OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2022-12-31-accounts

HOPE CHURCH SITTINGBOURNE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2022 CONTENTS Page(s) Trustees Report Information Pages Independent Examiners Report Receipts and Payments Statement Statement of Assets and Liabilities 10 Note to the Accounts 11

HOPE CHURCH SIThNGBOURNE CHARtrY NUMBER 1186867 Trustee Report for the period 1# January 2022 to 31st December 2022 The Trust & Trustees Hope Church Sittingbourne is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation ICIO). registered with the UK Charity Commission1118686*. Hope Church Sittingbourne was officially registered as a CIO on 10 December 2019. and this is our second submitted annual report. Hope Church Sittingboume is a church-plant connected to Relational Mission within the Newfrontiers family of churches. The Trustees of the Hope Church Sittingboume CIO during this reporting period were: Christine Monica Willmott - Chair of Trustees Jonathan Hugh Butson - Trustee & Treasurer Jite Ufuoma Idowu - Trustee & Safeguarding Lead Nathaniel Tumer- Trustee Elizabeth Gregory- Trustee Emmanuel Samuel - Trustee We had our first changes to our original trustees board since becoming a registered charity.. 2810412022- Nathaniel Tumer stood down as a trustee. 2810412022- Elizabeth Gregory was appointed as a trustee. 2411112022- Jonathan Butson stood down as a twstee and as treasurer. 2411112022- Emmanuel Samuel was apFyJinted as a trustee. We are thankful for these men and women who have faithfully and diligently served the church in serying and goveming as trustees. When considering new Trustees. the existing board intends to invite committed church members. who are well known to us and have the necessary character. experience and skills needed and the time to give to this role. with the existing board all having to agree on the appointment. All current Trustees have been DBS checked. The Trustare formulating new procedures regarding background checks on prosFective trustees according to the Charity Commission guidelines. The serving trustees gave a total of £29.049 during this accounting period, with a one-off gift of £15.000 given on 29/0412022.

HOPE CHURCH srrriNGBOURNE CHARITY NUMBER 1186867 Trust Objectives The object of the CIO is for the public benefit. the advancement of the Christian faith in Sittingbourne, Kent and in such other areas as the charity Trustees may from time to time decide. ope Church Sittingbourne exists to grow& multiplythe HOPE of Jesus In the hearts of everyone, everywhere, everyday. We aspire to reproduce disclples who: Honour Jesus. Obey His Word, Pray beyond themselvos, Everyone a wltness. We gather in homes & public places as well as weekty on Sundays to hear & obey the Word of God. We engage wlth local social justlce & poverty issues. Premlses Hope Church Sittingboume do not Current￿ lease or own any premises. Our church office and registered CIO address is cU￿entlY the home of Gordon Watson, the church-plant leader. This is the office base for adminislrative purposes. Since Sunday, 2151 October 2018. Hope Church Stttingboume have gathered every Sunday morning at our local Costa Coffee located in The Forum Shopping Centre. This has proven to be a successful public gathering point for our growing church community. COVID-19 Thankfully the irnpact of COVID-19 was less prevalent in 2022. enabling church life to f ind a newnormal'and saw us meeting in person throughout 2021 with less need for online or socially-distanced gatherings and meetings. We were able to make use of our Family Fund to directly support families and individuals within the church fellowship who were either sick with Covid or in financial need due to Covid related circumstance& Membership The Hope Church famity continues to grow and develop healthily. We welcomed a number of new people among us over the course of the year. Finances Gordon Watson continued to be our sole employee throughwt 2022. We supported and subsidised the costs for a group of 8 people to participate in the LEAD training course with Relational Mission. We increased our monthly support of the Swcchia family IGood News Church Sheppey) from E100 to £200 per rnonth. In October 2022 we began giving a consistent monthly amount to the f¢JJr distinct accounts towards the mission of our family of churches, Relational Mission.

