# **Bethesda Baptist Church Felixstowe Annual Church Report 2023** ## **Contents** |**Mission and Values Statements**|**2**| |---|---| |**Pastoral Secretary**|**3**| |**Missionary Report**|**6**| |**Supervisor Endorsements for K & L Doust**|**10**| |**WoW**|**11**| |**Y-Zone**|**11**| |**Mini-Zone**|**12**| |**Care Team**|**12**| |**Safeguarding**|**13**| |**Flower Report**|**13**| |**Bulletin Report**|**14**| |**Treasurer’s Report**|**14**| ## **Mission Statement** We live to bring glory to God by being and making disciples of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. ## **Values** ## **Bethesda is a local church family that strives to be marked by the following characteristics…** ## …Worshipful ## **Marked by desire to know, love and glorify God.** We believe that people have no higher purpose than to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Our desire is that the Triune God is glorified and worshipped in all that we do and we long to grow in our knowledge, love and enjoyment of Him each day. ## …Biblical ## **Marked by trust in the Bible as the living and active Word of God.** We believe that the Bible is the very voice of God and the instrument through which he changes us. ## … Prayerful ## **Marked by faithfulness in public and private prayer.** In prayer, private and corporate, we commune with God and seek to know him as both personal and powerful. ## … Dependent ## **Marked by dependence on the grace and power of God.** It is only by his grace given to us in the Lord Jesus and his power at work in us by the Holy Spirit that we are able to live godly lives. We therefore seek to walk in humble dependence on his grace and expectation of his power. ## … Loving ## **Marked by genuine love and fellowship with one another.** Jesus died on the cross, not only to bring us to God but to bring us together as his church. Be- cause of this, we strive to grow in love and unity with one another as well as other gospel-centred churches. ## …Missional ## **Marked by passion for making disciples of Jesus Christ.** We are committed to making disciples of Jesus Christ by taking the good news of his life, death and resurrection to the world. |**Stuart Baker**|**Treasurer/Elder/Trustee**| |---|---| |**André Beck**|**Pastor/Elder/Trustee**| |**John Bridge**|**Elder/Trustee**| |**Keith Doust**|**Pastoral Secretary/Elder/Trustee**| |**Clifford Lewis**|**Elder/Trustee**| |**Scott Savage**|**Elder/Trustee**| ||| |**Richard Adams**|**Deacon**| |**Neil Blundell**|**Deacon**| |**Lorraine Doust**|**Deacon**| |**Jacqui Lewis**|**Deacon**| ## **1. Pastoral Secretary report 2023** 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.[13 ] The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.[16 ] I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.[17 ] The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.[18 ] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.[30 ] I and the Father are one.” **John 10: 11-18, 27-30** On 1[st] January 2023, our Trainee Pastor, Tim Burnham, encouraged us to look to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and accept His work in saving us from our sins through His death and resurrection. Being an ‘Everyone In’ service (see below), it was a good reminder at the beginning of the year that we are saved by grace: the grace of God clearly shown to us in the Father sending Jesus the Son; the obedience of Jesus coming and dying for us; the grace of God the Father in raising Jesus again because death has no hold over Him; and Jesus, after his ascension, sending the Holy Spirit to remind us and teach us the things of the Kingdom. What great truths to be reminded of and to hold on to as we moved out into 2023! As a local church family we continue to strive to be marked by our church values, seeking to be Worshipful, Biblical, Prayerful, Dependent, Loving and Missional. As we read through the following reports I trust you too can see each of these values shining out of the life of the church, both in its ministry as a fellowship but also in the individuals as they meet and serve. As in previous years, we thank the Lord for many things as we look back. In particular… ..things **practical** . We have had another year of being open every week, for which we thank God. Numbers continue to grow (see below), our facilities continue to meet our needs and our finances are still healthy (see the Treasurer’s Report). We continue to have an on-line option for those who genuinely can’t meet with us face-to-face. ..things **expositional** : As a fellowship we strongly see ourselves as a church of the Word: a church engaged in Word ministries at many levels. Biblical is the ‘value’ that covers this but all the other values are significantly impacted by this key value as well. “Biblical: Marked by trust in the Bible as the living and active Word of God. We believe that the Bible is the very voice