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2023-08-31-accounts

A N N U A L R E P O RT 2023 - 2024

St John’s Methodist Church Council 2023 - 2024

Registered Charity 1184805

Members

Rev Eva Walker Minister Owen Lumsdon Treasurer Susan Wood Secretary Carol Baggaley Senior Steward, Safeguarding Officer Lesley Thompson Steward Howard Scott Steward Sally Clark Steward Margaret Rushton Steward Susan Sabourn Steward Una Miller Pastoral Secretary Margaret Stephenson Worship Leader Andrew Lowe Chair, Finance and Property Committee Colin Raistrick

Safeguarding Officer, Data Protection, We Give You A Warm Welcome

Carole Firth Noreen Rees Jackie Tallon Heather Hindmarsh Margaret Lumsdon

Elected Member Elected Member Elected Member Elected Member (to 13.02.2024) Elected member

Independent Examiner

Rachel Hunter

We are in partnership with

Action for Children All We Can Friday Cuppa (Warm Space)

Registered Charity 1184805

Left to right - Carol Baggaley - Senior Steward, Margaret Rushton Susan Sabourn, Sally Clark, Howard Scott Front row - Revd Eva, Lesley Thompson

Pastoral Leadership Team

Revd Eva Walker Revd Tony Farrar Revd Gary Ridley John Morley Una Miller

Pastoral Visitors

Una Miller Pat Turnbull Pat Brown Margaret Stephenson Margaret Lumsdon Val Farrar Valerie Todhunter Pauline Hurse Doris Miller Heather Hindmarsh Anita Lambert Monica Hayden

Members Transferred Jenny Fothergill Lilian Latimer

New Members

Elaine Davies Martin Davies Samuel Davies

Pastoral Group Contacts Afternoon Club - Jackie Tallon Badminton - Pat Brown Choir- Christine Liddle Community Lunch - Margaret Stephenson FaB (Friends and Believers) - Lesley Thompson Faith and Friendship, morning - Pauline Hurse Faith and Friendship evening - Colin Raistrick Faith and Life - Tony Farrar Flower Ministry - Val Farrar Friday Cuppa/Warm Spaces - Barbara Grundy Knit and Natter - Susan Sabourn Messy Church - Chris Shand Monday Bible Study - Pat Turnbull Property Team of three - Andrew Lowe SJBelles (hand bells) - Christine Hickox SJY (youth)- Revd Eva Stewards - Carol Baggaley Toddlers and Wiggles - Karen Morley WHITCH - Revd Eva Uniformed Organisations - Suzanne Wood Willow Club - Ian Miller

Communion Stewards

Margaret Barker Mary Bentley (to December 2023) Monica Hayden Judith Lynn Una Miller Judith Tait 1

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Revd Eva Walker

Dear friends,

What you are holding in your hands is faithfulness written down. God’s faithfulness and this church’s faithfulness. I pray that as you read the pages, as you read the reports you will be overjoyed and humbled by faithfulness.

For you will notice generosity and a desire to be an open community; you will notice bravery and the willingness to try new things and change things if and when they are not working; you will notice welcome, true and open welcome; you will notice unfailing commitment to the things that keep the church going, even if these things are not easily visible or up front, you will notice commitment to responsible living. You will also notice the ability of this church community to include all, to allow herself to be a guest in her own place, with others becoming hosts. And you will hear

the voices of so many saying: ‘This is my home’ and ‘I don’t know how I would have coped without this community’ and ‘I can’t believe my child feels empowered to do things in public’ and so much more.

And I hope you will sense joy, joy in being together, in learning together, in worshipping together, in cooking together, in singing together, in working together, in clearing up together, in eating together.

And I hope you will sense the joy of many living out their calling and their faith. And what is our calling as a church? What better time to reflect upon this than now, as we have celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the universal church. What happened on that day?

The Spirit of God came in the rush of a mighty wind and in tongues of fire above their heads. Many of those who experienced this day knew the power of both the wind and the fire. For they knew that both are unpredictable, and unsettling, and can change the course of action or direction. Think of the fishermen on water with a mighty wind causing a big storm.

Think of them all as they live in a very warm climate, and know the devastation of a spreading fire. But they also know that it is the mighty wind that powers sails and windmills, gives them the ability to catch fish, to travel, to make bread. They also know that the fire in the hands of the blacksmith can bring form and shape to the toughest of metals, they know that fire will cook their food and keep their bodies warm in cold nights. They know that both wind and fire give life. They are called to embrace the leading of the Spirit, even when the Spirit takes them outside of their comfort zones. And it is in the embracing, that the church is birthed.

And then, there was the ability the Spirit gave them to speak in other languages, languages strange to them, but that made sense to others. For, we as humans find it comforting to mix only with our own, the ones who speak our language and understand us, but in doing so, we miss out in a diversity that is rich beyond imagining. For, had God chosen not to learn our language, not to enter our lives, where would we be today?

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And it is because of the love of God, as shown at Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and the faithfulness of so many people who responded that we are here today. And so, with thankful heart and hearts full of love we remember those who have gone to be with Jesus, the saints in glory. And we name those people, good and faithful servants who went to be with God in the past year. We praise God for them and for the hope of life eternal.

And, as we give thanks for them, let us always be a thankful people. Let us always give thanks to God for Jesus and the Holy Spirit, for the presence of the triune God in the world, for the moments of grace and the moments of healing, for the moments of clarity and the moments of calling, for every time that love wins.

And allow me the privilege of saying thank you to you all, for being so generous in giving yourselves to God, for being lights, and beacons of hope, for being people who go the extra mile. Thank you! I absolutely love being part of this community, of ministering alongside you. It is a true joy to be church together.

Love and God’s blessings, Eva

Members, friends and family members of our church community who have passed away

Revd John Mason Margaret Carty Eric Lambert Jill Bissett Anna Palmer Eda Rogan David Slater Keith Sargeant Alex Bissett Ian Birtwistle Willie Brown Joan Teasdale Revd Canon Leo Osborn

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Pastoral Report

Thanks to our minister Rev Eva Walker who leads our pastoral team practically and spiritually. The Pastoral Care Team consists of three groups, the Pastoral Visitors of whom there are 13 Visitors, 21 Group Contacts, the Pastoral Leaders with 5 members, our minister, Rev Tony Farrar, Rev Gary Ridley, John Morley, and Una Miller.

The Pastoral Leaders were aware that the current structure did not fit the needs of all our members and the need to build on what we have and include further additions.

The following structure is now being implemented.

All these groups will be coordinated by the Pastoral Leaders with Una Miller being the first point of contact to pass information to the relevant person.

This is still work in progress and communication is the key.

Pastoral visitors have been asked to let me have their preferred method of communication and Group contacts will also be contacted.

Pastoral care is the responsibility of the whole community of our church. If someone needs our help, please let us know and I will pass it to the relevant person.