HOPE CHURCH sirriNGBOURNE CHARITY NUMBER 1186867 Reserves Policy The Board of Trustees has established a policy to cover day-to-day cashflow and also any f inancial liabilities in the event of a sudden and unexpected drop in income, or the closure of the charity. The Reserves Policy states that a figure of £S.000 should be maintained in this regard. Overvlew of Church Lrfe and Activities In 2022 we pioneered a new app which we called the HOPE HUB, using the popular Discord platfomi. This app has proven to be a realty helpful resource in enabling the church to communicate together using several different chat rooms with topics for worship. prayer. events as well as many other aspects of daity church life. We continued to host regular social connection points every rnonth, such as picnics, BBQS, fish & chips nights, brunches and other social events. These connection points were a great opportunity to integrate newcomers to the church and also to invite along people exploring faith and to build relationship and widen community life together. We were pleased to be able to continue throughout 2022 meeting in person in our mid- week Households and Running Partners groups. These midweekgatherings help us encourage and support one another towards growing together in our faith and in our daily lives. We continued to host monthly prdyer meetings. alternating between Breakthrough PTryer & Encounter evenings. We find these times a great opportunity to praybeyondourse/ves' looking for God to open the way ahead in situations and cirCumstan￿s. In September 2022 we started a new leadership development group calEed 'Emerge Leadership Forum,. This group meets every 618 weeks and is supported by our church oversight of Adam Voke (Comerstone City Church. Medway) & Dave King (New Life Church, Tunbridge Wellsl. Our hope is that over the coming month, leaders will emerge with a clear grace and call to serve the church in the New Testament offices of deacons and elders. We invited Mike & Suzanne McLeister to visit us from Hope Church Borders for a ministry weekend hosted on 21: to 24 October 2022. The McLeisters stayed with the Watsons in their family home and S￿nt their time ministering to the church both together and separately to the men and women. We really valued their inwt and insight as they loving setved the church and encouraged us all in our lrfe and mission together. We had the joy of baptising a young lady in October 2022. It was wonderful to See her make the decision to follow Jesus in this way. It was a great tie of celebration for her family and forthe widerchurch famity.

HOPE CHURCH s￿INGBOURNE CHARITY NUMBER 1186867 Local Mission The local Sittingboume Churches TDgether fraternal continued to meet in-person throughout 2022. Gordon Watson stood down as a trustee for the local Swale Foodbank from15t April 2022. He had particular responsibility for negotiating premises contracts, drafting contracts and policies and for developing the financial reporting and auditing infrastructure at the charity. We continue to be a partnership church supporting the ongoing workof the Swale Foodbank We continued as a partner church with our local Swale CAP Debt Centre. We were invited to contribute cakes towards the Chrtstma5 Hampers for local CAP clients. During 2022 we invited Russell Godward (No Place Left UK) to train and equip our church in becoming more confident and competent in our mission of sharing the good news story of Jesus across our town. We began regularly ministering to local communities across the town. predominantly on Saturday momings. Our hope is to continue this partnership into 2023 withfurthertraining mornings. Gordon Watson continued to provide regular contribLrtions to our local Sittingbourne FM radio station fortheir Word for the Day slot on Sunday momings along with other local leaders. On 13th October 2022 Gordon stood down from contributing to the radio slot. Partnershlp with Relational Mission RMC & Swale Squad We continued to engage with our local Relational Misslon Community, led by Adam Voke. We also continue to find great encouragement and brotherhood amongst the three Relational Mission churches in Swale. During the summer of 2022. Gordon Watson was able to support our nearby friends al Faversham Community Church through speaking on Sundays whilst Mike Taylor was on furlough. Faversham CoTnmunity Church hosted a ministry weekend with Grantley & Floss Watkins called Naturally Supernatural in July 2022. We were thankful to be invited to attend as a partner church and to contr41￿te a nominal gift towards the costs of the event We were able to send two of our young people to attend the Newday Youth Festival in August 2022 in partnershipwith our friends at New Life Church Tunbridge Wells, sharing their camping site. their cooking facilities and entnjsting our young people to the Care of the leaders. Our hope is to partner with thetn again in 2023 and to send a larger grDUP, including a group of supporting leaders. On 14th October 2022 our RMC hosted an evening worship & prayer meeting in Kings Hill together at a local community centre. We felt privileged to be able to contri￿te towards this event.

