,242 207,897 |
20 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
| As at 31/12/2021 As at 31/12/2020 |
|
|---|---|
| Accounts Payable | 925 325 |
| Accrued Expenditure | 167 399 |
| Loan Repayments due within 1year | 4,545 - |
| Total Creditors | 5,637 724 |
Other than the pension provision (see note 25), there are no creditors that are not due within one year (2020: £nil)
21 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFTER ONE YEAR
In 2021 the Church received an interest free loan of £50,000 to support the refurbishment of the South Street premises, repayable over an 11-year period in equal payments every 6 months
22 ENDOWMENT FUNDS
| Balance at 1 Jan 2021 |
Incoming Resources Outgoing Resources Transfers |
Gains & Losses |
Balance at 31 Dec 2021 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church BuildingRes. | 3,045,518 207 (115,725) - |
(1,680,000) 1,250,000 |
||
| Total | 3,045,518 207 (115,725) - |
(1,680,000) 1,250,000 |
The Church Building Reserve Fund represents the value attributed to the South Street premises and the funds held from the sale of the North Caversham premises. All the cash in the fund was expended on the redevelopment of the premises, in line with the trusts.
23 RESTRICTED FUNDS
| 23 RESTRICTED | FUNDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at 1 Jan 2021 |
Incoming Resources |
Outgoing Resources |
Transfers | Gains & Losses |
Balance at 31 Dec 2021 |
|
| FellowshipFund | 530 - |
- |
- |
- |
530 |
|
| Children's Work | - | 1,164 (1,164) - |
- |
- |
||
| Redevelopment Fund 10,890 193,485 (126,814) - |
- |
77,561 |
||||
| Total | 11,420 194,649 (127,978) - |
- |
78,091 |
The Fellowship Fund represents funds given to support members of the fellowship suffering hardship. The children’s work fund arose from the collection at a funeral of a church member that was for the purpose of supporting the Church’s work with children. The Restricted Building Redevelopment Fund represents the funds that have been given specifically for the redevelopment of the South Street Premises.
24 DESIGNATED FUNDS
| 24 DESIGNATED FUNDS | 24 DESIGNATED FUNDS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at 1 Jan 2021 |
Incoming Resources Outgoing Resources |
Transfers | Gains & Losses |
Balance at 31 Dec 2021 |
||
| Redevelopment Fund 20,800 31,874 - |
- | - | 52,674 |
|||
| Fabric Fund | 21,000 - |
- |
- | - | 21,000 |
|
| Manse Reserve | 328,539 - |
1,881 3,244 - |
329,902 |
|||
| Pension Reserve | - - |
289 95 194 - |
||||
| Total | 370,339 31,874 2,170 3,339 194 403,575 |
The Designated Building Redevelopment fund represents funds that have been set aside towards redevelopment and improvement of the South Street Premises. The Fabric Fund represents funds set aside to deal with long term repairs to the South Street Premises. The Manse Reserve Fund represents the value attributed to the manse.
24 ANALYSYS OF NET ASSETS AND LIABILITIES BY FUND
| Fixed Assets Net Current Assets |
Fixed Assets Net Current Assets |
Long-term Liabilities |
2021 Total | 2020 Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endowment Funds | Per note 22 | 1,250,000 - |
- |
1,250,000 3,045,518 |
||
| Restricted Funds | Per note 23 | - |
128,091 (50,000) 78,091 11,420 |
|||
| Designated Funds | Per note 24 | 329,902 91,174 (17,500) 403,575 370,339 |
||||
| Unrestricted Funds | 8,226 19,219 - |
27,444 32,425 |
||||
| Total | 1,588,138 238,483 (67,500) 1,759,110 3,459,701 |
25 PENSIONS
The Church is a participating employer in the Baptist Pension Scheme (“the Scheme”), which is a separate legal entity administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Limited). The assets of the Scheme are held separately from those of the Employer and the other participating employers. The Scheme, previously known as the Baptist Ministers’ Pension Fund, started in 1925, but was closed to future accrual of defined benefits on 31 December 2011. Prior to this date the main benefit provided through the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan was a pension of one eightieth of final minimum pensionable income for each year of pensionable service together with additional pension in respect of premiums paid on Pensionable Income in excess of Minimum Pensionable Income.
From January 2012, pension provision is being made through the Defined Contribution (DC) Plan within the Scheme. In general, members pay 8% of their Pensionable Income and employers pay 6% of members’ Pensionable Income into individual pension accounts, which are operated and managed on behalf of the Pension Trustee by Broadstone Corporate Benefits Ltd. In addition, the employer pays a further 4% of Pensionable Income to cover Death in Service Benefits, administration costs, and an associated insurance policy which provides income protection for Scheme members if they are unable to work due to longterm incapacity. This income protection policy has been insured by the Baptist Union of Great Britain with Aviva Limited.
