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2024-03-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period start date Period end date Period end date
01 April 2023 31 March 2024
**From ** To

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name South City Church

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1182391

Charity's principal address The Rectory Offham Lewes Postcode BN7 3PX

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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20		 Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
**year **		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee (ifany)
Mr Jean Seevaraj Chair
Mrs Nicola
Seevaraj
Mr AntonyRist

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

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1

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document

Constitution

How the charity is constituted

Association

Trustee selection methods

Elected by current trustees.

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

Section C Objectives and activities

Provides Christian Religious services and related activities as well as pastoral care of congregants.

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

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Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

(a) To advance the Christian faith in accordance with the statement of beliefs appearing in the schedule hereto in the county of East Sussex and in such other parts of the united kingdom or the world as the directors of the charity (herein called "the trustees") may from time to time think fit; (b) To relieve persons who are in conditions of need or hardship or who are aged or sick and to relieve the distress caused thereby in the said county and in such other parts of the united kingdom or the world as the trustees may from time to time think fit; (c) Such charitable purposes for the public benefit as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales as the trustees may from time to time determine.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

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3

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

It's been quite a year of growth for our church, one that we have navigated through with prayer and great diligence. Our biggest challenge has been regarding our venue change which meant we had to move out of St Philips Church in Hove due to the sale of the building by the Church of. We moved temporarily to St Christopher’s Prep School in Hove. There was a direct correlation between our venue transition and our charity income.

Sunday Church: As a church we have seen growth negatively impacted due to a change in venue and this is reflected in our Sunday meetings. Our attendees come from diverse backgrounds, with ages ranging from infants to the elderly, and asylum seekers. Our in-person services have been beneficial to the life of the church, and we have been able to delegate more responsibilities to our volunteers.

Kids Work: Our children's and Youth work continues in person, however, we have limited Sunday Children’s Church to an occasional Sunday. Most occasions the kids stay in the main service with an activities corner. This is in large part because of limited children’s work volunteers.

Small Groups: We had to move our groups online Bible Studies via Zoom. This has proved to be very popular and we have regular attendees weekly.

Bushcraft Heroes: We have limited our Bushcraft Heroes sessions due to the charities wider challenges. Bushcraft Heroes provides free wilderness, bushcraft experiences to city kids and their grown ups. This takes place at a woodland in Arundel and includes free meals for everyone attending.

Prayer: Our aim as a church both individually and corporately is to increase the amount of prayer and fasting in the church.

Conclusion: We want to thank God for His continued provision and support of our church. It’s been a challenging year for the church and we look forward to what God will do with us in the future.

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Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

The charity has a savings bank account for reserves so as to mitigate the risk of an unforeseen emergency or other unexpected need for funds or for an urgent project.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

We want to thank God for His provision and support of our church again this year. It's been a year of Spiritual growth for the church, and expectancy in looking forward to see what the Holy Spirit will be doing with us in the future.

Our donors have seen the work we do within the church and the wider community at large, but donations could be better.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Mr Jean Seevaraj Position (eg Secretary, Chair Chair, etc)

Date 29/01/2025

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5

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

South City Church

(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation) Charity registration number: 1182391

The Rectory, Offham, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 3PX

South City Church

CONTENTS

Legal and Administrative Information 1
Trustees' Report 2 to 6
Statement of Financial Activities 7
Balance Sheet 8
Notes to the Financial Statements 9
10to 13

South City Church

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Charity Registration 1182391 Number Trustees Jean Seevaraj Anthony Rist Nicola Seevaraj Jean Seevaraj Secretary The Rectory Registered address Offham, Lewes East Sussex BN7 3PX NatWest Bankers

Page 1

South City Church

TRUSTEES' REPORT

The Trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable incorporated organization for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Structure, governance and management

Nature of governing document

South City Church is registered as a charitable incorporated organization and was set up by a Memorandum of Association.

Recruitment and appointment of Trustees

The management of the charitable incorporated organization is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Memorandum of Association.