of God and the instrument through which he changes us.” We completed five sermon series during the year. The end of John’s Gospel (chapters 10-21), 2 Samuel, the end of Acts (chapters 9- 28), Jude and Habakkuk. Again the lion’s share of the preaching was divided between André Beck (pastor/elder), Tim Burnham (trainee pastor) and another of the elders, Stuart Baker. One other elder, Scott Savage, preached during the year as did two visiting speakers, Malcolm MacGregor (Ipswich) and Mark Howson (Mickfield). The ‘Everyone In’ services, on the first Sunday of the month, were planned around ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ (see above), ‘I am the Vine’, ‘The Parable of the Sower’, Palm Sunday, ‘King of Kings’, ‘Pay Attention!’, ‘The Mysterious Growth of the Kingdom’, ‘The Parable of the Mustard Seed’, ‘The Lord’s Anointed Triumphs’, Harvest Sunday, ‘Walking in the Light’ and ‘Waiting for God’s Promised King’. This wide variety of themes, targeting a wide range of ages with lots of interaction, included something for everyone Our Sunday evening times together have been following an inhouse set of three series with an overall title of “Contending for the Faith”. The format was one of being lead from the front (usually by André but also occasionally by Tim or Stuart). We sat in table groups, with tea and coffee, to give opportunity for small group discussion as well as full group interaction. The first series covered a general range of subjects: ‘The Bible’, ‘Science’, Other Religions’, ‘Violence in the OT’, ‘Hell’, ‘Evil & Suffering’, ‘Women in the church’, and ‘Gender & Sexuality’ (x4). The second, under the sub-title of “The Church at War”, was delivered over 18 separate sessions. Key words like ‘Genesis’, ‘the Fall’, ‘Armageddon’, ‘pilgrim’ and ‘spiritual warfare’ show the focus of our studies and conversations throughout those evenings together. The third and final series took place during the Advent season and was titled ‘Behold The Son’: - The Eternal Son of God - The Pre-Incarnate Son of God - The Incarnate Son of God - The Glorified Son of God The Contending For The Faith times have been full of opportunities to study and learn together. I would encourage you to participate whenever you are able. The celebrations of Harvest, Easter (Tenebrae, Good Friday and Easter Sunday) and Christmas (Carol Service, Crib Service and Christmas Day) all added their usual additional expressions of worship to our year, as did a Light Party (Oct 31[st] ) and an additional event for young people at Christmas. We continue to be grateful to the Music group who brought the usual variety of songs for our times together as well as some new songs to our Fellowship’s ever growing repertoire. Also, the support and expertise of the ‘balcony team’ as well as all those who serve in any way behind the scenes contribute to making our times of fellowship a success and a blessing. ..things **numerical** : We began 2023 with 68 members and added 4 (Pam and Bill Bacon and Derek and Nicola Palmer). There were no losses throughout the year which brought the membership total on December 31[st] to 72. We were delighted to see three people baptised at Easter time, two younger and one older. All are regular attendees of the fellowship. …and finally, thank you for your efforts and participation in the life of the church. Please continue to work faithfully and prayerfully in the coming year, maybe even seeking out new opportunities for ministry. Please remember to keep André, Liz and the children, as well as the other Elders and their families in your prayers (see above this report). As we all walk and work together, may the Lord’s name be glorified and may we see His Kingdom built amongst us and those with whom we have contact. Soli deo gloria. Shalom, ## Keith Doust ## **2. Missions report** Bethesda continued its focus on mission over the year. There are prayer points in the weekly Prayer Mail for personal and Fellowship Group use. These points are often used during the Sunday services as well. We continued to support the current six organisational Mission interests of the church both prayerfully and financially. We have developed personal connections with individuals in most of these, alongside the overall organisational input. The six are: European Mission Fellowship, Hope Community Church (Soho London), International Mission to Jewish People (formally CWI), Open Doors (the Persecuted Church), Latin Link and WEC International. Prayerful and financial support for Keith and Lorraine Doust in their ministries through SIL International (Eurasia Area), a partner organisation of Wycliffe Bible Translators, is an ongoing focus and priority for the church (see supervisors’ endorsements below). Keith directed the engagement of SIL with language communities in post-Soviet countries until October 3[rd] followed by a sabbatical. Lorraine is on the SIL-Eurasia