## New Life Church Catford
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 August 2025
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
ADDRESS FOR 128 City Road CORRESPONDENCE London EC1V 2NX GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO Constitution dated September 2019 as amended July 2021. CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1185368 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Aderemi Adedire MANAGING THE CHARITY Pauline Anderson (appointed May 2024) Bea Thombs Guy Troup BANKERS CAF Bank Ltd
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
## **INDEX**
Page 1 Pages 2-6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Pages 10-11
Legal & Administrative Details Trustees' Report Independent Examiner's Report Receipts and Payments Account Statement of Assets & Liabilities Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
## **Objects of the charity**
The charity, which is a church, is governed by a constitution and is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation. The charity's principal objects, as set out in its governing document, are:
a) For the public benefit to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Faith through activities in South East London, and from time to time in other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charity trustees may think fit; and
b) such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the charity trustees, put into practice the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Faith, including but not limited to: the prevention and relief of need, hardship and sickness; the advancement of education; and the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life;
provided that the advancement of such purposes must be undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the Doctrinal Distinctives and Ethical Statements as may be adopted and amended by the Church from time to time in accordance with the provisions of the Church Handbook.
## **Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements**
To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as per pages 3 to 6.
In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
## **Financial review**
During the year income increased by £32,300, to £65,840, and expenditure increased by £11,300, to £61,090. As a result the cash held by the charity increased by £4,750, to £23,080, of which £14,640 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
## **Reserves policy**
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £24,500 (which equates to about 3 months of budgeted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £14,640 and the trustees are aiming to comply with the policy with additional fundraising in the new financial year.
## **Governance**
Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day to day operation of the charity has been delegated to the elders supported by the Ministry Team and Administrator. New trustees are recruited and appointed by a majority vote of the Ministry Team.
Page 2
## **TRUSTEE REPORT**
## **2024/2025**
## **Sunday Worship**
We at New Life Church Catford (NLCC) have continued to meet regularly for Christian worship on Sundays at Athelney Primary School in Bellingham SE6, a venue that has continued to meet our needs. The format has remained the same as in previous years with everyone gathering initially before the children leave to be taught lessons from the Bible using age-appropriate materials. The main service consists of teachings from the Bible, worship through song and praying. Once a month, the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.
Regular Sunday attendees have increased over the last year, averaging 30 adults and 20 school-aged children each week.
## **Fellowship Group & Prayer Driven**
Fellowship Group continues to meet on Wednesday evenings in church members' homes, averaging 8-12 people each week, with an additional women’s online group meeting on Tuesdays. We now have 3 women leading the online Bible studies, rather than 1 from the previous year. In 2024/25 we worked through the book of Acts from Chapter 13 concluding a two-year deep dive into book.
We continued to have our Prayer Driven meeting instead of Fellowship Group on the first Wednesday of each month where praying is our priority. Focus is concentrated on our mission partners, our local area, the global church as well as NLCC itself. Member updates are also given at these meetings.
Page 3
## **New Life Kids & Creche**
New Life Kids (NLK) and Creche ministries continued to flourish at NLCC. We had at least 14 families who regularly attend NLCC, with an average of 15-20 children being taught or looked after each Sunday. This is a slight increase in numbers compared to the previous year.
There is a great team of volunteers who teach, lead, and help the children. All Leaders have been DBS checked and regularly trained to maintain retention and improve recruitment of more volunteers. Due to the increase in both in number of children and children getting older, from September 2025 there will be 3 groups as part of Children’s Ministry: Adventurers (KS2), Explorers (EY & KS1) and Creche.
In NLK we continue to use the Mustard Seeds teaching resource, and occasionally Faith in Kids.
In 2024/5 we taught the children from the book of Judges, Ruth and Samuel, covering the life of King David. We did “A Prophetic Christmas” looking at how Jesus’s birth/the Christmas Story fulfils the Old Testament. We taught the children about the King of God’s Kingdom from the book of Mark.
During August, NLK and Creche were paused to provide our leaders and helpers with a much-needed break. Instead, an optional space for young children and parents in the dining hall was provided, and the sermon relayed into this hall for the parents to listen to.
NLK & Creche continues to be overseen by an Elder of the Church and is coordinated by a Church Deacon.
## **Men’s Ministry**
Over the last twelve months the men’s ministry has been fruitful, with regular meetings scheduled into the calendar. Once every month the men gather for corporate prayer or hold an activity to help build fellowship with another. The plan is to continue with these foundations for the upcoming year.
Page 4
## **Women’s Ministry**
Women’s ministry continues to flourish, making space to build relationships with existing members and regulars as well as new visitors. Two women-only events were held over the year focusing on navigating everyday issues within a biblical context. We’ve been actively encouraging members to consider taking Cornhill courses to step into leadership roles and encourage personal growth.
## **Evangelism/Outreach**
Evangelism continues to be a priority at NLCC with our evangelistic endeavours doing consistently well throughout the year. London City Mission (LCM) agreed to continue partnering with us for another year while we continue build a core team of in-house evangelists.
Thursday morning door-knocking continues to bear fruit with weekly visitors to our Sunday services averaging 1 or 2 a week. The teams that go out in the Bellingham estate consist of New Lifers, LCM members and others from local churches sharing the same mission. There have been a few people who have and continue to attend our Sunday services regularly because of door-knocking.
We’ve continued to evangelise once a month in Catford’s town centre, with a group of 6- 10 New Lifers engaging the locals with Gospel conversations, music and “visuals”. This has also resulted in visitors to NLCC on Sunday.
