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2022-08-31-accounts

Christchurch Market Harborough

Receipts & Payments Accounts

1 November 2021 - 31 August 2022

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Administrative Details

Status

Charitable Incorporated Organisation

Registered Charity Number (England & Wales) 1184289

Trustees

The trustees who served during the period and at the date of this report are as follows: A W J Stevens (Chair)

Stuart Allen

Adrian Reynolds

Jonathan Prime

Correspondence Address

41 The Point Market Harborough LE16 7QU

Independent Examiner

Laurence Fearon LEF Consulting 107 Beeches Road Rowley Regis B65 0BB

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Charity Structure and Management

Christchurch Market Harborough is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, independent of any denomination, and governed by a Constitution dated 24 March 2019. It is the successor to the unincorporated charity of the same name founded in 2010. The church operates under the name of Christchurch Harborough (“CCH”) to reflect the wider Harborough District from where members and attenders are drawn.

The charity is overseen by trustees who are also the elders. They are appointed by the church members in accordance with policies and procedures in the Church Handbook. The elders meet formally twice a month and, depending on their nature, decisions are either made collectively by the elders and reported to the Members, or brought to the Members for approval at a Members’ Meeting held once each term.

Whilst all the elders are equal in status and serve as pastors of the church, Stuart Allen has been appointed full time to the ministry. He serves alongside employed staff – a parttime Women’s Worker and part-time Church Administrator. The Women’s Worker is related to one of the trustees and that trustee is, therefore, excluded from elders’ / trustees’ decisions concerning her employment and remuneration.

The elders are also supported in their work through the appointment of volunteer Deacons who serve in different areas of church life.

CCH is affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (“FIEC”) and is a member of the Midlands Gospel Partnership.

The church has 58 voting members and more than 100 adults and children who attend services regularly, with many more participating in other church activities.

The charity has changed its year end from 31 October to 31 August to better reflect the annual cycle of church activities. The accounts that accompany this report are, therefore, for the ten-month period ending 31 August 2022.

Objectives and Activities

The main purpose of CCH is the advancement of the Christian faith. Other permitted activities that put into practice the Christian faith include relief of hardship, advancement of education and provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare.

The church’s activities and grant-making priorities reflect these purposes and are reported under the following headings:

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Achievements and Performance

Mission & Outreach

This is achieved through local initiatives and partnering with others for a regional, national, and global reach. During the period CCH was active in advancing the Christian faith by:

We also saw the resumption, after Covid-19 restrictions, of weekly groups for parents / carers and their young children and a monthly programme for Seniors and a fortnightly program for youth, all of which have some focus on advancing the Christian faith.

Our support for:

continued through regular grants given to UK-registered charities. This year, through a Christmas Appeal, CCH also financially supported Open Doors who seek to support Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith.

Worship, Prayer & Teaching

Weekly worship services open to the public and resumed after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted are held by hiring halls and rooms of another local church. These services are made known by online promotion, prominent signage and by personal invitation.

Teaching which seeks to reach others with the good news of the Christian gospel and facilitates discipleship is provided through:

An audio recording of the Sunday preaching is also available to the public after the event through the church’s website.

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Care, Pastoral & Fellowship

Much of the pastoral, spiritual and practical care of members and attenders is given oneon-one, especially through the pastors, Women’s Worker, and Growth Groups.

Gatherings of the wider church family outside of Sunday worship services take place several times each year to facilitate pastoral care and provide an opportunity for extended fellowship. They also showcase a healthy Christian community that demonstrates the Christian faith in action.

Training

Ongoing training is provided to and funded for staff and volunteers to support the church’s main purpose and to develop them in their ministries.

During the period being reported, this included:

Public Benefit

When planning activities and making decisions, the elders / trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission Guidance on public benefit. This is reflected in the report of activities shown above.

We seek to make our services and activities as accessible as possible and, as part of this aspiration, have registered as a Sight Loss Friendly Church with Torch Trust. We supply worship and study materials in braille and Large Print for those who need then.

We have also started providing automated simultaneous translation of the Sunday services into Ukrainian to serve refugees who have come to the area.

Financial Review

For the ten-month period, total unrestricted receipts (before asset sales) were £95,067. Of this total, unrestricted donations were £77,006 (2021 twelve-month period - £90,663). On a like-for-like basis donations showed a modest increase (2%). With Gift Aid, such donations account for over 99% of the charity’s receipts.

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Total unrestricted payments (before asset purchases) were £81,638 (2021 twelve-month period - £61,793).

The largest part of the church’s expenditure is for employment costs and for the period this amounted to £54,628 (2021 twelve-month period - £39,888). The like-for-like increase is mainly due to salary reviews that took account of the high rate of inflation and the result of a salary benchmarking exercise. As a proportion of unrestricted payments, staffing costs were 67% (2021 – 65%). Alongside members / volunteers, staff are the church’s main human resource available to achieving the charity’s objectives and the trustees are concerned to ensure that they are appropriately remunerated, trained, prayed for, and supported.

The second highest cost was for venue hire and storage for Sunday services (£9,620, or 12% of payments). This is included within the Worship, Prayer, and Teaching category.

Grants for Missions to other UK registered charities from unrestricted funds totalled £2,798.

Net receipts before asset sales and purchases were £13,429 (2021 – twelve-month period £47,782). The prior year included additional receipts as members donated towards the cost of appointing our first Senior Pastor and less payments as the Senior Pastor did not take up his duties until September 2021.