Once again, we wish to express our gratitude for the work carried out by the many members of the Pastoral Care Team. This is a valuable link in communication within St John’s

Una Miller Pastoral Secretary

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Safeguarding Report

During the year St John’s Church Council approved St John’s Safeguarding Policy, the text mirrors that of the national safeguarding Policy. The policy is on the Minor Hall noticeboard. Throughout the building on many other notice boards we have details of the safeguarding contacts and posters on the Methodist Church Safeguarding Policy. On the back of toilet doors we have posters on where to get help for those in domestic abuse situations and how to contact Childline. This keeps us fully compliant with the Safeguarding best practice.

Throughout the year Carol and Colin have attended Safeguarding updates with the Circuit Safeguarding Officer. Training on Safeguarding courses can be face to face or online. During the year 17 members of St John’s refreshed their Safeguarding Training. The feedback from attendees is that the course is very informative and most helpful

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and this means we do update our processes and procedures. During the year we have altered the way we store large tables. This change stops them falling on top of the person needing a table. We have recorded that one Wesley Hall chair broke. Hopefully this will be a one off, but is recorded so we can see if this is a start of a trend due to plastic degradation due to heat/sunlight.

A reminder to all group leaders. Please record any accidents or near misses in the accident book located in the kitchen first aid box. This information is archived and information acted upon.

One thing that we have done during the year is merge the Circuit Safeguarding training database with the Circuit DBS record. This exercise has positively helped us identify gaps in DBS provision and avoided a situation where we assumed we were ok based on the individual database.

Thank you to all who help ensure St John’s is a safe place for all.

Carol Baggaley, Colin Raistrick

St John’s Safeguarding Officers

Data Protection

Each May on behalf of St John’s I run the Methodist Church GDPR Annual Compliance Report and sign us off as 100% compliant as we are fully compliant. The national Privacy Policy was updated on the 3rd March 2023 - reflecting new addresses for Methodist Church House in London - the revised copy is displayed on the Wesley Hall corridor noticeboard and a copy is filed in the Policy file in the Office. It was not updated in 2024.

Personal Data that we use at St John’s is given to us by people seeking information from us and our systems - one such system is the distribution list to receive the weekly notices electronically, another is listing in the Church directory so that we can communicate across activity groups and committees.

When notified we delete or add people. Attendance forms for Wiggles, Toddlers, Messy Church and Film Nights are archived and will be destroyed in line with the Methodist Record Retention Schedule.

Colin Raistrick

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Treasurer’s Report May 2024

This is of necessity an interim report as the year-end figures will not be known until September. I will make a further report at the AGM in June with the results to date and will of course report at the year-end as usual.

This year has seen a continuation of the difficulties in balancing the books experienced over recent years.

In an unprecedented step, the February Church Council agreed to the transfer of £25000 from the TMCP account (our savings) to the current account to facilitate the monthly circuit assessment payments (£5268/month) made via the CFB account. At that time, we were two payments behind due to lack of funds in the current account. This withdrawal was completed, and we are now up to date with payments.

Hopefully I will be able to report an improved situation by the year end when several significant income items are anticipated (eg Gift week and the Gift Aid contribution)

I will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that we meet our obligations.

Owen Lumsdon Treasurer

The accounts for the year ending 31.08.23 can be found at the very end of this report book

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Steward’s Report

Another year of so much activity within St John’s. Our numerous groups are growing and new groups have joined us, ie, Karate Club during the week, sewing club meet on Thursday evenings and a new Banner group are coming together. The Whitley Bay Tea Dance Club will be joining us shortly as will Age UK fitness classes.

The property team have fitted the pegboard, this enables us to display the larger projects that have been carried out by our young folk in Worship, Fab and Messy Church.

We have been able to take part in various forms of worship, which we have pleasure in inviting those who are unable to attend the Church to join us on zoom, unfortunately, from time to time our technology challenges us (especially in the Wesley Hall). We have welcomed back Supernumeraries and local preachers who have appreciated the fellowship we continue after the service over refreshments. The Steward Team attended training that was provided by the District Trainers, specifically for Stewards, we have also attended the Equality, Diversity and inclusion training. Both sessions were very informative.

Once again, the Steward Team were happy to invite our members and those who assist us to deliver many of our activities, to join us and share in a meal with games and music (those brave enough have jumped up to join in the dancing). We had such a glorious selection of deserts, I’m sure we could all have had seconds and thirds, if we had a big enough appetite. We are at present planning our next event, to take place in July (keep up to date with notices as more details will be coming your way).

We had a very busy Christmas, due to the large numbers of children attending our Church. The whole of Marine Park School took the opportunity to bring their classes and their families into the Church over three days. They followed the Christmas story, so we were so pleased that our banners could be displayed in the Church to assist in the story telling. Our decorated Christmas Tree was moved numerous times to facilitate the different events that we had. Once again the Christingle Service was a highlight and the addition of the “magic” candles took everyone by surprise and had the children and parents enthralled. Just the right excitement ready for the build up to Christmas Day.

The Steward Team are very happy working together to bring Worship and assist our Minister, Supernumeraries, worship leaders and visiting preachers.

Carol Baggaley Senior Steward

Worship Leading

It is a privilege to lead the congregation in worship. I want to express my grateful thanks to all at St. John’s who continue to encourage and support me in this role.

I often find preparing and leading a service challenging, but I know that if God calls any of us to do something for him, he will always be there to give his help and guidance.

I pray that we will all continue to worship and serve our God in this place and in the community in which we live.

Love to you all, Margaret Stephenson

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Finance and Property Committee

Andrew Lowe, Chairman Colin Raistrick, Owen Lumsdon Paul Walker Carole Firth Peter Firth Howard Scott

Over the past year the Finance and Property Committee have continued to look after the property and finances of the church. The Committee met on four occasions during the year.

Major Property Repairs and Improvements

The following property repairs and improvements to the buildings have been made over the past year:

Room hire charges were revised from September 2023. A sales brochure was produced and is available to potential room hirers from the office. A large banner has been placed on the outside of the Wesley Hall advertising rooms for hire.

The high cost contract for the supply of electricity ended on 31[st] January. Following a competitive exercise undertaken by our energy broker a new 3 year electricity contract (for 100% renewable electricity) was agreed with Scottish Power, which commenced on 1[st] February. The new contract price is much lower and will reduce the annual electricity cost from £8445 to £3477pa. However the new price will still be twice the rate that we were paying before the energy cost crisis.

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A new reserves policy was agreed by the Church Council in February. Reserves are part of the unrestricted funds that are freely available to spend on any part of the church’s purposes. They are required so that the trustees meet their obligations to protect and safeguard the assets of the church and to manage uncertainty.