Staff Care and Wellbeing Team supporting families and children living in cross-cultural environments. She also began a sabbatical on October 26[th] . Prayerful support is given to Sue Bullard in her SIL International (Francophone Africa Area) finance role. Her ministry, after years of experience working in the secular finance world, is a key one and greatly appreciated by her colleagues. The weekly coffee-morning outreach continued throughout the year. A team, led by John Bridge, offered opportunities to welcome church folk and visitors alike. Teas and coffees have been available, as well as a friendly face for the many who want to talk. Though not rushed off their feet, the team has found many openings to speak into people’s lives and walk alongside them on their life’s journeys. In August we came to the end of the third year of support for the Trainee Paster, Tim Burnham. We were delighted to send him out to serve in a church in Swindon. He is taking on an Associate Pastor role there and we pray God’s richest blessing on him and his ministry. For a further year, the Elders/Trustees have been discussing the overall Mission involvement of the church as well as its financial implications. Building on 2022’s efforts, further conversations with the membership ensued, including going through the following document. This document was viewed and discussed at the meeting on September 27[th] . The meeting went quickly through the questions but it deferred fuller discussion until the next church meeting. The members were asked to be prepared at the next meeting to answer the question: **“Do you think that our mission partners fulfil the criteria spelt out on the questionnaire?”** (see questionnaire below) ## **-----------------------------------------** ## **MISSIONS/MINISTRY** Individual or ministry name: LEVEL OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT REQUIRED/REQUESTED: Church point person: |**WORD MINISTRY**
Agreement|**WORD MINISTRY**
Agreement| |---|---| |Does the work of this person/organization aims to help people to
knowtheBible anditsmessage?|| |Do they agree that the whole Bible’s central message is about the
gospelofChrist?|| |Do they believe that God the Holy Spirit works mainly through the
Wordinthehands of his people?|| |Is their work about establishing/strengthening local
churches/Christianswithbiblicaltruth?|| |Does systematic and exposition Word-ministryfeatures|| prominently in their work? I can answer these questions with confidence. **GODLINESS** Agreement Does this person/organization reflect the character of Jesus? Would this person meet the requirements to serve as an elder or deacon (gender aside)? Are we confident that the organization is run with integrity? Is there evidence of a zeal for the gospel? Are they in good standing with their local church and/or sending church and is actively involved? I can answer these questions with confidence. ## **DOCTRINAL ALIGNMENT** Agreement Is this person prepared to commit to our church’s doctrinal statement and position papers? Does this person share our understanding of the gospel and how one becomes a ChrisJan? Does this person share our high view of Scripture as the Word of God. Does this person identify with the Reformed tradition? Does this person share our conviction that doctrine and theology are extremely important? I can answer these questions with confidence. ## **LEVEL OF PARTNERSHIP** Agreement Do they agree to evaluate the ministry together with us? Do we affirm the work's vision/plan/strategy? Will our partnership with this person/organization be mutually beneficial? Are our elders and church are excited about this work? Are we able to regularly communicate with the organization/person we are supporting? To what extent is our church able to visit/receive visits from this person/organization? I can answer these questions with confidence. ## **COMMITMENT TO MAKING DISCIPLES** Agreement Does this person/organization actively seek to reach out to nonChristians? Does this person/organization actively seeks to build up Christians to full maturity? Does this person see Word and Sacrament as the means by which the mission will be accomplished? I can answer these questions with confdence. ## **Missions/Outreach Scorecard** ## **NEED** Are there any others competently doing the same work in the area? How great is the need for this work in that area? I can answer these questions with confdence. ## **CONNECTION TO LOCAL CHURCH** Is this ministry directly related to planning, revitalizing or sustaining a local church? Is this ministry being done in partnership with like-minded churches in the mission locality? Does this person have clear connections to and accountability with a like-minded sending church? What level of support does this person/organization already have/require? To what extent will this person be financially accountable to us? I can