The Scheme is considered to be a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102. Because it is not possible to attribute the Scheme’s assets and liabilities to specific employers, the scheme is accounted for as if the Scheme were a defined contribution scheme.
A formal valuation of the DB Plan as at 31 December 2019 was carried out by a professionally qualified Actuary using the Projected Unit Method. At the valuation date the market value of the DB Plan assets was £298 million, whilst the level of assets needed to pay benefits was £316m, giving a deficit of £18m (equivalent to a past service funding level of 94%). The Church and the other participating employers in the DB Plan are collectively responsible for funding this deficit.
| The financial assumptions underlyingthe valuation were as follows: | |
|---|---|
| RPI price inflation assumption | 3.20% p.a. |
| CPI price inflation assumption | 2.70% p.a. |
| Minimum Pensionable Income increases above CPI | 0.50% p.a. |
| Minimum Pensionable Income increases (CPI plus 0.5%) | 3.20% p.a. |
| Assumed investment returns | |
| - Pre-retirement (gilt yield plus 1.75% pa) | 2.95% p.a. |
| - Post retirement (including benefits matched by the insurance policy) (gilt yield plus 0.5% pa) |
1.70% p.a. |
| Deferred pension increases | |
| - Pre April 2009 | 3.20% p.a. |
| - Post April 2009 | 2.50% p.a. |
| Pension increases | |
| - Based on CPI with an annual floor of 0% and annual cap of 5% | 2.70% p.a. |
Mortality is assumed in accordance with 80% of the S3NA standard mortality table. Future improvements projected from 2013 in line with the “CMI 2019” projection with a long-term rate of improvement of 1.75% p.a. for males and 1.5% p.a. for females with the core smoothing parameter and with additional initial mortality improvement factor A=0.5%.
The next actuarial valuation of the DB Plan within the Scheme is due to take place not later than as at 31 December 2022
In addition to the contributions to the DC Plan set out above, where a valuation of the DB Plan reveals a deficit the Trustee and the Baptist Union Council agree to a rate of deficiency contributions from churches and other employers involved in the DB Plan. Under the current Recovery Plan signed in September 2020, deficiency contributions are payable until June 2026. These contributions are broadly based on the employer's membership on 31 December 2014 and increase annually in line with increases to Minimum Pensionable Income as defined in the Rules.
Section 28.11A of FRS 102 requires agreed deficit recovery payments to be recognised as a liability. The movement in the provision is set out in the table below.
| Accounting date (year ending): | 31/12/2021 | 31/12/2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Balance sheet liability at year start | 21,100 | 34,100 |
| Minus deficiency contributions paid | (3,695) | (2,724) |
| Interest cost (recognised in SoFA) | 289 | 733 |
| Actuarial (gains)/losses on re-measurement of liability | (194) | (11,010) |
| Balance sheet liability at year end | 17,500 | 21,100 |
The liability in the balance sheet represents the present value of the deficit contributions agreed as at the accounting date and has been valued using the following assumptions set by reference to the duration of the deficit recovery payments:
| Accounting date | 31/12/2021 | 31/12/2020 | 31/12/2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discount rate | 2.00% | 1.37% | 2.15% |
| Future increases to Minimum Pensionable Income | 4.06% | 3.11% | 3.18% |
The Church has been advised that the cost for the Church to buyout their Pension Scheme liabilities at 31 December 2021 was approximately £22,500 (31 December 2020: £33,700).
26 RELATED PARTIES
The custodian Trustee of the Church is the Baptist Union Corporation Limited which is charity number 249635, and which is controlled by the Baptist Union Council. The Church is also a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and the Southern Counties Baptist Association. The Church made a donation to the Southern Counties Baptist Association under the Baptist Union Home Mission Scheme as set out in note 11.
In 2021 the Church received an interest free loan of £50,000 from Mr Stephen Cantwell, husband of one of the Trustees. See note 21
The total of all donations received from Trustees and their spouses in 2021 was £171,976. None of these donations came with conditions which might require the Church to alter its activities.
27 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REMUNERATION
The Independent Examiner’s fee for the examination of the 2021 accounts is £800+VAT. The Independent Examiner has provided no other services to the church.
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Caversham Baptist Church (‘the charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2021.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements 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 confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is one of the listed bodies.
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 charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
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the financial statements do 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.
Nigel Wyatt BSC FCA Date: 15/07/2022 Independent Examiner 125 Main Street Garforth Leeds LS25 1AF
Caversham Baptist Church Registered charity number: 1181257 South Street, Caversham, Reading RG4 8HY Tel: 0118 954 5353 Email: office@cavershambaptistchurch.org.uk