ANNUAL REPORT Year to 31st December 2024 Name of Charity - Honiton Family Church Registered Charity Number- 1181655 Registered Address - High Street, Honiton. Devon, EX14 1 LW Trustees - The following individuals served as charity trustees: Ellen Batten - Resigned 25.12.24. Danny Beaven - (Secretary) Appointed 24.11.24. Helen Beaven - (Treasurer) Appointed 15.12.24. John Braithwaite- Appointed 24.11.24. Helen Charters- Appointed 25.01.21 Sarah Bird Appointed 19.01.2025 Property Trustees Baptist Union Corporation Ltd, Baptist House, PO Box 44. 129 Broadway, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 8RT. Bankers - Lloyds, 82 High Street, Honiton. EX14 1JJ. Independent Examiner-vernon Accounting, Manor House, 143 High Street, Honiton, EX14 1 LJ. Organisational Structure and Decision-making Processes Honiton Family Church (HFC) is an unincorporated association with Managing (Charity) Trustees appointed by a meeting of Members. Members of the church are accepted in accordance with the constitution. which allows
open membership, so that persons who have not been baptised in the manner described in the Baptist Union's Declaration of Principle may. at the discretion of the members. meeting, be accepted for membership based on their own public profession of faith. All members are encouraged to take part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charitable objective. Members meetings take place four times a year and have responsibility for the overall policy of the church. Additional meetings are held as required. In accordance with the constitution, the members appoint Trustees. who, together with the Minister, Church Secretary and Treasurer (who are also appointed by the members), are collectively known as the Diaconate. The Diaconate have overall responsibility for ensuring the successful day to day running of the church's work and witness, as well as the financial and legal aspects of the charty. Relevant matters may be submitted to the Members meeting by the Trustees for guidance or may be raised by Members in Members meetings for further consideration by the Trustees. HFC is governed by a church constitution. Though the constitution pemiits decisions to be made at church meetings by appropriate majorities, the church seeks to work by consensus wherever possible. Objectives HFC is a Baptist Church and is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain (Baptists Together). HFC is governed by a church constitution that is based on .20th March 2008 Approved Governing Document for BUGB churches.. This document states that the principal purpose of our charity is "the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The Church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom andlor other parts of the world.. HFC occupies premises which are held by the Baptist Union Trust Corporation on Trusts which are entirely compatible wtth the above objective. As Honiton Family Church, we are oriented by a vision to 'Seek God's kingdom in Devon as in heaven.. This means
that: Jesus Christ is the origin. means, and goal of all that we are and do. We are family-friendly, committed to everyone; both young and old, rich and poor etc. We seek to be grounded, imaginative and relational in our life together. We aim to embody Christ both inside the church, and within the town and wider area. We aim to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ in both word and deed and to bring people into a closer relationship with Him as the Living Lord. Moreover, we aim to be a church that welcomes people of all types and experiences into our church family, confident in the transforming power of Jesus in all our lives. In order to achieve this, HFC provides a variety of activities both to its membership and to the wider community. HFC is heavily dependent on its membership working as volunteers in all aspects of the church's activtties. Many of these activities run with little or no impact on the church's expenditure, but nevertheless contribute substantially to the achievement of the church's objectives.
Activities During the Year 2024 was another exciting and challenging year for the church. The first 6 months were especially hard due to Rev Judson stepping down at the end of 2023. Numbers attending have gone up and down depending on personal matters. The summer weeks were spent having Yellowship meals" as well as unfortunately having to cancel one Sunday service in July and having an outside setvice in August due to building work. The youth work continued and there are plans to run a Youth Alpha, as well as inviting the youth members to all members meetings to enable their voice to be heard.
We rejoiced in the baptism of one of our young people during the year and were pleased to see them go on to the first stages of youth ministry training in the autumn. Various community-based groups have been using our building space in different capacities, and our opportunities to be involved in the wider community have increased. We have had some significant building works, including a remodelling of the upstsirs office area and renovation of the old toilet and middle corridor. The church has sought to estsblish deeper relationships with the wider community. One of the highlights of the year was celebrating our Carols by Candlelight service, as well as a Santa's Grotto which was held in the run up to Christmas. We have had a team of people looking for a new pastor to fill the pastoral vacancy and a vision day was held where we identified where we are and where we feel that we are called to be. This team will be meeting again in the new year. The church has also voted to become an incorporated charity (CIO), adopting the mixlel constitution prepared by the Baptist Union Corporation. with provisions to be kept as close to the current constitution as possible. The transition is ongoing. We also now have a treasurer Helen Beaven, who starts work in January, and the role of church secretary will be shared between Danny Beaven and John Braithwaite. Regular Activities Sunday Services: As stated above, 2024 involved some flux in our attendance and activty. This was due to a number of factors, some unknown. The youth and children's work has been a real blessing and we have experienced growth again which started in September the year before. Again, the summer weeks were spent having 'fellowship meals" where food was prepared to facilitate a renewal in people's relationships, interaction, and a sense of community. We aim for our services to be accessible to seekers as well as both new and mature Christians by having a simple and fluid Servi structure. A number of
