2022-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ report April 2023

At the AGM we look backwards over the past year and forwards to what God has in store for us in the coming year.

We give thanks to God for blessing us over the past months through Jim’s ministry and his clear Bible teaching both on Sunday mornings and at the Bible studies. We are grateful to Paul for leading and preaching on occasions as well, and to all our visiting preachers. The monthly prayer mornings have become an established and valued part of our church life as we support each other and seek to discern God’s way for us as a church. The desire to hold a healing service grew out of the prayer mornings and there have now been two such services, the first for the church family and the second more widely publicised. We hope that this ministry will grow and touch the lives of people in the community as well as in the church family. In addition to the prayer mornings we have now held two church ‘Away days’, one at Pleshey and the second at St Margaret’s, Wicken Bonhunt. Both days were led by Peter Nodding who helped us to explore topics very relevant to our life together as the body of Christ.

We continue to engage with the local community through the coffee morning, the men’s breakfast and Coffee & Company for those who have been bereaved. Other activities which had been in abeyance because of Covid have re-started: the regular services in Humfrey Lodge care home are much appreciated by the residents and staff, and classes from the Primary School are coming to the church again for various activities. A one-off event that was much enjoyed by a group of church and non-church friends was the Christmas wreath-making workshop. Joint services with the URC have continued and we share in Thaxted Churches Together events such as the Good Friday Walk of Witness, the Big Brekkie for Christian Aid and Messy Church. We are in the process of rejuvenating our website as this is often the first channel that people today use to find out about a church. Our Fabric Group is also exploring ways to make our church building more welcoming to outsiders.

We have looked outwards in other ways too. Apart from our regular giving to Baptist mission in the UK and abroad and to Rachel Spencer, we were able to take a large quantity of supplies to the Foodbank at harvest while the fresh produce was used for community lunches at Pam’s Place, and the men’s breakfast made donations to Prostate Cancer UK and Magic Breakfast. We have supported organisations such as The Leprosy Mission and Mission Aviation Fellowship and also given to special appeals e.g. for victims of the Turkey/Syria earthquake.

As trustees we want to express our thanks to you all for the part you play in the life of the church. We are grateful to those who take part in the Sunday services by reading, leading intercessions or preaching, all who are part of the healing service team, our musicians who enhance our worship, those who welcome us in to the church, who operate the laptop, who look after the website and Facebook, make the coffee, arrange the flowers, run the BMS Birthday scheme, clean the church, help with the men’s breakfasts, Coffee & Company and the coffee mornings, do admin, and all who support our ministries in other practical ways and by faithful prayer. Special thanks to Michael for his time as a deacon, and also to him and Anne for all that they do for the church behind the scenes as well as upfront. Also to Fran for the tireless effort that she gives to the church administration.

At the beginning of this year Jim preached on our vision for TBC – to be passionate for God, for each other and for the world. May this threefold vision guide and inspire us as we seek to be a loving and welcoming Christian witness in our community.

Michael Berresford, Jim Ford & Frances Griffiths

rORENGLAND	AhiD1AIAI.IS T	haxted Baptist C	hurch
						ents accounts
									31112t2A22
		Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds		Endowment funds				Totalfunds		Last year
		tothenearest t"	to the nearestt		to	the nearest€			to the nearest€	to	the nearestf
A1Rece
Regular ofterings		16,355							16.3s5		17,264
Donations & other income		1,365							1,365		3,820
lncome tax recovered on oifts		4.940							4.940
Church hire		120							120
Manse rent		11.232							11,232		9,953
Raised for other causes			1,010						1,010		296
Sub fofal(Gross	AR)	34,412	1,010						3s,o22		31,333
A2Asset andinvestmentsales,
(seetable).
rotatreceiprslT--E7l			l-i6ii1	l-1						ss,ozzll----ffi
A3
\4inistry		3,011							3,011		2,671
Mission		4,737	1,010						5.747		2,016
Church runnino costs		6,967							6,967		4,114
Manse		2,256							2,256		I,813
Administration		2,368							2,368		1.214
3utreach/evanqelism											800
lhurchrepairs & improvements		13,719							13,719		8,840
	Subtotal	33,058	1,010						34,068		21,468
rotatpayme',trE=:@			l-fi[61	l-1				f	34p681l-----;Etl
Netofreceipts/(payments)I-l A5Transfersbetweenfunds A6CashfundslastyearendI zg,ozsl cashfundsthisyear""rrel			I-1 i l-1	f-l -lI l-1			-	f-l l-t65-l I _l L l Il 7e,07sll os,zrol I Bo^0r,ll-i6EA

		Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowment
		funds		funds	funds
		to nearest	€	tonearestI	toneareste
81Cashfunds	urrent account
	Totalcashfsnds
	(agree balances with receipts and payments
	account(s))
		Unrestricted		Restricted	Endowment
		funds to nearest	f	funds tonearest€	funds to nearestf
82Other monetaryasEets
				Cost {optional)
83lnvestment assets
		Fund tovr/hich		Cost {optional)	Current value
84 Assets retainedforthe	Church building
charity'sownuse	Fixtures, fittings & equipment
	Mense
85 Liabilities
Signedbyoneor twoirusteeson behalfof allthe trustees			Print	Name
		Frances Griffiths