## **Fundraising**
Our “soft” fundraising efforts in 2024/25 resulted in an increase in gifting by members and regular attendees, as well as donations from other local churches and individuals who have heard about the work we’re doing in Bellingham, Catford. We were able to boost our reserves and continue operating in the area.
We received funds specifically for leadership training and for the engagement for a 3- year contracted employee to work alongside and support the Elders.
As costs continue to rise, we plan to continue fundraising, focusing our efforts on securing support for our one staff Elder.
Page 5
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
## **Approval**
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
___________________________
Guy Troup
Date:_______________________
Page 6
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF**
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of New Life Church Catford ('the charity') for the year ended 31 August 2025 on pages 8 to 11 following.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date:
Page 7
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
|Notes
**_Income receipts_**
Donations and grants
6
Gift aid receipts
Weekend away
Charitable activities
Interest
**_Total receipts_**
**_Payments_**
2
3
**_Total payments_**
Transfers between funds
6
**Net movement in funds**
Cash funds as at last year end
**Cash funds at this year end**
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken by others
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly||General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
44,311
-
4,894
-
1,515
-
-
-
48
-
50,768
-
53,863
-
500
-
54,363
-
(3,594)
-
-
-
(3,594)
-
18,231
-
14,637
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
15,076
-
-
-
-
15,076
6,730
-
6,730
8,346
-
8,346
100
8,446|2025
£
59,387
4,894
1,515
-
48
65,844
60,593
500
61,093
4,752
-
4,752
18,331
23,083|2024
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General
Funds
£
44,311
4,894
1,515
-
48
50,768
53,863
500
54,363
(3,594)
-
(3,594)
18,231
14,637||||
||||||28,908
2,524
2,000
50
63|
||||||33,544|
||||||49,416
375|
||||||49,791|
||||||(16,247)
-|
||||||(16,247)
34,578|
||||||18,331|
The notes on pages 10 - 11 form part of these accounts.
Page 8
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES**
## **AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
|Notes
**A**
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank with immediate access
**B**
**Other monetary assets**
Gift aid due to charity
**C**
**Liabilities**
**Falling due within one year**
Pension due
Fee for Independent Examination||General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
14,637
-
14,637
-
5,739
-
5,739
-
147
-
1,080
-
1,227
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
funds
£
8,446
8,446
2,519
2,519
-
-
-|2025
£
23,083
23,083
8,258
8,258
147
1,080
1,227|2024
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General
funds
£
14,637
14,637
5,739
5,739
147
1,080
1,227||||
||||||18,331|
||||||18,331|
||||||4,823|
||||||4,823|
||||||147
912|
||||||1,059|
## **D Assets retained for charity's own use**
|**ets retained for charity's own use**||||
|---|---|---|---|
|Equipment|Fund to
which asset
belongs
General|Value
2025
£
2,000
2,000|Value
2024
£|
||||2,000|
||||2,000|
The trustees have used insurance values for contents and equipment as the trustees are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values.
## **E Guarantees and secured debts**
The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
___________________________________Guy Troup Date:_______________________
The notes on pages 10 - 11 form part of these accounts.
Page 9
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
## **1 Accounting policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
|**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Employment costs
Note 4
Rent
Repairs, maintenance and equipment
Outreach and other ministries
Note 6
Insurance
Weekend away
Governance and legal fees
Administration and support costs
Other costs||Unrestricte|Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
d Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
6,730
-
-
-
-
-
6,730|2025
£
32,887
11,600
1,454
9,308
215
3,031
1,428
552
117
60,593|2024
£|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General
funds
£
32,887
11,600
1,454
2,578
215
3,031
1,428
552
117
53,863|||||
|||||||32,827
9,600
1,707
2,270
215
495
1,404
897
-|
|||||||49,416|
|**3**
**Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others**
Grants for:
Organisations
Individuals|500
-
500|-
-
-|-
-
-|500
-
500|375
-|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||375|
## **4 Transactions with related parties**
Aderemi Adedire, a trustee, served as a church leader and was paid £32,300 [2024: £32,300] for serving in that capacity, not for serving as a trustee; these payments are permitted by the charity's governing document, and include employer pension contributions.
No other payments were made to trustees or persons related to them, except for reimbursement of expenses paid out on behalf of the charity.
Page 10
## **NEW LIFE CHURCH CATFORD**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
## **5 Acting as agent**
During the year, the charity received money on behalf of Ashburnham Christian Trust for the church weekend away which related to specific places paid for by attendees. This income was received as agent; the receipts totalling £4,452 [2024: £3,713], and the subsequent payments, are excluded from the Receipts and Payments account.
**Movement of funds**
|**vement of funds**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|General funds
Restricted funds
Leadership / Cornhill training
Hardship fund
Total funds|Opening
balance
£
18,231
-
100
100
18,331|Receipts
£
50,768
15,076
-
15,076
65,844|Payments
£
(54,363)
(6,730)
-
(6,730)
(61,093)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-|Closing
balance
£
14,637
8,346
100|
||||||8,446|
||||||23,083|
The Leadership / Cornhill training fund relates to donations given specifically for equipping members to improve their handling of the bible, lead small bible study groups and to preach.
The Hardship fund is to provide immediate help to members and regular attendees (and those outside the church on a case by case basis) who may find themselves unable to afford food or pay an essential bill. Approval is required from an Elder and the Treasurer.
Page 11