people have joined us, and we are delighted that non-, new and experienced Christians are finding our community helpful for their spiritual growth. Little Stars Parent and Toddler Group: Little Stars runs every week during term time and is attended by, on average. twenty Ck&year-olds and their carers. It has been encouraging to regularly see new parents attending. Little Stars is a great access poinl into church. and it is a great way for us to build relationships wrth our wider community. We have been able to invite the families in attendan to other events including services and family and communty events. We have themes, parties. and graduations and at the end of the summer ten we hold a 'graduation ceremony" during our Sunday servi for those starting school. Throughout 2024 Little Stsrs continued to meet and continued to go from strength to strength. Life Groups: HFC runs three Life Groups. These groups encourage social fellowship and growth of faith and discipleship. Although our Life Groups are attended mainly by church members, they are open to anyone who would like to contact a group and learn more about the Christian faith. In the last year. the groups have tended to develop their own resources and pattems, some focusing on Bible study, others on sharing food, others on relationships. The groups provide a great opportunity to encourage one another and to pray for those who are struggling or who have things to celebrate. Prayer Meetings: This moming prayer was active on Wednesday from 9:30 to 1 Oam every week. There have been a farthful core of people keeping rt going, praying for the community and wider area, as well as the world. We read a Psalm, the Old Testament and New Testament and share the Lord's Prayer. Alpha: We ran an Alpha course in the spring of this year in partnership with the Anglican church in town and were in partnership with Kilmington Baptist Church. A core of 20 people attended regularty. Other Activities Pastoral Care: This year. pastoral care has primarily
taken place through the Lrfe Groups (see above). We are still trying to be mindful of those who are part of our community, or who are on the fringes. but who may not be invested in a Life Group. There are a few people who are heavity involved in the support of others. visiting regularly, especially the frail and unwell. Repairing the building: Significant renovations were undertaken in the year by a number of small contractors, organised by Chris Doran. A new toilet was installed, as well as the upstairs office space being reconfigured for fire safety and convenience. Some of the unused parts of the building were renovated to enable their use again. This work will continue in 2025 with further decoration and the instsllation of a main kitchen. Light party: This was organised as an attemative to the conventional Halloween celebrations that children otherwise become involved in. A large number of children turned out to celebrate the light of the world, with lots of games and excitement. This was a great chance to offer something different to the wider community. Santa's Grotto: We also organised a Santa's Grotto which was, in part, specifically tailored for children with learning difficulties or who were neuro diverse. This was a brilliant opportunity to provide something different for people who had nothing like this nearby. Achlevements, Performance and Public Benefit We have continued to run our regular activities and services without the leadership of a minister. Whilst this has been a heavy load for some, it has also provided the opportunity for new people to exercise new skills and gifts. We are looking to consolidate and strengthen the Trustee team during the coming year in order to enable our activities to continue. Our achievements during the year are largely reflected in the activities described above. As a church, our objectives are for the public benefit and our activities are open to the whole of the local community. The trustees had due regard to the commission's public benefrt guidance.
Financial Review Income reduced somewhat in 2024 to approximately £45,000, but this is not unusual when there is no minister. The vast majorty ofthe Church's income came from donations by the congregation, supplemented by the letting of rooms and the Church manse. The 2023 accounts included anticipated gfft aid tax refunds of £6,000. To date this has not been claimed, and the 2024 accounts are adjusted to exclude this until such time as a valid Gift Aid claim is made and tax refunds received. Expenditure was slightly higher than income at around £58,000, on account of the Church renovation project spend. Without a minister, the expenditure on staff costs was considerably reduced to the payment of the administrative staff. The church did not hold any funds as a custodian trustee. Helen Charters (a trustee) was employed by the charity during the year to carry out cleaning and. on a temporary basis, for administrative work. Reserves Policy The Trustees consider it necessary to hold approximately £16,000 to cover the expenditure of the Church, should donation income cease for any reason or should the Church have to close. During 2024, this balance was held in a savings account to generate interest. Signed Church Secretary - Trustee. Date
(HAttlTY (OMAIISSION FQR ENGLAND AND WALES -6> Recelpts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe perlod D110112024 3111212024 Section A Receipts and payments LnftJlTktd fund Restrictrd EndovKnEnt d& TOU fund5 Li# yar IhprW¥•14 A1 R•e•lpts &tr•nn .124 •Moq Ule ofchw£n 2•) • 1p.nt •Moo 141 1•0 ARI 44.lJ• •T.214 J2 •wl and In¥•slm•nl le¥.l¥ee l•ti. Sub knt•l 41.13$ 4{1J• 87.2 ,?13 P•w• 127 4212 3370 LwbLH•ia Pow•r Rot•• J.141 2.1 ChLvrn 4p•1 I Swte Fi•frryBhm•nty &Cl CCLI LJwn•• Ipfjulrdiry Pro5•1nI1 F•¢• Pmkq¢piry Fv•d IP7• wo Sub IDt•l 6S.16Q OLI,1
Sub .iJo Trmf•rn b•Nx•nfiwwJ* Cmh thl¥fftr•nd Soction B Statement of assets and 1k3bi1itS at the end of the perio(1 R•Btrth•o B1 C•iTh fund• t4 ¢¢ 113 InV•trntIl••14 D•kn ¢h•rfty'• own 6$ LL•blW D•i• (6t-4g
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of ".hill Itxi N." iiip Honiton Family Church On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Charity no (if any) 1181655 Set out on pages 9-10 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust") for the year ended D 3, PITI I Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('Ihe 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 202) Name: John Hilton 11