answer these questions with confidence. Answer each question above using a 1-5 scale (1= “don't agree”; 5= “strongly”) ----------------------------------------- We are hoping to bring these discussions and decisions to a close in the coming year. Details of the missionary financial support can be found in the Accounts section at the end of the Annual Reports. ## The Elders/Trustees ## Supervisor Endorsements of Keith and Lorraine Doust For supporting churches and other friends. Period: January–December 2023 ## **Supervisor Endorsement of Keith Doust** ## _**Supervisor name:**_ John Young _**Supervisor role:**_ SIL Eurasia Area Director _**Location:**_ Republic of Ireland Over the past year, Keith has served in the role of Director for the Bolshoi group, continuing to lead through various changes, while adapting for future needs. Keith has also continued to lead the facilitation team for the Welcome Event. This is a vital contribution as it orientates new staff to the broader context of SIL Eurasia. The latter part of the year, at my request, he embarked on a Sabbatical for rest and reflection with a formal Sabbatical Coach, who leads and follows with regular check-ins. I have seen how the Lord has led Keith and will continue to direct him through his sabbatical. I look forward to serving with Keith in the years to come. ## **Supervisor Endorsement of Lorraine Doust** _**Supervisor name:**_ Heather Ford Lark _**Supervisor role:**_ SIL Eurasia Area HR, Staff Care Specialist _**Location:**_ UK Lorraine is a much-valued member of the staff care team, a great team player, and her commitment and contributions are welcomed and appreciated by many. Her conscientious care for people and their well-being positively impacts staff on the field, particularly families with children in-country, many of whom live in very challenging circumstances. She provides resources, support and a listening ear, keen to be available to help in whatever ways she can. She also co-leads (with Keith) the annual Eurasia Welcome Event for people newly joining the area. Since October, Lorraine (together with Keith) has been taking a sabbatical. We look forward to welcoming her back in the coming months ## **3. WoW (Women of the Word)** Linked to the **Values** of: **Biblical** (We believe that the Bible is the very voice of God and the instrument through which he changes us.) **Prayerful** (We commune with God and seek to know him as both personal and powerful.) **Loving** (We strive to grow in love and unity with one another as well as other gospel-centred churches.) ## **Main activities** : We met weekly during term-time for interactive Bible study (video series: Talking Jesus; John 13-21 The place of greatest glory; Jen Wilkin’s In His Image), prayer and fellowship. From October, the study was postponed due to fewer numbers but meetings continued intermittently for prayer and fellowship. ## **Praise** : - We were able to meet face-to-face in various homes and draw strength from God’s Word and fellowship together. - We saw some amazing answers to prayer for our families and friends. ## **Prayer** : - As core numbers dropped significantly at the end of the year, we’re seeking God’s wisdom and direction about future studies. - For inspiration to continue to find interesting and relevant Biblebased resources for women’s groups. ## Lorraine Doust, on behalf of The WoW Group ## **4. Y-Zone** Y-Zone is a small group of young teenagers of secondary school age, who met in the upstairs office every Sunday during the service. There was a rota of three teachers, Scott Savage, and Stuart & Joy Baker. Though we each have a different style of leading, working from the same scheme, assisted by a team of 5 helpers, was successful throughout the year. We are grateful to Tim Burnham who coordinated the planning by choosing the schemes and sorting out the rotas. He also organised some social events. The schemes included looking at Ephesians, 1 Peter and the letters to the seven churches in Revelation. Each week the Bible passages were explained, looking at the meaning of the text followed by application to their lives. As much engagement as possible from the young people was encouraged. Sessions finished with prayer where items were shared by all. It was encouraging to see them growing in their confidence to pray out loud . ## Joy Baker for the Y-Zone team ## **5. Mini-Zone** At the beginning of the year we learnt about the parables of the Kingdom, Ruth and then explored Easter from the book of Luke. We then continued the year looking at Joshua and a series about Jesus on mission. After our summer break we did a new series from Faith For Kids called ‘Who am I?’, which helped them discover that their identity is in Christ and not what today’s culture is telling them. ## PRAISE: - We would like to give thanks for Adrian and Sophie joining the team and our guest speakers this