## **Greenacres Congregational Church Galland Street Oldham OL4 3EU** ## **Trustees Annual Report for the period October 2024 to October 2025** ## **Charity Name – Greenacres Congregational Church** ## **Charity Registration number – 1183815** ## **Objectives and Activities** The objectives of the CIO are to advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the principles of Congregationalism for the benefit of the public in accordance with the statements of belief appearing in the Constitution of Greenacres Congregational Church. - The advancement of the Christian Faith in accordance with the principles of Congregationalism mainly, but not exclusively, by means of broadcasting Christian congregational messages of an inspirational and teaching nature. - To advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the principles of Congregationalism in the Oldham Metropolitan Borough for the benefit of the public through the holding of prayer meetings, lectures, public celebration of religious festivals, producing and/or distributing literature on Congregationalism to enlighten others about Congregational beliefs. - To provide a place of worship in the Oldham Metropolitan Borough, for the advancement of the Christian Faith in accordance with Congregational principles. ## **Looking back over 2025** It is September again and time for the Annual Trustees report. This report is not only an opportunity to reflect on the last year but also a legal requirement of the Charity Commission to update members on the Church’s governance and financial position. The year started with the AGM on 13[th] October 2024 when officers of the Church were elected and the annual report and accounts were approved. These were subsequently submitted to the Charity Commission before the deadline and they are available on line for anyone to view. This year has been quite a roller coaster. We initially wanted to call Rev’d Roo MacRea to our fellowship but then at the end of October, we found out that he had accepted a call from Market Harborough. Our search for a new minister continued and we met Lisa Ewart in November and following a quick succession of preaching and interviews Lisa returned to preach with a view in January. At our special church meeting on 19[th] January there was unanimous support to call Lisa to be our shared Minister in partnership with Springhead Church. Lisa quickly accepted the call and started her ministry with us on 1[st] May to great anticipation. Lisa was formally inducted into the Ministry of Greenacres and Springhead Churches on the 5[th] July. The induction service was well supported by both fellowships along with visitors who had supported both Churches during their interregnum, and representatives of the Federation and other local Churches. The induction was followed by an excellent tea. Unfortunately the very positive start to Lisa’s ministry was quickly followed by huge disappointment when Lisa sent our secretary her resignation letter on 11[th] of July only a few days after her induction. The letter was read out to our fellowship on 13[th] July. It would be an understatement to say that we were all very shocked and saddened by Lisa’s decision but our secretary quickly responded and we are again reliant on pulpit supply in the form of visiting ministers along with the support of Rev’d Liz Dean, Peter Butler and Rev’d Frank Wroe to whom we are forever grateful. We are again in an interregnum and in the short term we do not intend to advertise our vacancy. We hope to prayerfully re-visit the options for recruitment in the new year. Following the sudden departure of our new minister a number of our fellowship also decided it was time for a fresh start and moved away from our church. This resulted in us being unable to support the bible study and prayer meeting groups. However, the Friendship choir continues to meet alternate Saturday mornings and is always looking for new members, Zumba, Pilates and Table Tennis have also been ongoing activities in our church hall over the year but these are not particularly well supported by our own fellowship. Our Church has over recent years run the Alpha course and this year we decided to run an alternative course called “Being Congregational”. This is a new course that has been developed by the Congregational Federation. It started on 10th September and has been led by Rev’d Lz Dean and has been well supported by both our fellowship and members from our