We Give You a Warm Welcome Project

Double glazing was installed in the Wesley Hall, kitchen and kitchen corridor windows at the end of July. This replaced the existing single glazed windows, and further enhance the warmth of the Wesley Hall, as well as reducing maintenance costs.

Secondary glazing has been added to the main windows in the Sanctuary, to reduce draughts and improve the insulation. At the same time the John Lamb Nativity memorial window was repaired. The window was removed for several weeks whilst repairs were undertaken at the contractors workshop. A new frame was installed, and the stained glass re-installed, together with secondary plain glass on the outside to protect the stained glass. This has been a significant piece of work, and should ensure that all those who come to St. John’s can enjoy the Nativity scene depicted for many years to come.

Future Planned Works

The next part of the “We Give You a Warm Welcome” project will be to install zonal heating, so that individual rooms can be heated as required, rather than the whole church building being heated. This will be a complex project, and will involve significant work to investigate and research before any contracts are awarded.

A local painter and decorator has been engaged to paint the external parts of the building, which haven’t had a major repaint for 20 years. The work will commence on the 17[th] July, depending on the weather.

The pot-holes in the church car park will be repaired.

Additional Remarks

Thanks to Charles Hedley and John Cuggy for tending the church garden throughout the year, and keeping the external appearance of the church to a high standard.

I would like to thank all the members of the Finance and Property Committee for their work and dedication in keeping the church property and finances in good order. Their work is often unseen and unglamorous, but vital for the continuing work and mission of St. John’s.

Andrew Lowe

Chairman – Finance and Property Committee

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Building Project Finance Group – A Warm Welcome

Colin Raistrick, Chair Ian Nicholson, Treasurer Noreen Rees Ian Miller Jackie Tallon Carol Baggaley

Funding for the various elements of the warm welcome project continues and to date the project has raised just over £105,000. Money continues to be collected for the project mainly by many unseen activities. These include online shopping via easyfundraising where a small percentage of the purchase price is paid by the shop not the buyer. A number of people have realised that their online grocery shopping can be a means of donating to the project. At St John’s sales of cards, books and jigsaws are added to the pot. The collection of foreign notes and coins also contributes. Bank interest and Gift aid on donations also contributes. The pot of available money continues to grow and has NOT touched the £60,000 of money made available by the Church.

Income

£45,021 All Fundraising £60,000 Money designated by Church Council £105,021 Total

Expenditure

£5,245 Roof insulation works £12,555 Double Glazing Wesley Hall, Kitchen £17,800 Total

£9,000 is earmarked for the Sanctuary secondary glazing.

Information gathering on possibilities for aspects of the next stages of the warm welcome project are in progress.

We are waiting for confirmation of a bid to Government funding for energy efficiency measures. If approved this will result in a comprehensive survey of the St John’s estate with cost recommendations of what best to invest in based on what will bring the greater energy efficiency saving. This could be to install double glazing where we don’t have the glazing or a system that turns the existing heating into a controlled heating zone option. The Government funding will fund the cost of the greater energy efficiency action.

Colin Raistrick Chair

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Choir

Another year goes by – and we are still in business!

The Covid restrictions are becoming a distant memory as we continue to lead the congregation in worship. We have built up an excellent working relationship with the visiting ministers and local preachers, and are very happy to accommodate their musical preferences for Introit or Anthem whenever we can.

In early December we enjoyed singing again at the “Coffee and Carols” event in the Wesley Hall as we have done for so many years in the past. This time the money raised (£286) was donated to “Crisis at Christmas”. This is always a popular occasion and it was lovely to see such a goodly crowd of people attending, enjoying singing so many of their favourite carols, between a steady supply of mince pies and coffee (and tea ! ).

Unfortunately, this year, there was no opportunity for the Choir to sing at any of the Holy Week services. Maybe next year…..?

I am for ever grateful to the selfless dedication of the Choir members, who give of their time and talents so freely. Without exception, they are all so keen to ensure that the standard of the singing is as good as it possibly can be. They are by no means all expert sight readers and take the responsibility of enhancing the worship at St John’s very seriously indeed. As always, we are extremely grateful for the continued support of the congregation, and feel privileged to be able to contribute to the worship at St John’s.

Charles Hedley Choir Leader

The Flower Team

We continue to have a dedicated team of 4 ladies who buy, arrange and deliver the flowers on a weekly basis to anyone celebrating a special birthday or event, to those who are unwell or have suffered a bereavement. Sometimes sent as a “Thank you” to those who fulfil various roles at St. John’s and are rarely thanked.

This is an important part of the pastoral care work at St. John’s, not only for our members but for the many from the community who come on to our premises week by week.

The recipients of the flowers appreciate knowing that we are thinking of them and we often receive “thank you” cards from them.

We could not fulfil this role if it were not for the generous people who donate to the flower fund regularly. My grateful thanks to you all.

The flower team are Judith Lynn, Val Farrar, Mary Bentley and myself.

Margaret Stephenson

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Wednesday Lunches

Lunch on the first Wednesday in the month has continued throughout the past year, one of the few groups which never has a break during holiday seasons, it being felt that our guests particularly appreciate the opportunity to continue to meet together when many other groups are having a break.

Numbers of guests attending varies somewhat but has averaged around 24. Sadly we have lost regulars and others are no longer able to attend.

Not all are from our congregation; we continue to welcome several folk from the wider community, some having joined us via Friday Cuppa.

The same format remains popular …. choice of 2 soups, 2 puddings (always with custard, and/or ice cream in the summer!) followed by tea/coffee and, more importantly, lots of chat!

An exception to the usual menu was in December when, as usual, a full traditional Christmas lunch was on the menu, together with much festive cheer and spirit (not of the liquid kind of course!).

We continue to be blessed with the same team of very willing cooks/helpers/drivers who work very well and flexibly together – and have as much fun and chat as the guests, it must be said.

Any payment for food is by donation only, ingredients for the lunch being donated by the volunteers so a bonus is that since the last AGM, more than £1200 has been passed to the treasurer for church funds. There has been a proposal that, as the church no longer has a regular external Charity Project, we may wish to donate the coming year’s donations to the Bay Food Bank. As we know, it is currently sorely in need of funds and it somehow seems appropriate that those less fortunate than we are should benefit from our good fortune in eating together every month. This will be discussed in the coming days.

Gill Hedley

WHITCH (What Happens In The Church)

As you know, this is a group of mums getting together, to share, to support, to be. The mums continue to come to Messy Church and to Film Nights. They bake for us, help tidy up, love being part of this community, and love getting together in the evenings to chat and to share. They remind me we have to organise another get together, when I forget to send out dates for our next meeting. They are beautiful people, finding a home at St John’s, and they bring so much to the table. Together, we laugh, and share stories of struggles and of joys. When I mentioned the need for a new dishwasher, it was some of these mums, who created a WhatsApp group and shared ideas of how to raise the money. The believe in the community God has brought together in this place. Karen and I are both part of this group, and we praise God for it.