year John, Bill and Pam. - For the children’s continued enthusiasm to learn, read the bible, ask and answer questions and show love and kindness to each other. ## PRAYER: - For opportunities for the leaders to connect with the children and wisdom as they prepare to teach God’s word every week. - For all children to come to know and love Jesus and to feel confident in being a child of God in today’s world. ## Sarah Blundell for the Mini-Zone Team ## **6. Care-Team** The aim of the Care Team is to meet every three months and, using a current prayer diary, we think about everyone in the church family. Between us we try to reflect on the trials and difficulties many in the fellowship are encountering and then consider if we think proper care and support has/is being given. One important point to mention is that so much of the care and interest goes on by the many caring people within the fellowship and not necessarily by the care team. Usually having considered everyone there are a few action points for us to work through. A short report of these is made with a copy for the Elders. As with last year, the care team has included David and Jasmine, Jacqui, Mary Forshaw and myself, but, we are also delighted to welcome, Sue Chapman to the team. ## John Bridge for the Care Team ## **7. Safeguarding Report 2023** There were a couple of instances reported, investigated, and dealt with in the appropriate manner. I would like to remind everyone to remain vigilant and continue to look out for the vulnerable. Please report anything which raises concerns. Please pray for continued protection for the church so God would be glorified, rather than His Name besmirched. As a group we are planning to attend further training in May 2024. This is in collaboration with churches in Stowmarket. Please note: There are notices on 2 notice boards in the church reminding of who to contact if anything needs to be reported. I would like to thank Theresa Adams (deputy safeguarding lead) and Alison Hudson (DBS administration) for their continued help and willingness to serve the fellowship. ## Scott Savage ## **8. Flower Report** There is a regular display each Sunday. We are grateful to the ladies from the coffee morning who, brightening up the individual tables each Friday, donate those flowers to be used for the pleasure of the fellowship the following Sunday. Thanks to Andrea and Theresa for the Harvest and Christmas decorations, largely gathered from natural sources. When floral pedestal arrangements are requested Angela is happy to help too. Andrea has kindly agreed to take on the oversight of the flowers from me, so I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those who volunteered to share this ministry when I followed on from Freda. May we continue to praise God in these reminders of His creation and provision. ## Betty Croft ## **9. Bulletin Report** The Weekly Bulletin acts as a welcome sheet and continues to give details about the morning service, the evening sessions and the regular midweek activities. Other activities are brought to people’s attention asand-when they occur, and people are welcome to offer information or notices for inclusion. There is a Pastoral Prayer section based on John Bridge’s prayer email and scripture verses are always included in the Bulletin. Occasionally we insert appropriate Christian cartoons or articles about Christian ministries like Armenian Ministries, European Mission Fellowship or Open. Every month the Bethesda Prayer Diary is printed with the Bulletin and when necessary an extra A5 sheet with information can be inserted. The Bulletin requires regular weekly input for producing and printing and I have been grateful to Sue Chapman for standing in when I have not been able to do it. The Bulletin has two purposes: 1) to inform and 2) in its content, to give glory to God. ## Cathy O’Neill ## **10. Treasurer’s Report (Year Ended 31 December 2023)** ## **Pre-Amble:** The church continues to manage and account for its money on a cash accounting basis with a summary of income and outgoings being prepared each month. The accounts are reviewed by the trustees when they meet and at each Church Meeting. Each year the ac- counts are audited and submitted to the Charity Commission. To ensure due process smaller amounts, up to £200 are authorised by the treasurer with a second trustee being involved with the decision on larger amounts. For very large amounts, over £2000, or where a new regular commitment is required the decision is brought to a Church Meeting. Payments from the church account are now almost exclusively via bank transfer whereby I initiate a payment online and Scott Savage authorises it as, effectively, a second signatory. This is not only more convenient than using cheques it is also cheaper and allows for greater transparency. During the year David Fisk kindly agreed to take over the counting and