Organisational structure

Jean Seevaraj (senior pastor and trustee) oversees the overall direction of the church supported by a small team of pastoral elders and trustees. The Elders focus on pastoral matters whilst the Trustees ensure that the charity operates in compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines, and oversee the church finances.

Risk management

The Trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises of a review of the key working policies and financial stability of the charity by meeting during the year. These reviews consider policies in the following areas:

This process identifies any areas of risk and uncertainty on an on-going basis, and allows the Trustees to consider changes in policies, systems and procedures to mitigate these risks.

Objectives and activities

Objects and aims

The company's objectives and principal activities are:

Page 2

South City Church

TRUSTEES' REPORT

Public benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Objectives, strategies and activities

Use of volunteers

The church continues to rely heavily on a 'volunteer workforce', whether by fulfilling roles and responsibilities in the church activities or in the vital range of support and services offered to the local community. The value of these volunteers is impossible to quantify and is impossible to reflect in these accounts.

Achievements and performance

Review of activities

It's been quite a difficult year for the church, one that we have navigated through with prayer and great diligence. Our biggest challenge has been regarding our venue change which meant we had to move out of St Philips Church building in Hove due to the sale of the building. We moved to St Christopher's Prep School hall. There was a direct correlation between our venue transition and our charity income.

Sunday Church

As a church we have seen growth negatively impacted due to a change in venue and this is reflected in our Sunday meetings. Our attendees come from diverse backgrounds, with ages ranging from infants, the elderly, and asylum seekers.

Our in person services have been beneficial to the life of the church, and we have been able to delegate more responsibilities to our volunteers.

Page 3

South City Church

TRUSTEES' REPORT

Kids Work

Our children's and Youth work continues in person, however, we have limited our Sunday Children’s Church to an occasional Sunday. Most occasions the kids stay in the main service with an activities corner. This is in large part because of limited children’s work volunteers.

Small Groups

We continue to host Bible Study groups online on Zoom. This has proved to be very popular and we have regular attendees weekly.

Bushcraft Heroes

We have had to limited the number of our Bushcraft Heroes sessions due to the charities wider challenges. Bushcraft Heroes provides free wilderness, bushcraft experiences to city kids and their grown ups. This takes place at a woodland in Arundel and includes free meals for everyone attending. The Bushcraft Heroes program will be undergoing some change in schedule.

Prayer

Our aim as a church both individually and corporately is to increase the amount of prayer and fasting in the church.

Page 4

South City Church

TRUSTEES' REPORT

Conclusion

We want to thank God for His provision and support of our church again this year. It's been a challenging year for the church, and expectancy in looking forward to see what the Holy Spirit will be doing with us in the future.

Financial review

The organisation recorded an unrestricted income £13,191 for the year.

Policy on reserves

Free reserves are those reserves free of any restriction that are available to meet the normal expenditure of the Church excluding that necessary to run the restricted activities. They provide a buffer of liquid funds to cover temporary shortfalls caused by an unforeseen decline in income or an unexpected increase in costs. Should any of these arise, these funds are intended to ensure that the charity can meet its contractual obligations to staff, premises and statutory bodies and its moral obligations to its donors.

The Trustees have a desire to maintain a level of free reserves of 2 month's unrestricted expenditure.

Free reserves are currently the same as unrestricted funds. The charity does not currently hold restricted or designated funds.

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Page 5

South City Church

TRUSTEES' REPORT

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable incorporated organisation and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable incorporated organization and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The annual report was approved by the Trustees of the charity on 28 January 202 5 and signed on its behalf by:

Jean Seevaraj Secretary and Trustee

Page 6

South City Church

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Note
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
12
3
4
5		 Note
Income and Endowments from:
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
12
3
4
5		 Unrestricted
Total
Total
funds
£
2024
£
2023
£
13,192
13,192
21,634

13,192
13,192
21,634
18,874
18.874
15,348
18,874
18,874
15,348
604
604
3,235
12 -
-4150
604
6046,286
604
604
3,235

The notes on pages 9 to 13 form an integral part of these financial statements.