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Eva

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FOCUS MAGAZINE

The small team of Noreen Rees (Editor), Howard Scott (Administrator), Peter Firth (Distribution) and Colin Raistrick (email Distribution) continues to produce news and views of St John’s members and friends four times a year (Autumn/Harvest, Christmas, Easter, Summer). During part of the year we were without our regular proof-reader, Ann Naylor but we’re delighted that Ann is now back on board after her accident. Most of the copies of Focus are sent out via email and as well as our congregation and friends, reaches wider afield. We also have paper copies available for those not online or preferring a print copy, and this includes several of our visitors.

The Summer 2023 issue contained details of the Methodist Conference in Birmingham, which Andrew Lowe had attended. There was also a feature on Colin Raistrick’s role as Office Administrator at St John’s. The Summer Focus also contained photos of the church celebratory meal in July for the coronation of King Charles III.

The Autumn edition had lots to report, including details of the improvements made to the kitchen and Wesley Hall windows. Colin Raistrick produced a piece on the history of the font at St John’s. There was also information about the Circuit Green Weekender and the Charities Market at St John’s.

We were delighted that the Christmas edition took up twenty pages. Karen Morley our Children’s Worker reflected on how important it is to listen to people and give them space. Rev Tony Farrar wrote a very relevant piece about ‘Conflict at Christmas.’ Rev Eva wrote an article on ‘A week in the Life of St John’s’ which included photos of the various community groups we invite onto our premise, as well as the ones which are part of our worshipping community. It emphasised that all are welcome to ‘be and do life together.’ There was also an interview with Patricia, our cleaner at St John’s.

The Easter 2024 issue contained details of the many services at St John’s and the wider circuit over Holy Week and Easter. There were also features on the Wednesday lunch for the community, the new defibrillator, Friday Morning Cuppa, and an update from Karen Morley on her new role as Family Worker across the circuit

We now have a ‘Remembrances and Celebrations’ page in place of an obituary page, and have reported on several significant birthdays and anniversaries We can’t celebrate someone’s special day however if we don’t know about it so are reliant on information about this being passed onto our team. We’re also grateful for any photos we can use to brighten up the magazine, particularly those of landscapes, or of people mentioned in the articles (with their permission of course).

I’d like to record my thanks to the team-Howard, Peter and Colin who all work together to help Focus on its journey from blank page to publication.

Noreen Rees Editor, Focus Magazine

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We have a really strong core group of around 25 people who come to every Messy Church. This is made up of around 12 families. There are also other families who drop in and out. Because this core group is so solid, we have really been able to build up good relationships with them. This has included getting them involved elsewhere in church life, baking, sharing fundraising ideas, supporting each other, as well as lots of faith based conversations.

Family Film Nights

Family Film Nights were request of parents, we this is the first year we’ve

originally set up as a winter activity. At the continued this into the summer months, and offered a full monthly programme from

September through to July. We also moved it to a Friday, straight from school. It’s continued to grow and grow, and it’s been great to see old faces as well as people who have had no previous connection with St John’s.

Wiggles

We have consistently found, over the last few months, that the second session is very quiet. We decided that after May Half Term, we are changing Wiggles to one session - 10.30-11.30, amalgamating the two.

Toddlers

Both Wednesday and Friday sessions continue to be very popular, with waiting lists for both - especially Friday. We are seeing a number of families join us for other events, such as Family Film Night, Messy Church and special church services, for example, Christingle.

Volunteers

We have a fantastic core group of volunteers without whom we couldn’t do any of this. They are an absolute joy to work with, and make my job so much easier! As ever, I’m always keen to grow that team and strongly encourage anyone who hasn’t been to any of these things come along and see what we get up to, and if possible, to get involved!

Me!

From January, my role changed and I now work Full Time for the North Shields & Whitley Bay Circuit, across the 4 sites of St John’s, Monkseaton, Cullercoats Methodist Church (CMC) & North Shields. Part of that means that St John’s has to share me a little bit more, and we are still in the process of working out exactly what that looks like! So far, we know that occasionally I will need to miss Wiggles in order to be at Giggles in North Shields, and that setting up Film Nights has become slightly more complicated by my need to be at CMC beforehand. I am sure we will continue to see changes as we all learn to work together.

Karen Morley Family Worker

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Friday Cuppa (Warm Space)

Once again this year St John’s was successful in receiving funding from North Tyneside Council enabling the church to continue to be one of the Council’s ‘Warm Spaces’ in Whitley Bay between November 2023 and March 2024 when, as we have done previously, we were able to incorporate being a ‘Warm Space’ with our own coffee morning (Friday Cuppa).

Hopefully North Tyneside Council’s ‘Warm Space Initiative will recommence this November through to the end of March 2025, St John’s able to apply for further funding and that we shall continue to be recognised as a ‘Warm Space’ in Whitley Bay.

Meanwhile Friday Cuppa continues to meet every Friday 9am to 1pm (except for Good Friday) as we endeavour to greet everyone who comes with a smile and a warm welcome. Not everyone is able to come each week but there is now a core group of between 35 – 40 people and one week in February this year 35 people, including helpers, attended Friday Cuppa. During the past year we’ve also had the opportunity to welcome several new and old friends, and to greet visitors to the area who have been passing St John’s, seen the notice outside and decided to pop in for a quick cuppa. Whether known as ‘Friday Cuppa’ or a ‘Warm Space’ everyone is welcome whether as regular attendee at St John’s or a part of the wider community in Whitley Bay and beyond.

It is always wonderful to hear the constant chatter and laughter in the Minor Hall on a Friday morning and to see how everyone is keen to help and support one another. Some people only pop in for a short-while, whilst others come for longer. Some are content to just chat over a cuppa whilst enjoying the homemade scones, rock buns, etc, and others also enjoy playing dominoes, Chinese Chequers belonging to Irene Walker, participate in doing a small jigsaw puzzle from time-to-time, or look at and try to do some of the puzzles in the recently acquired large-print Crosswords, Word Search and Sudoku books.

Friends who come regularly often tell us how much they miss coming on a Friday if they are unable to come and how much they enjoy and value being able to come to other social events at St John’s. Thank you, to everyone who comes to Friday Cuppa and who, since September 2023, has contributed to the weekly donations totalling nearly £500 which have been added to church funds. Thanks also go to the small band of volunteers who help at Friday Cuppa and to those who generously make and/or bring biscuits, cakes, etc.

Barbara Grundy

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Afternoon Club

This is a friendly and supportive group that currently has 24 members, all women, but we do from time to time invite members of the congregation to join us if the subject of our meeting is of interest to them. Recently some gentlemen joined us to enjoy being entertained by the Silver Stars Ukelele Band.