neighbouring Churches. ## **Recent Activities** On Saturday August 16th afternoon tea was enjoyed by many of our friends not only from our church but also from Hope & Springhead Chirches. On Sept 21st after the service, we had an open discussion re social activities. The meeting was held in our church hall and attendees enjoyed homemade veg soup & crusty bread. It was agreed a monthly newsletter would be available from October with details of services and activities. Various events were also arranged :- Festive Coffee morning Sat 22nd Nov. Theatre trip to watch Calendar Girls at Mossley AODS Sat 29th Nov. Film Scrooge the Musical in the Church hall Sat 13th Dec - includes refreshments of Turkey & stuffing sandwiches, hot mulled wine or Prosecco, tea & coffee. It was agreed that the informal open meeting involving the whole fellowship had worked well and that it would be repeated in the new year to plan ongoing activities for 2026. A Macmillan coffee morning was held on Saturday 27th Sept, hosted by Yvonne Biram & Annes Mien. This event was well supported by our fellowship and friends from Hope & Springhead Churches. Everyone enjoyed the homemade cakes. The magnificent sum of £500 has been raised. ## **Services** We have again been very fortunate to have had such a wide and diverse range of services and we are so grateful to the following ministers & friends who have led services throughout the year Peter Butler, Yvonne Campbell, Revd. Liz Dean, Revd. John Hall, Judith Haughton. Tim Hopley, Revd. David Ireland. Revd. Alan Kennedy, Revd. Foday Kamara, Pastor David Morgan. John Pollitt. Graham Radcliffe. Elisabeth Sweeney-Smith. The No Strings Attached Puppet Ministry. Susan Titmuss & Revd. Frank Wroe. ## **Special Services throughout the year** - Service of remembrance led by Malcolm Dean - Carol Service, Christmas Day & Easter Services led by Revd Liz Dean - Joint service with our local Congregational Churches on Maundy Thursday led by Frank Wroe & Revd. Liz Dean - Christening service on 7th Sept Revd. Liz Dean led the service & christening of Jack, son of Katie & Mark, brother of Charlie. - Harvest Thanksgiving Service led by Rev’d Frank Wroe ## **Church meetings** Our church meetings during the course of the year initially focussed on the arrangements for a shared ministry and the calling of a new minister along with the routine items of business linked to finance and building maintenance. At our quarterly church meeting on 17[th] August we all agreed to defer any action for recruitment of a minister until 2026. We also agreed to re let the manse after some redecoration work was completed. I would add that whilst our quarterly meetings have been quorate the meetings in general are not well supported and I would encourage all members and adherents to attend them wherever possible so that the interests and views of all of our fellowship are well represented. ## **Church Maintenance** Whilst there have been no items of significant expenditure over the last year we have continued to undertake routine maintenance of our buildings. The details of these works and cost can be seen in the attached accounts. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The structure of our CIO remains unchanged with a Minister, 5 Trustees and up to 12 Deacons. ## **Trustees** Following last year’s AGM, the five trustees of the Charity were:- I Bairstow Chair J Dean Secretary M Fowler Treasurer L Dean (Rev) P Butler In accordance with the rules of the Charity trustees need to step down in rotation every 3 years and this year the period of office for Ian Bairstow (Chair) and Joy Dean (secretary) will come to an end. There will therefore be two Trustee vacancies at the forthcoming AGM. Following our last AGM, there were also four vacant posts for Deacons. Since that time Stuart Paulley has resigned and there are therefore currently 7 Deacons. Deacons are required to retire and if they wish stand for re-election every four years. This year Ian Bairstow will reach his fourth year. Nomination sheets for all vacant positions have as usual been advertised on the side table in church so that nominations for all roles In our fellowship can be made. ## **Deacons and Trustees** |Joy Dean
Margaret Fowler
Gail Waterhouse
Stuart Paulley
Ian Bairstow
David Hopkins
Peter Butler
Liz Dean|**Deacons**
Until Oct 2027
(Trustee until Oct 2025)
Until Oct 2028
(Trustee until Oct 2027)
Until Oct 2026
Until Oct 2025
(Resigned)
Until Oct 2025