During the period being reported an additional sum of £3,613 was received into a Restricted Fund for the support of the persecuted Church. This was passed onto Open Doors to use in their worldwide ministry supporting Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

Reserves Policy

The church Reserves Policy is to maintain unrestricted reserves of at least three month’s regular expenditure. This is considered sufficient to respond to any immediate, sustained, or significant drop in income. At the end of the period, with an increased budget for the following year, this amounted to £30,000. Unrestricted Funds held of £118,021 are therefore adequate.

Going forward and given the cost-of-living crisis the trustees have budgeted for no increase to regular donations for 2022/23 which gives a modest budget deficit for the year to 31 August 2023. Given the level of reserves this is not of concern.

The elders / trustees have also begun discussions with the church about the possibility of another staff appointment. For this reason, there are no other current plans for utilising the surplus reserves held to advance the Charity’s objectives.

Chrlstchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Perlod to 31 August 2022 The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above Signed on behalf of the charity trustees Signature Full Name: Sw puiuP ALL6 Posltlon PA&oR AMP TPUSTEE Date

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Receipts and Payments Accounts

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Last
Funds funds funds year 2021
10 months 12 months
£ £ £ £
Receipts
Donations 77,006 2,992 79,998 90,663
Gift Aid 17,501 621 18,122 17,081
Other 560 - 560 1,831
Sub Total 95,067 3,613 98,680 109,575
Asset Sales
Equipment Sales 123 - 123 -
Sub total 123 - 123 -
Total receipts 95,190 3,613 98,803 109,575
Payments
Mission & Outreach 5,672 3,613 9,285 3,802
Worship, Prayer & Teaching 12,348 - 12,348 12,140
Care, Pastoral & Fellowship 2,397 - 2,397 2,583
Training 1,561 - 1,561 -
Staffing 54,628 - 54,628 39,888
Governance & Administration 5,033 - 5,033 3,380
Sub Total 81,639 3,613 85,252 61,793
----- End of picture text -----

Asset Purchases

----- Start of picture text -----
Equipment Purchases 1,564 - 1,564 2,582
Sub total 1,564 - 1,564 2,582
Total payments 83,203 3,613 86,816 64,375
Net of receipts/(payments) 11,987 - 11,987 45,200
Cash funds last year end 106,034 - 106,034 60,834
Cash funds this year end 118,021 - 118,021 106,034
----- End of picture text -----

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Unrestricted
funds
£
Cash Funds
Bank Current Account
3,021
Bank Deposit Account
115,000
Total cash funds
118,021
Other Monetary Assets
Gift Aid Tax Refund Due
1,478		 Restricted
funds
£
-
-
-
-		 Total
funds
£
3,021
115,000
118,021
1,478		 Last
year 2021
£
8,924
97,110
106,034
Gift Aid Tax Refund Due - 1,478 2,264

Assets retained for the charit ’s own use y

Equipment 18,194 - 18,194 16,753

Notes to the accounts

  1. Expenses are allocated to the relevant charitable activity of the church, although staffing, training & admin costs are shown separately and not apportioned.

  2. The Restricted Fund relates to a Christmas Appeal for the Open Doors charity

  3. The staffing costs:

  4. include the employer contributions to the workplace pension scheme

  5. include a stipend paid to the Senior Pastor, who is also a trustee of the charity

  6. include a salary paid to the Women's Worker, who is related to a trustee of the charity

  7. The assets retained for the charity's own use are shown at replacement cost

Christchurch Market Harborough. Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for Period to 31 August 2022 Independent Examiners Report on the accounts Report to Ihe Trll$t¢￿ of Christthureh Market Harborough on tbe ￿e￿Ults for the period ended 31 August 2022 CbArit> Number 1184199 Responsibilities of Trustees The charity's trusiees ar¢ responsibk for the weparation of the accounts. The charity's rnistees consider that an audit is not tEquired for this period under section 144 (2) of the Charities Act ?0 I i (Ihe 201 l Aci) and that an independent examinaiinn is needed. Responsibility of Independent Examiner It is my responsibility to: exaiiiiii¢ the accounts under s¢¢tion 145 of th¢ 2011 Act. lo follv¥N Ihe pr(Kedures laid do￿7) irt the general Direciions Bl¥'en by the Charity Commission under section 145 {5XbTr of the 201 l Acl. and to slate w.hether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of statement My examination V¥as carried out in accordance with the 8eneral diTections given by the Ch8riry Comrn issi(fft. An examination includes a review of the accouiiliiig records kcpt by Ihe charity and a Comparison of the accounls presented with those records. It also includes c(msideralion uf any unusuul items or disclosures in Ihe aLcounls. and sccking cxplanalions from ihe trus¢ees concerning anN such matters. The procedurei undenaken do not provide all thc evid¢n¢¢ that would be required in an audiL and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the a¢¢ounls present a "true and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement bL'Iow. Independent Examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in. any material respec¢ the requirements.. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the ?01 l Act. and to prepare accounts ivhich accord ￿1th the ac¢ounling records and comply ilith the accounting rvquirements of ihe 2011 Act have not been rnel: or 2_ to N,hich, in my opinion: Attention shollld ￿ drawn in order to enable a proper undersianding of he accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Laureiic¢ Fearon LEF Consulting, 107 Beeches Koad. Rowley Regi& West Midlands B65 OBB