Our programme this year has included a talk on Iona, Patricia Kamba, our church cleaner, telling us of her experiences coming to the U.K. as a political refugee, learning about the “Walking With” programme that helps asylum seekers, a talk on the work of Street Pastors, and learned more about Green Issues. Alongside the above we have had a Beetle Drive, quiz, Christmas Afternoon, shared our personal treasures.

In March we hosted a Coffee Morning which raised £250. ( £100 being donated to Street Pastors and £150 to Church Funds).

Hopefully we will be having a summer lunch out at a local restaurant in July and a garden meeting in August.

We offer a warm invitation to any lady in the congregation who would like to join us, just come along to the Minor Hall on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Wednesday of each month ( Sept – June) at 2.15.p.m.

Margaret Stephenson

Knit and Natter

We continue to meet on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Wednesdays of each month and enjoy sharing a chat, knitting ideas and a cuppa and biscuits. We are pleased to see that our cushion covers are still well used in the Sanctuary and that our Christmas tree (made by Roger Stephenson) decorates the font at Christmas with the poppies and scarecrows also appearing at relevant times of the year. This year we were again happy to supply knitted chicks to our Toddler and Messy Church groups.

We celebrated Ruby’s 99[th] birthday with cake but were so sad to lose our lovely Anna. Anna

told us about a lady in North Shields who was sending knitted teddy bears to the Ukraine and we continue to knit for the group which is now called “Hero Bears for Every Child” and who have contacts in Social Services and the NHS as well as Ukraine. See the photograph of a sample of our knitting.

We are still happy to do “commissions” for a donation to the Church. Please talk to Susan Sabourn if you are interested.

We welcome new people either as an occasional visitor or a regular attender. Just pop into the minor hall at the advertised time.

Susan Sabourn

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Registered Charity 1184805

Monday Morning House Group:

The present membership of this group is seven ladies. We meet to deepen our understanding of our faith and to support one another on our faith journey.

During Lent we studied “People of the Passion “a book by Stephen Barton looking at the various people involved in the Passion of Jesus.

Currently we are looking at the book of Revelation, this is the book chosen for bible month by the Methodist Church. As you can imagine it is quite a challenge and we have had some interesting discussions so far and we’re only up to Chapter 3. We may have finished this study by Advent, or perhaps given up along the way!!!

This is a group where we can all share the questions and doubts we have from time to time about our faith, knowing that anything we say is absolutely confidential. It is a very supportive and caring group which we all appreciate.

Anyone wanting to know more, please have a word with Una Miller or Margaret Stephenson.

Margaret Stephenson

Faith and Friendship

We continue to meet weekly on Zoom on Thursday mornings with one of the groups, and met face to face with the other group during Lent.

We have absolutely continued to grow together. We can share with each other our deepest worries, our joys and our frustrations with honesty and with love. We are a diverse group and it is beautiful how we learn from each other, and how God shows us something new every time.

As we met last Thursday morning, we were talking about the name of the group which started in Covid and it was called: ‘St John’s Lent Gathering’. In my Zoom, it is called: ‘St John’s Lent Gathering and beyond.’ And I love the word: ‘beyond’….For a lot has happened in that one word- tears shared, prayers prayed, laughters shared, advice sought, weather discussed….(we have to discuss the weather as one of us lives in France and the other in the South :) )

At the moment we are working through the question: ‘When I pray, what does God do?’. Let me share with you this story I read recently….’A girl was reciting the alphabet out loud, and her parent asked what she was doing. ‘I am praying’ she said, but I don’t have the words and if I give God all the letters, God can put the words together, for God knows what I want to pray about.’

Isn’t that beautiful?

It also made me think of the power of the faith and friendship community. For when you do life together, every week, and you let others truly see you as you are allowed to see them, you know that they will find the words for you when you are struggling, they will hold your hand, and pray your prayers. They will be there.

You are always more than welcome to join us and you will be made to feel at home.

Eva

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Registered Charity 1184805

SJY (St John’s Youth)

It is an honour and a privilege to know the young people who are part of this group. Our group has grown since last year, with the majority of the members being teenage boys. You can imagine the beautiful noise and chaos that this brings. We continue to meet weekly (term times only) on Sunday evenings, we continue to build relationships with the young people, we talk and share and play games (they love some familiar ones). If you find yourselves in the Minor Hall, you will notice an unfinished jigsaw. This is the girls’ jigsaw, and as we spend time with it, there is opportunity to listen to music and to chat about life, faith, school.

Our conversations continue to be organic, and there is a sense of trust and a sense of belonging amongst us all.

Recently, one of the young people asked a few questions about faith and we had a very long conversation. Others were listening in, and when I wondered what they thought, they said they wanted to listen in. The young person asked if he could have a Bible, and as I gave him one, a few other boys asked the same. The following week, one of the young people came and asked for a Bible for his friend who doesn’t come to SJY, because he is doing sports at the same time. I did give him the Bible and the following day, I received a lot of thank yous from the other boy. There was so much enthusiasm at receiving the Bible. Remember the time you received the first Bible? What a privilege to have been part of this and to continue to be part of their lives. Please hold this group in your hearts and prayers, for navigating teenage years is not easy, and they need to know they belong somewhere and are loved for who they are.

Revd Eva

FaB Club (Friends and Believers)

In 2023/2024 FaB has continued to meet on a Sunday morning once a month. Dates for each quarter are published in advance in the Church notices and on the FaB WhatsApp group. Monthly meetings continue to suit all involved and attendance has been very good. Most sessions include around 9 children and 8-9 adults!

Our sessions involve fun of all sorts including craft, games, quizzes, outdoor activities, storytelling and of course juice and biscuits. Each session has a theme, which may connect with a special time in the church year or whatever is happening in church. In the last few sessions, in addition to Christmas and Easter activities, we have been wondering at how we can see God in nature.

Every session is such a joy, children and adults learning from each other and worshipping together!

Lesley Thompson

Faith and Life Group

The Faith and Life Group seeks to do what it says on the tin! It is a group, open to anyone who is interested, which meets monthly in the home of one of the members of the group, providing the opportunity to be supportive of each other as we talk through the things we find difficult about being a Christian in the context of today’s society and church. Nothing is sacrosanct, and we realise that many of us find it a struggle to hold on to traditional Christian beliefs. And we value the insights we can each offer to help us towards realistic Christian living today.

Tony Farrar

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Registered Charity 1184805

Green Group

The green group at St John’s, consisting of Sally Clark, Tony Farrar and Malcolm Hickox, has continued to meet both as part of the ‘Circuit Working Party on climate change and the environment’ and separately. Several new initiatives have been developed, including a green noticeboard as well as increased opportunities for recycling and, after a lot of information gathering with particularly the office and the Property & Finance Committee, we were delighted to have been awarded the A Rocha Bronze Eco Award in September for St John’s. The Silver is now in our sights!