banking of the weekly offering. Regular givers are encouraged to make their offerings via bank transfer so as to relieve the need to travel to Ipswich with large amounts of cash for deposit. Using online transfers also makes it easier to claim gift aid where applicable. Our thanks go to Sue Bullard who has continued as book-keeper with lessening support from Neil Serjeant as she becomes more au fait with procedures for preparing internal and external financial reports, managing the payroll and claiming Gift Aid. I’m pleased to report that Greg Weston, who has acted as Independent Examiner for many years, has done so again for the 2023 accounts. ## **Summary:** In broad terms the church finances remain healthy, something for which we again praise God. At the start of the year total funds in hand were £85,349 of which £67,999 was in the General Fund, by the end of the year this had fallen overall to £81,317 with a small increase in the General Fund to £69,356. Essentially the balance has remained constant despite the continued support for Tim Burnham for his third year with us and the Manse rent being in arrears. The funds summary is shown below: Fuller details of income and expenditure, including a comparison with 2022, are provided in the attached accounts. I’d like now to draw your attention to the following Key Points: ## **General Fund:** Income from regular giving and Sunday offerings rose from £98,506 to £103,681 and we remain grateful to God for the continued generosity of his people. Gift aid recovered totalled £24,391 and rental income from the Manse £14,492. (As at December 31[st] the Manse rent was in arrears by two months, this money has now been received although at the time of writing the tenant remains behind in her payments something the Council is looking into). ## **Mission Fund:** In line with church policy the trustees allocated 40% of offerings received to the Missionary Fund. The amount allocated in the year was £51,229. We continued our support for Keith & Lorraine Doust. In 2023 the church received designated gifts for the support of Keith & Lorraine Doust totalling £2,540 on which £660 of Gift Aid was recovered. Support costs for Keith & Lorraine totalled £28,601. The net cost to the church was £25,401. The balance on the Missionary Fund at the end of the year was £11,582. ## **Bookstall:** The is shown as running at a loss. Sales have been slow, however, we continue to believe that this is a valuable potential support to help people in their walk with God. ## **Training Fund:** As Tim Burnham’s time with us came to an end and he was called to a church in Swindon the training fund was spent up and stands at zero. On the expenditure side it is the rise in utilities that is the biggest concern having risen from £5,640 to £14,051. I will be looking at possible alternative providers and tariffs. Church maintenance also increased largely due to the replacement of the kitchen roof. If you have any questions regarding the accounts then please get in touch ## Stuart Baker |||**Bethesda Baptist Church, Felixstowe**|**Bethesda Baptist Church, Felixstowe**|**Bethesda Baptist Church, Felixstowe**|**Bethesda Baptist Church, Felixstowe**|**Bethesda Baptist Church, Felixstowe**|**No(if any)**|**No(if any)**||**CC16a**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**_Draft Subject to Independent Examination_**|||||||||| |||**Receipts andpayments accounts**|||||||||| |||**For the period**
**from**||**1-Jan-23**||**To**||**31-Dec-23**|||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||||||||| |||**Unrestricted**
**funds**||**Restricted funds**||**Endowment**
**funds**||**Total funds**||**_Last year_**|| |||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**_to the nearest £_**|| |**A1 Receipts**|||||||||||| |**General Fund(Unrestricted)**||||||**0**||**0**||**0**|| ||Offerings|**103,681**||||||**103,681**||**98,505**|| ||Tax Recovered on Gift Aided Donations|**24,391**||||||**24,391**||**20,831**|| ||Manse Rent Received|**14,492**||||||**14,492**||**18,853**|| ||Gifts & Bequests|**586**||||||**586**||**35**|| ||Interest|**1,282**||||||**1,282**||**323**|| ||Church Awayday|**0**||||||**0**||**0**|| ||Transfer to MissionaryFund|**(51,229)**||||||**(51,229)**||**(47,482)**|A| ||Transfer to TrainingFund|**0**||||||**0**|||| ||Transfer to Bookstall Fund|**0**||||||**0**|||| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |**Missionary Funds(Designated Unrestricted; Restricted)**||||||||**0**||**0**|| ||40% tithe of Offerings & Gift Aid|**51,229**||||||**51,229**||**47,482**|A| ||Gift Aid Tax Recovered|**660**||||||**660**||**675**|C| ||Transfer from General Fund|||||||**0**||**0**|| ||Gifts and Donations|**2,540**||**2,314**||||**4,854**||**9,402**|C| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |**Bookstall Sales(Unrestricted)**||||||||**0**||**0**|| ||Sales|**116**||||||**116**|||| ||Transfer from General Fund|**0**||||||**0**|||| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |**Training Fund(Designated Unrestricted)**||||||||**0**||**0**|| ||Gifts|||||||**0**||**0**|| ||From General Fund|**0**||||||**0**||**0**|| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |**Ministry Apprentice Fund(Designated, Unrestricted)**||||||||**0**||**0**|| ||Gifts and Donations|||||||**0**||**10,000**|| ||Tax Recovered on Gift Aided Donations|||||||**0**||**0**|| |||||||||**0**||**0**|| |**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_||**147,747**||**2,314**||**0**||**150,061**||**_158,624_**|| ||||||||||||| |**A2**|**Asset and investment sales, (see table).