(Trustee until Oct 2025)
Until Oct 2028
Until Oct 2028
(Trustee until Oct 2027)
Until Oct 2026
(Trustee until Oct 2027)| |---|---| ## **Roll of Honour** We sadly note the passing of Mrs Lola Berry of our fellowship who passed away on 6[th] May 2025. Lola was a stalwart supporter of our fellowship and will be sadly missed by so many. . ## **Financial Review** ## **a) Revenue** During the year ending 30[th] June 2025 the church had a revenue income of £54,492 and running costs of £39,328 leaving an in year operating surplus of £15,164. A summary breakdown of income and expenditure is given below. The full detailed audited accounts are attached at the end of this report. |**Income**||**Expenditure**|| |---|---|---|---| |Offertory|£20022|Cleaning/pulpit Supp|£4948| |Gift Aid|£5187|Manse|£4839| |Investment Income|£7009|Utilities and general exp|£10,919| |Donations, grants, fundraising|£6914|Admin and Legal|£7570| |Funeral/wedding Fees|£300|Donations|£2527| |Room Hire|£7125|Buildings|£5496| |Other|£0|Stipend and Pension|£3029| |Rental income Manse|£7935||| |Legacy|£0||| ||--------||--------| ||£54492||£39328| Members might want to note that the offertory income has slightly increased when compared with last year. This is the first time for a number of years that we have seen a small increase. The Church’s financial position has been much improved due to an increase in room hire income for our buildings along with the income from the rental of the Manse. The Expenditure is also significantly below where it would be if we had a paid minister. The church is incredibly fortunate to still have a very generous albeit reducing fellowship and our thanks go to all of you for your kind generosity. ## **b) Reserves and Investments** The general position of reserves and investments remains broadly unchanged. Adjustments and transfers are noted below. - £6.9k increase in valuation of the Nucleus long term investment fund - £2.2k increase in the Nucleus medium term investment - £4.8k decrease in the COIF ethical investment income shares Our revenue position this year continues to be distorted as we have been without the cost of a minister for a long period. As such, our overall balance sheet is positive. Nevertheless, we should be mindful that utility costs are increasing rapidly and these along with the cost of even a part-time minister will make financial sustainability in future years challenging. We must hope and pray for guidance regarding the recruitment of a minister and the long term future of our fellowship. I am pleased to be able to report that given the relatively high levels of reserves our Church is still in a strong financial position. Our buildings and grounds are in a good state of repair and we have no foreseeable exceptional expenditure that threatens the overall viability of our fellowship. God willing with the positive impact of social events, fund raising and room rentals and the ongoing support of our fellowship we will be able to sustain worship and charitable giving at Greenacres for many years to come. A full copy of our audited accounts is attached for information below. These will be presented to our AGM for approval prior to submission to the Charity Commission. Ian Bairstow Chair of Trustees GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025 GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025 2024 Income Offertory Income Donation51 grants and fundrdisill8 Le8acy Funeral and wedding fees Room Hlre Property Rentsl Investment Income Other Income Tax reclaimed on covenants 21x122 6914 19761 5618 (thote l) 250 7125 7935 7235 4194 (note 21 (note 31 6612 91 4602 5187 54492 48363 Minlste¢s stlpend and pension Cleanln8 and pulplt supply Manse expenses General expenses Administrath expenses Donations made Bullding and equlpment malntenance 3029 5053 qnote 4) (note 5) (note 6) (note 7) (note 8) 4839 4798 10919 10900 7570 2527 $496 39328 3428 2369 7037 33585 Exoss of In￿Me/ExpendI￿r• forthe yewr 15164 14778 Accumulated defidt broutst fornanl 1293951 1441731 Athjmuiatsd defidt carrfed fovward 1142311 1293951 Payl GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30 JUNE 2025 2025 2024 Flx¢d as5•ts Land and Bulldin85 Manse 21C#X 210000 Church Land and Bulldlngs 275000 485000 275000 485000 Equlpment- sound System and Multl Medla 8935 10723 Investments Inote 9) 347905 342407 Cash at bank and In hand (note 101 60679 47016 Accounts recelvable 2820 1730 Total assets 905339 886876 Current