We continue to encourage an agenda item for all Circuit, Church Council and Committee meetings which asks members present to consider what impact the decisions they make might have on the environment.

With the Circuit we were involved in organising the Green Festival which took place in September 2023. This comprised a very successful Saturday morning at Cullercoats Methodist where local ‘green’ community groups - including Station Master’s Garden, Whitley Bay Clean Team and Meadowell Connected - were invited to have a stall whilst refreshments were served and musicians played in the foyer. This resulted in lots of very meaningful conversations and networking opportunities and we hope to work with many of them again at future events. On the Sunday, services across the Circuit focussed on the Green Weekender theme with a positive response. It was agreed that this should be developed each year in relation to ‘Creationtide’ and this is already in the planning at St John’s. Latterly the Circuit group has been considering its remit which has been clarified as: to organise occasional community events; to raise the profile of green issues and to support each other in this (not always popular) domain. We are always looking for like-minded folk to join our small band and welcome anyone interested in awareness-raising of this important area to please contact one of us.

Sally Clark

SJB (St John’s Belles)

The handbell group continues to grow and develop, we now have a repertoire of 88 pieces.

The Belles played during the service that Margaret Stephenson led at Pentecost, in August we led a Sunday service based on the theme of Colour.

In October we hosted a coffee morning. A morning of bell ringing and audience

participation, the team also brought their dramatic side with a sketch about Snow White and the 7 dwarfs. Donations were given to North Tyneside Communities MHA. At the Choir and Coffee event In December we again played 2 pieces, Veni Immanuel and a medley called Merry Christmas. We played during the Toy service and Carol service. Ruth stepped in to help us and has never left! So, including myself there are 9 of us. On 8[th] June we are organising a Handbell afternoon, calling it Strawberry Fayre. We are looking forward to an afternoon of music, fun and laughter. Not forgetting Strawberries!!

Christine Hickox

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Registered Charity 1184805

Brownies

We can't believe it is time to look back on another year for 3rd Monkseaton Brownies. Again we have packed loads in during our weekly term time meetings at St John’s and really appreciate the welcome and fantastic space we have on offer for our group every week.

During the summer term we completed our Go Global badge. We had an evening enjoying fruits from around the world and making mostly delicious smoothies, learnt all about Kenya and the Big 5 and tried our hand at playing the game Shisima. We also learnt about India, made some shadow theatres and enjoyed nimbu soda. The girls got crafty making jewellery and learning about Maori symbols, made some fairy bread, decorated kites, travelled with 'Brownie Airlines' and completed a world scavenger hunt along Park View to complete their world travels. We also managed to fit in a fab night at Beverley Park Lawn Tennis club who hosted a free fun tennis evening for the girls. (We were all ready for a rest over the summer)

In September we welcomed some new members and focused initially on the Brownie promise. We managed to fit in some Disney themed nights at the girls request and wore Mickey Mouse ears to our practice promise ceremony. We also had one of our favourite nights ever so far, a whole potato themed evening. This was a theme the girls chose! We did blind crisp tasting, guessed the potato product, made Mr & Mrs Potato heads and had mashed potato in ice cream cones. (We would recommend everyone tries the latter but maybe only once) We also managed to fit in some baking and some our eldest Brownies organised their own leaving night.

Last term we focused on Brownie traditions and the girls got to provide some ideas as part of Girl Guiding's new uniform consultation during an art themed night. We also had a parliament night where the girls chose and voted on options for a trip. This resulted in us all visiting Jump 360 later on in the term. We had more leavers so more Brownies led what was their last session. This has become a tradition now and their ideas are brilliant and see us doing all sorts of unusual things.

This term has got off to a great start. This year is the 200 year anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Girl Guiding have developed a MayDay badge to recognise the anniversary and support the RNLI and this is our focus for the term. Living so close to the sea it is proving very relevant, fun and worthwhile.

Our unit remains full with a small waiting list. We have had amazing help from 3 young leaders this past year but are always on the look out for new adult volunteers too if anyone would like to join us to help out.

Julie Westgarth Brownie Leader

Guides

Our programme continues well with the Guides now organising their own programme of activities ranging from potato night, sewing night, tasting and other badge work. We had one Guide achieve their Guide Gold award, Jeni (Assistant Guide Leader) received her 20 year award and I received my 30 year service award. We had 1 Guide attend County camp last August. We are slowly building our numbers up and are currently at 11.

Suzanne Wood Leader

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Registered Charity 1184805

8[th] Whitley Bay (St John’s Methodist) Scout Group

It’s been another good year for the Scout Group numbers in all 3 sections are good and all 3 sections are running an exciting and varied programme. The young people are gaining badges and enjoying themselves. Highlights of the year was Camp Together at Causey Park and our own camp at Pigdon.

Unfortunately, a couple of leaders have retired from scouting, and this has left the Cub section struggling with only two leaders, but a parent rota is running smoothly so if you know anyone who would like to volunteer to work with 8 to10 year olds please get in touch.

Scouting is going thorough a transition at the moment, so some names and roles are changing so the Group executive is now the Trustees board and Group Scout Leader is becoming Lead Volunteer.

Steven Wood GSL/Lead Volunteer

Ladies Badminton

It has been another enjoyable season, with numbers attending regularly despite injuries and illness. We meet Friday 1.30 - 3.30pm from September to May and would always welcome new members.

Pat Brown

Action for Children

Action for Children has various local projects in the North East and is very grateful for any support we give as a church. These projects include early years, parent and young carer help lines, counselling services for children and young people suffering from domestic abuse, nurseries and residential care for disabled children.

At St John’s we still support Action for Children financially, though the nature of that support is changing due to more online donations and less loose change for boxes. Diaries and Christmas Cards are no longer profitable for the charity so a stall at the Christmas Market is no longer viable.

It’s with much gratitude therefore that St John’s Belles are holding a Strawberry Fayre in June, with proceeds being shared between Action for Children and Church funds.

Action for Children Sunday in 2024 is on 14[th] July and there will be envelopes available for donations.

Any Action For Children boxes can be given to me at any time. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Lesley Thompson

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Registered Charity 1184805

Whitley Bay and District Churches Together (WBDCT)

At the Whitley Bay and District Churches Together (WBDCT) meeting in February the Rev Janet Appleby a retired but still very active Anglican Minister was elected to chair WBDCT meetings following Alan Dickinsons resignation last year.