Page 7

South City Church

REGISTERED NUMBER: 1182391

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2024

Fixed assets
Tangible assets
Current assets
Cash at bank and in hand
Total Assets
Liabilities
11
Net assets
Funds of the charity:
Total equity
12
Note
10		 2024
£
2023
£
1959
1132
1416
6166
3375
7298
1842
2712
2745
4587
2745
4587

For the financial year ending 31 March 2024 the charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements on pages 8 to 13 were approved by the Trustees, and authorized for issue on 28 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Secretary and Trustee

The notes on pages 9 to 13 form an integral part of these financial statements.

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South City Church

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

1 Charity status

The charity is a charitable incorporated organization and consequently does not have share capital. Each of the Trustees is liable to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 towards the assets of the charity in the event of liquidation.

2 Accounting policies

Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). They also comply with the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011.

Basis of preparation

South City Church meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognized at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

Income and endowments

All income is recognized once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.

Donations and legacies

Donations are recognized when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognized until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

Gift aid

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognized at the time of the donation.

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South City Church

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognized once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Grant expenditure

Grants payable are charged in the year when the offer is made except in those cases where the offer is conditional, such grants being recognized as expenditure when the conditions attaching are fulfilled. Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end are noted as a commitment, but not accrued as expenditure.

Taxation

The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £500 or more are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:

Asset class

Asset class Depreciation method and rate Furniture and equipment 25% on reducing balance

Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognized at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

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South City Church

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

Liabilities

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the company anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

Fund structure

Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the Trustees' discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

Financial instruments

The company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

3 Income from donations and legacies

Unrestricted
funds
General
£
Donations and legacies;
Donations
10,752
Gift aid reclaimed
2440
13,192
4Income from charitable activities
Conferences and events		 Unrestricted
funds
General
£
Donations and legacies;
Donations
10,752
Gift aid reclaimed
2440
13,192
4Income from charitable activities
Conferences and events		 Unrestricted
funds
General
£
Donations and legacies;
Donations
10,752
Gift aid reclaimed
2440
13,192
4Income from charitable activities
Conferences and events		 Total
2024
£
10,752
_ 2440
13,192
Total
2023
£
-		 Total
2023
£
18,227
3407
21,634
Total
2022
£
-
13,192

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South City Church

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

5 Expenditure on charitable activities

Unrestricted
Funds
General
Note
£
Bank fees
108
Hospitality
21
General expenses
1,113
Motor expenses
158
Advertising & marketing
-
Rent & venue costs
1,050
Salaries
12,000
Telephone & internet
1,555
Insurances
206
Printing & stationary
162
IT Software & Consumables
939
Subscriptions & licenses
311
Audit & accountancy fees
258
Directors’ remuneration
-
Postage, Freight & Courier
3
Employers National Insurance
802
Staff training
30
Travel
158
18,874		 Total
2024
£
108
21
1,113
158
-
1,050
12,000
1,555
206
162
939
311
258
-
3
802
30
158
18,874		 Total
2023
£
14
168
283
58
66
1950
10,929
934
191
69
329
72
145
130
10
-
-
-
15,348

Page 12

South City Church

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

6 Grant-making

Analysis of grants

Grants

Grants to institutions 2024 2023 £ £ - -

7 Trustee and related party transactions

Jean Seevaraj, a Trustee, received wages of £12,000, as pastor of South City Church. The only other payments made to trustees, consisted of reimbursements of expenditure incurred on behalf of the charity in furthering the charity's objects.

8 Staff costs

The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:

2024 2023 £ Staff costs during the year were: Wages and salaries 12,000 10,929

Staff costs during the year were:

The number of persons (including senior management team) employed by the charity during the year was as follows:

Staff 2023
2022
No
No
1
1

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year.

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