liabllltle5 {nots 111 1477 1945 Total assets less current Ilabilities 903862 884931 Represented by. Church Funds General Fund Revaluatlon Reserves (note 13) Deflclt on Income and expendlture account Inots 121 692845 693376 8750 8750 216498 1142311 212200 1293951 903862 884931 Page 2 GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025 2025 2024 Note I OMatlons• Brants and fundralslng Other donatlons 4872 3700 Grants Collection5 for charlty Festlve coffee morning Fund rai51ng 984 1205 611 59 102 6315 5618 Not¢ 2 Investment Income Bank Interest Royton Trust COIF income from unlts DB Berry Trust Income K Locke Trust Income Teachers 8ulldln8 Society Interest 380 301 980 3165 1076 207 1201 962 3182 1068 213 886 7009 6612 Note 3 Other Incoffle Sale of old medla items 91 91 Page 3 GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 30JUNE 2025 2025 2024 Note 4 •xpfjns Water Rates 1125) 377 4249 Insurance Repalr5 and Renewals Letting ¢05ts Ground rent Gas 414 4114 Councll t•x 212 4839 Ngt• 5 G•MrnI •xp•M•s Insurance Telephone Ele¢trl¢lty Gas Water 4614 4174 522 1213 3988 582 10919 579 1289 4371 109LK) Not• 6 AdmlnlrtrnUv• •xp•M•s Postage Statlonery and consumables General prfntlng costs R¢m¢mbrance Day wreath and expenses Caterfng costs Copyrl8ht Ileenc Legal fe•5 Accountancy and Audlt Fe•s Alpha Course Expenses Heatth and Safety Expense5 Mlscellaneous expenses Notlce board Induc¥on expenses New mlnlster travel & accommod*i 14 499 117 li 14 79 22 21 335 Is(M) 324 1675 3CM) 395 252 279 323 125 3398 7470 3428 Pa8e 4 GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025 2025 2024 Not• 7 Dothatlons made Donatlons to affillated a550clatlon5 943 Rob Burrow. MND Dr. Kershaw's Hosplce Gulde Dogs for the 811nd Ancora 257 395 212 212 CWM Mlnlstry and M1551on Chrlstlan Ald Safvatlon Army Francls House Othr Donatlons 765 750 75 198 2527 2369 Not• 8 Bulldlni *nd •qulpm•nt m11ntsn•￿• Bulldlnl repalrs Land malntenanc• Wlndow cleanlng aeanlng materlals CCTV andAlarm Costs Sound System & Multl Medla Costs Sound 5￿teM & Multl Medla Depreclatlon 578 2308 2334 2259 350 235 312 160 226 160 35 1788 1788 5496 7037 Not• 9 lthve5tm•nts Nucleus Medlum Tem) Nucleus Long Term Teachers Bulldlng Soclety COIF Ethlcal Investment Income Shares 51494 49262 129108 122218 55407 54207 111896 116720 347905 342407 P•8e 5 GREENACRES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025 2025 2024 Not• 10 Cash •t bank and In ￿nd Bank current account 29025 25805 Bank reserve account Petty cash 31552 102 21172 39 47016 Not• 11 Curv•nt IlabNItI Accounts p•yable Fund ralslng holdlng account Coffee Collert￿Th holdln8 account 1055 IS42 200 222 1477 200 203 1945 Not• 12 Chur¢h Funth Youth and R•cr04tlon Fund- Clpitsl y(￿th and Re¢reJtlon Fund- Income Terc. Bulldln8 Endowment Fund Waterhead Fund- Capitsl Waterhead Fund- Interest Legacy Fund Hlstorlcal Recelpts Fund Benevolent Fund Endowment Fund Communlon Fund 59 2011 2766 7184 1348 298￿7 298007 360050 360050 10670 112 3658 2011 2766 7184 150 150 692845 693374 Nucleus Investment R•Aluatlon Reserve Capltal Urt￿$ Revaluation Reserve Manse Revaluatlon Reserve 21480 104896 109720 81000 81C 216498 2122 Pa8• 6 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectton A Independent Examinees Report Report to the trusteesl members of GQElfv Ac RÉS CONcRicRrioriflL CH(AftCH On accounts for the year ended 20 TUNE 1Tr2S Charity no {if any) Set out on pages Iremembei 10 Iiiclude Ihe oane numbèis ol tddilioiial ShOÉt$l I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I the Trust") for the year ended3D/o & } 202S. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you aré responsible for the preparation basls of report of the aG¢ounls in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 1 the Act"). I report in rèspect of my examination of the Trust's accounts ¢arried 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)Ibl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come lo my attention {other than that disclosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause lo beli&ve that in, any material respect.. accounting rècords were not kept in accordanc8 Wlth section 130 of the Act or the accoun15 do not accord with the accounting re¢ord5 Independent examiner's Statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the @xamination to which attention should be drawn in order lo enable proper understanding of the accounts lo be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. ?1 a