A number of events and special occasions have taken place during the past year including the Ordination and Induction of Rev Louise Sanders at St Andrew’s United Reformed Church (URC), on 29[th] July 2023. Services have continued to be held in Monkseaton outside the Ship Inn and The Black Horse including A service of Remembering on Saturday 11[th] November with church leaders, councillors and leaders of the Islamic Culture Centre joining members of church congregations and the wider community in remembering and praying for peace; Carols around the Tree on December 23[rd] and a Good Friday Service. A Community Christmas Tree Festival held at St Paul’s from Thursday 7[th] to Sunday 10[th] December 2023 ended with a Carol Service to which everyone was welcome and local churches invited to participate by choosing a carol, bible reading, prayer. To mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 18[th] – 25[th] January 2024. A service was held at St John’s Friday 19[th] January. This year’s World Day of Pray was held at Hillheads Community Church on Friday 1[st] March. The service was written by the Christian Women in Palestine and had the theme of ‘I beg you bear with one another in love’. A number Easter Day Sunrise Services were held in Whitley Bay at individual churches, and on the Promenade at Spanish City.

On Saturday 10[th] February Whitley Bay Fiesta held a special community event, ‘Lightwaves Art Installation Festival’ at St Paul’s during the evening. The next Whitley Bay Fiesta event will take place on Sunday 7[th] July at St Paul’s Church and Park View Shopping Centre between 11am and 3pm, and then on Sunday 6[th] October and Sunday 1[st] December.

CAP (Christians Against Poverty) – following the closure of the ‘CAP’ centre based at Acorn Community Church, there is now a new CAP centre based at Whitley Bay Baptist Church with a newly appointed Manager.

North Tyneside Parish Nursing is applying for charity status. It continues to grow as the team offers and provides support to individuals and to hold regular clinics at North Shields Fisherman’s Mission.

At the WBDCT meetings reports and news is also regularly shared about The Bay Food Bank, Whitley Bay Street Pastors, the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) and the Warm Space Initiative as well as news from individual churches.

As WBDCT moves forward with a new ‘chairperson’ at the helm do pray for all the church leaders and church representatives and keep an eye on St John’s weekly notice sheet and for those on Facebook, the St John’s Methodist Group, for news and details of future church-wide events as we consider possible ecumenical events and initiatives with everyone, not just the few involved. If you would like to know more about any of these or ways in which you might become more involved, please do have a word with me.

Barbara Grundy

St John’s WBDCT rep

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Registered Charity 1184805

Archbishop William Temple famously said that ‘The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who aren’t its members’. So how we respond to our society and world, and exercise Christian compassion and care, are things that are basic to our life together.

Charities Christmas Market

As a Church, for several years now, we have supported the work of many local charities through the Charities’ Christmas Market , normally held at the beginning of November. This last year over 20 charities had stalls, and in excess of £2,000 was raised during the two hour session. It is an event noted not only for fund-raising, but also for the warmth of care and mutual support. This year the Market will be held on Saturday, November 9[th] from 10a.m. – 12noon. And help is always welcome!

Methodist Homes

We have a commitment to support two charities with close links to the Methodist church nationally. Methodist Homes is at the forefront of care for older people, and is involved in providing residential care, and also care in local areas through community groups and activities. In our area, North Tyneside Communities are involved in social and support groups, runs a variety of activities, and pARTners, art classes for people living with dementia, is part of what they support. (Incidentally, there is a pARTners Exhibition/Celebration at St. Mary’s Claremont Gardens, from June 2123, ending in a Dementia Friendly café-style service at 4p.m. on Sunday).

Methodist Homes Sunday is on June 16 and will be the theme of our morning worship, when offering envelopes will also be available. Last year the church raised £653. More information is available at www.mha.org.uk

All We Can

We also support the development charity All We Can , which is involved with working with local communities in developing countries to improve the quality of life for those who are often in great need. It also offers a means whereby we can give when an emergency occurs, whether that is a natural disaster, or, for example, support for refugees from Ukraine. St. John’s agreed some time ago to be a pARTner Church of All We Can, which commits us not only to raising a certain amount of money each year, but also to understanding more about the needs of developing communities. We have normally supported All We Can around harvest time, and and last year sent donations totally £787.

Thank you for being a community that looks outward and is committed to embracing an inclusive gospel of love.

Tony Farrar

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Registered Charity 1184805

Use of St. John’s Premises by Hiring Groups June 2023 to May 2024

Since the last General Meeting our premises have been used by the following community groups and individuals:

Peter Firth, Bookings Colin Raistrick, Administrator

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Registered Charity 1184805

Accounts 1 Registered Charity 1184805

Accounts 2 Registered Charity 1184805

Accounts 3 Registered Charity 1184805

Accounts 4 Registered Charity 1184805

PHOTOS Registered Charity 1184805

St John’s Methodist Church

Registered Charity no: 1184805 For more information about any of our Church activities please contact

Church Office - Opening hours Monday-Friday 9am-4pm

Ilfracombe Gardens Whitley Bay NE26 3ND Telephone 0191 251 2355 stjohnsmethodistoffice@gmail.com

Minister

Revd Eva Walker Telephone Home – 0191 280 8060 revevawalker@gmail.com

Staff

Colin Raistrick - Office Administrator Patricia Kamba - Cleaner Karen Morley - Church Family Worker

Church Family Worker

For children’s activities contact churchfamilyworker@gmail.com 0755 266 4747

Media

www.facebook.com/StJohnsMethodistChurchWhitleyBay/

stjohnsmethodistchurchwhitleybay.co.uk

Registered Charity 1184805

CHURCH (Short Form) RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

THE METHODIST CHURCH

STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS (SHORT FORM)

St John's Methodist Church

FOR THE YEAR ENDED

Thursday, August 31, 2023

North Shields and WhitleyBay
Circuit		 Circuit no 20--05
Registered Charity - Charity Registration number
1184805

If not a registered charity His Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid number

Minister: Rev Eva Walker Church Stewards: Carol Baggaley Susan Sabourn Howard Scott Sally Clark Lesley Thompson Margaret Rushton Treasurer: Owen Lumsdon

Church - Short Form

St John's Methodist

Church

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2023

This year's amount This year's amount Last year's amount to
SECTION A to the nearest £ the nearest £
a1 RECEIPTS Note £ £
a2 Offerings and Tax recovered 61,446 58,507
a3 Bank and CFB interest & investment income 3,170 350
a4 Lettings 6,238 5,431
a5 Other receipts 28,758 12,889
TOTAL RECEIPTS 99,612 77,177
a6
SECTION B
b1 PAYMENTS
b2 Circuit Assessment or Share 64,500 62,016
b3 Donations 332 3,790
b4 Repairs and Maintenance 30,010 8,750
b5 Utilities(Insurances,water charges,heating& lighting) 13,001 9,295
b6 Otherpayments 29,427 23,551
b7 TOTAL PAYMENTS 0 137,270 107,402
SECTION C
c1 NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR (a6 - b7) (37,658) (30,225)
c2 Total funds brought forward from lastyear 156,745 (c7) 186,970
c3 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR (c1 + c2) 119,087 156,745 (c7)
c4 State here the total of anyother assets of the Church - Church Project Funds 22,096 31,874
c5 State here the total of anyliabilities of the Church
c6 State here the insured value of the Churchpremises and contents 6,407,745
SECTION D ANALYS IS OF FUNDS 99,910
33,155
23,680
156,745
d1 Balances held at TMCP at 31 August 99,910 99,908
d2 Balances held at CFB at 31 August 33,155 9,292
d3 Bank and cash balances at 31 August 23,680 9,887
d4 TOTAL(= Box c3) 156,745 119,087

SECTION E

SECTION E
FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANIS
(these amounts are not to be included in total receipts/payments figures above)		 ATIONS
e1 Balance brought forward from last year 0 0
e2 Offerings/Gifts - received for external organisations 4,200 1,945
e3 Offerings/Gifts -passed to external organisations 4,200 1,945
e4 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID
(e1+e2-e3)		 0 0

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Name of Church St John's Methodist Church

Declarations and Scrutiny

I confirm that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2023 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees.