**||||||||||| |||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |**_Sub total_**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||||||||||||| |**_Total receipts_**||**147,747**||**2,314**||**0**||**150,061**||**_158,624_**|| ||||||||||||| |**A3 Payments**|||||||||||| |**General Fund(Unrestricted)**||||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Ministry|**50,463**||||**0**||**50,463**||**_39,139_**|| ||Outreach|**572**||||**0**||**572**||**_325_**|| ||Youth & Children's Work|**372**||||**0**||**372**||**_374_**|| ||Church Utilities|**14,051**||||**0**||**14,051**||**_5,640_**|| ||Church Cleaning|**1,717**||||**0**||**1,717**||**_1,656_**|| ||Church repairs & Maintenance|**10,410**||||**0**||**10,410**||**_1,369_**|| ||Church Fabric & Fttings|**3,139**||||**0**||**3,139**||**_10,389_**|| ||Insurance|**2,804**||||**0**||**2,804**||**_2,540_**|| ||Manse Repairs|**1,357**||||**0**||**1,357**||**_1,186_**|| ||Manse Council Tax|**0**||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Manse Utilities|**0**||||||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Manse Insurance|**603**||||**0**||**603**||**_603_**|| ||Online and Print|**309**||||**0**||**309**||**_206_**|| ||Refreshments|**1,085**||||**0**||**1,085**||**_107_**|| ||Gifts and Donations|**2,672**||||**0**||**2,672**||**_3,850_**|| ||Professional Fees|**1,512**||||**0**||**1,512**||**_2,219_**|| ||Church AwayDay|**0**||||||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Miscellanous|**778**||||**0**||**778**||**_705_**|| ||Transfers to/from Other Unrestricted Funds:|||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |**Missionary Funds(Designated Unrestricted; Restricted)**||||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||International Mission to Jewish People|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_3,000_**|| ||K & L Doust|**28,601**||||**0**||**28,601**||**_29,528_**|C| ||European Missionary Fellowship|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_9,632_**|| ||Hope Community Church|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_3,000_**|| ||Latin Link|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_3,000_**|| ||WEC International|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_3,000_**|| ||Open Doors|**4,500**||||**0**||**4,500**||**_3,270_**|| ||Samaritan's Purse|**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Other|**0**||**1,574**||**0**||**1,574**||**_903_**|B| ||Pastor Training International (Myanmar)|**0**||**30**||**0**||**30**||**_0_**|B| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| CCXX R accounts (SS)1 22/05/2024 1 |**Bookstall Purchases(Unrestricted)**|**Bookstall Purchases(Unrestricted)**|**477**||||**0**||**477**||**_0_**|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |**Building Fund(Restricted)**||||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Payments to Contractor|||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Loan interest and repayment|||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Fees|||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |**Training Fund(Unrestricted)**||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Expenditure|**4,565**||||||**4,565**||**_1,843_**|| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |**Ministry Apprentice Fund(designated, Unrestricted)**||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| ||Expenditure|**0**||||||**0**||**_18,386_**|| |||||||||**0**||**_0_**|| |||||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |**_Sub total_**||**152,489**||**1,604**||**0**||**154,093**||**_145,870_**|| ||||||||||||| |**A4**|**Asset and investmentpurchases, (see table)**||||||||||| |||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |**_Sub total_**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| ||||||||||||| |**_Totalpayments_**||**152,489**||**1,604**||**0**||**154,093**||**_145,870_**|| ||||||||||||| |**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**||**(4,742)**||**710**||**0**||**(4,032)**||**_12,754_**|| |**A5 Transfers between funds**||**0**||||**0**||**0**||**_0_**|| |**A6 Cash funds lastyear end**||**85,319**||**30**||**0**||**85,349**||**_72,595_**|| |**_Cash funds thisyear end_**||**80,577**||**740**||**0**||**81,317**||**_85,349_**|| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |**Section B Statement of assets and**||**liabilities at the end of the period**|||||||||| |**Categories**||**Details**||||**Unrestricted**
**funds**||**Restricted funds**||**Endowment**
**funds**|| |||||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|| |**B1 Cash funds**||CAF Current Account||||**100**||||**-**|| |||CAF Gold Account||||**80,477**||**740**||**-**|| |||||||||||**-**|| |||**_Total cash funds_**||||**80,577**||**740**||**-**|| |||(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))||||OK||||OK|| |||||||**Unrestricted**

||**Restricted funds**||**Endowment**