Signature of treasurer Owen Lumsdon Date 7th January 2024

Name and address of Treasurer O Lumsdon, c/o St John's Methodist Church, Ilfracombe Gardens,

Post Code NE26 3ND

Presentation to the Church trustees

I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 will be presented to the meeting of the Church trustees held on 13th February 2024

Signature of the Chair of the meeting E Walker

Name of the Chair of the meeting Rev Eva Walker Date 7th January 2024

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the

St John's Methodist Church

Charity Number 1184805

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of St John's Methodist Church for the year ended 31 August 2023. As the Church’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Church’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the

3 of 4

Name of Church St John's Methodist Church

Independent Examiner’s Statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

I have not obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balance sheet date.

Signature of independent examiner R Hunter

Name of independent examiner Rachel Hunter

Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner AAT Equivalent

Address c/o St John's Methodist church, Ilfracombe Gardens, Whitley Bay

Post Code NE26 3ND

Date 5th January 2024

Form reviewed May-23

4 of 4

COMPLETE THIS PAGE ONLY WHERE THERE ARE OTHER INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS REPORTING TO THE CHURCH COUNCIL

Summary of the Church accounts for the year ended 31 August 20…. & Internal Organisations reporting to the Church Meeting. Note that the funds of an Internal Organisation would normally be Restricted funds unless it could be clearly shown that they could be used for any Methodist purpose.

This section must be completed to arrive at the total receipts and payments of the Church. If income exceeds £100,000, then the Accruals method of accounting AND A DIFFERENT FORM must be used to report the accounts. Contact Resourcing Mission Office, Manchester tel: 0161 236 5194. Please remember that the Charity Commission allows transfers between the Church and its internal organisations to be deducted from gross receipts/payments.

OTHER CHURCH
ORGANISATIONS:		 Openingbalance
0
y
the totals forward		 Receipts Payments Adjustments
SUB TOTAL - OTHER CHURCH
ORGANISATIONS		 0 0 0
Church accounts (totals brought
forward frompage 2)
TOTAL FUNDS HELD BY
CHURCH		 0 0 0
Continue on a separate sheet if necessary and bring TOTAL
RECEIPTS		 TOTAL
PAYMENTS

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (completion of this section is optional)

Bank current account
Bank Deposit Account
Central Finance Board
SUB TOTAL
Endowment Funds
Trustees for Methodist Church
Purposes
Other:(specify)
TOTAL FUNDS HELD BY
CHURCH		 Unrestricted
Funds		 Restricted Funds Endowment
Funds		 x
TOTALS THIS
YEAR
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 x
TOTALS THIS
YEAR
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 TOTALS LAST
YEAR		 TOTALS LAST
YEAR
x y
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 This total to agree
with the Opening
balance total above

Note here the Insurance value of Church and ancillary buildings/land and any other assets/liabilities

Note here the value of any other assets of the Church

Page 3

Name of Church St John's Methodist Church

Declarations and Scrutiny

I confirm that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2023 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees.

Signature of treasurer Owen Lumsdon Date 7th January 2024

Name and address of Treasurer O Lumsdon, c/o St John's Methodist Church, Ilfracombe Gardens,

Post Code NE26 3ND

Presentation to the Church trustees

I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2023 will be presented to the meeting of the Church trustees held on 13th February 2024

Signature of the Chair of the meeting E Walker

Name of the Chair of the meeting Rev Eva Walker Date 7th January 2024

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the

St John's Methodist Church

Charity Number 1184805

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of St John's Methodist Church for the year ended 31 August 2023. As the Church’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Church’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the

3 of 4

Name of Church St John's Methodist Church

Independent Examiner’s Statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

I have not obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balance sheet date.

Signature of independent examiner R Hunter

Name of independent examiner Rachel Hunter

Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner AAT Equivalent

Address c/o St John's Methodist church, Ilfracombe Gardens, Whitley Bay

Post Code NE26 3ND

Date 5th January 2024

Form reviewed May-23

4 of 4

COMPLETE THIS PAGE ONLY WHERE THERE ARE OTHER INTERNAL ORGANISATIONS REPORTING TO THE CHURCH COUNCIL

Summary of the Church accounts for the year ended 31 August 20…. & Internal Organisations reporting to the Church Meeting. Note that the funds of an Internal Organisation would normally be Restricted funds unless it could be clearly shown that they could be used for any Methodist purpose.

This section must be completed to arrive at the total receipts and payments of the Church. If income exceeds £100,000, then the Accruals method of accounting AND A DIFFERENT FORM must be used to report the accounts. Contact Resourcing Mission Office, Manchester tel: 0161 236 5194. Please remember that the Charity Commission allows transfers between the Church and its internal organisations to be deducted from gross receipts/payments.

OTHER CHURCH
ORGANISATIONS:		 Openingbalance
0
y
the totals forward		 Receipts Payments Adjustments
SUB TOTAL - OTHER CHURCH
ORGANISATIONS		 0 0 0
Church accounts (totals brought
forward frompage 2)
TOTAL FUNDS HELD BY
CHURCH		 0 0 0
Continue on a separate sheet if necessary and bring TOTAL
RECEIPTS		 TOTAL
PAYMENTS

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (completion of this section is optional)

Bank current account
Bank Deposit Account
Central Finance Board
SUB TOTAL
Endowment Funds
Trustees for Methodist Church
Purposes
Other:(specify)
TOTAL FUNDS HELD BY
CHURCH		 Unrestricted
Funds		 Restricted Funds Endowment
Funds		 x
TOTALS THIS
YEAR
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 x
TOTALS THIS
YEAR
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 TOTALS LAST
YEAR		 TOTALS LAST
YEAR
x y
This total to agree
with the Closing
balance total above		 This total to agree
with the Opening
balance total above

Note here the Insurance value of Church and ancillary buildings/land and any other assets/liabilities

Note here the value of any other assets of the Church

Page 3