|| |||**Details**||||~~**f**~~
~~**d**~~
**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||~~**f**~~
~~**d**~~
**to nearest £**|| |**B2 Other monetary assets**||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| |||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| |||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| |||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| |||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| |||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|| ||||||||||||| |||**Details**||||**Fund to which asset**
**belongs**||**Cost (optional)**||**Current value**
**(optional)**|| |**B3 Investment assets**||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| ||||||||||||| |||**Details**||||**Fund to which asset**
**belongs**||**Cost (optional)**||**Current value**
**(optional)**|| |**B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use**||Manse at 8 Mill Lane Felixstowe||||||**-**||**-**|| |||Church Building at Cavendish Road, Felixstowe||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| |||||||||**-**||**-**|| ||||||||||||| |||**Details**||||**Fund to which**
**liability relates**||**Amount due**
**(optional)**||**When due**
**(optional)**|| |**B5 Liabilities**||||||||**-**|||| |||||||||**-**|||| CCXX R accounts (SS)2 22/05/2024 2 |||||||||**-**|||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||||||**-**|||| |||||||||**-**|||| ||||||||||||| |Signed byone or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees||Signature||||Print Name||||Date of approval|| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |**NOTES**|||||||||||| |A|40% offerings to mission||||||||||| |B|Restricted missionary funds. £30 received in 2022 for Latin Link was sent to Latin Link in 2023. £1,529.10 was received and sent to Tear
Fund (earthquake in Syria/Turkey). £785 was received for EMF Ukraine funds, £45 of this was sent to EMF in 2023||||||||||| |C|In 2022/23 the church received designated gifts for the support of Keith & Lorraine Doust totalling £2,540. £660 of Gift Aid was recovered
on these donations. Support costs for Keith & Lorraine in 2023 totalled £28,601. The net cost to the church was £25,401.||||||||||| |D|||||||||||| |E|||||||||||| |F|||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |||||||||||25301|| CCXX R accounts (SS)3 22/05/2024 3 |||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |Surplus/Deficit from IS
(4,032)||||||| |Net rec/pay col I
(4,032)||||||| |Difference
0||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| ||0|||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| CCXX R accounts (SS)5 22/05/2024 5 CCXX R6 accounts (SS) 2210512024 **Independent examiner's report on the accounts** ## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report** **Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Bethesda Baptist Church. Felixstowe **On accounts for the year** 31 December 2023 **Charity no ended (if any) Set out on pages** (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) **Respective** The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in **responsibilities of** accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). **trustees and examiner** The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Act and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, - to follow the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act, and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention **Basis of independent examiner’s statement** ## **Independent examiner's statement** My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~ which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or - 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. * _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ **Date:** 19/6/24 **Signed: Name:** G Weston 1 **May 2018** **IER** **Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):** **Address:** 5 Berners Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk, IP11 7LF ## **Section B Disclosure** Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). **Give here brief details of** No issues noted **any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** . 2 **May 2018** **IER** IER May 2018