HOPE CHURCH sirnNGBOURNE CHARITY NUMBER 1186867 ENOUGH prayer There were several ENOUGH prayers gatherings online across our family of churches throughout the year. We've loved the opportunity to pray together across nations and time-zones for the same things at the same time. PLANT UK stopped & Urban Ptantlng Schoot tyn On 19" January 2022. Stef Liston (part of the Relational Mission aFX)Stolic team) took the decision to bring an end to the PLANT UK team. Thiswas a Relational Mission initiative helping support and encourage those who are pion￿ring (or exploring pioneering) across the UK, During this meeting. Stef Liston invtted Gordon Watson to serve with him in developing new Relational Mission training initiative called 'UP: The Urt)an Planting School,, As trustees. we were happy to offer 4-hours a week of Gordon Watsons employed time to support and serve this new initiative on behalf of our family of churches. This decision is reviewed at each trust&s meeting ongoing. Summary Following the challenges that COVID-19 presented over the past two years. we were incrediblyencouraged to be able to stsrt to gather momentum in meeting and serving together in-person throughout 2021 We continued to see the church community grow, this has caused us to consider exploring relocating our Sunday moming meetings in a L8rger venue, something we will develop in 2023. We have seen the church serve and give generously. sacrificially ané joyfully, something as a trustee's board that we are incredibly thankful for as we make decisions towards how we might steward our collective resources in direction from our church leadership and oversight.

Hope Church Sittingbourne Information Page Bankers: Nat West Bank plc PO Box 209 Sittingboume Kent ME10 4AU Independent Examiner Mr Rob Trice MAqT 210 lfjng George Road Chatham Kent ME5 OPH

Independent Examinerfs Report to the Trustees of Hope Church Sittingbourne This Report on the accounts of the Church for the year ended 31 De￿mber 2022. which are set out in this annual report, is in respect of an examInat￿}n carried out under s.145 of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). Respectlve responsibilities of the Trustees and the examiner As Trustees you are responsible for the preparatK)n of the accounts. you consider that the audrt requirement of section 144(2) of the Act does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this reDOrt on those accounts in accordance wtth the Act. Basls of this report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 144{5)(b) of the Act. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Chariiy and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes consKlering any unusual items or disdosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The pmcedures undertaken do not provide all the eviden￿ that woukl be required in an audit. and conseauentlv I do not exDress an audit ODinion on the view aiven bv the aGcounts. Ind6p6ndent Examinerfs statement In connection with my examinatK)n, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gNes me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements - to keep accounting records in accordance wtth section 130 of the Act. and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and cornply with the requirements of the Act have not been met., or (2} to which. in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Robw fric 15th March 2023 Mr Rob Trice MAAT 210 King George Road Chatham, Kent, ME5 OPH Page 8

Hope Church Sittingbourne Receipts & Payments Account - Year Ended 31 December 2022 RECEIPTS 2022 2021 Gimng (Gift￿ded) Giwng (Non Gift Aid8dl HMRC Grft Aid repayment Financial SupFM)rt ACTS 435 incom8 Refunded eypendtiure Other incom8 Special offering 33.893.00 17.674.07 8.268.77 3.500.00 32,043.00 3,228.50 8,147.31 2,000.00 1,280.00 1,373.19 14.48 134.C 175.80 TOTAL RECEIPTS 63,516.32 48,220.48 PAYMETr￿S 2022 2021 Employee wages arid salaries P8nsion Travelling Hotel and Accomodation Printing Office Stationery & Admin Internet Charges Computer & sofiwarè Mobil8 Charges Business Insurance Equipment Books bought Sunday Costs FO￿ & drink Tilh8 lo Rela￿nal Mi5sKJn Family Fund Gift {vi811ing speakers) Gift {missional support) Gift (special offebing) Gift (pastoral reasons) Mission trips CAP Life Skills Miscellaneuos exp￿SeS Subscriptions DBSISafeguarding Training Costs Conference kn'ckets VenuelHall hire Independent examiner ACTS 435 expenditure Office Equipment and ￿- cost Events 27,003.09 2,065.05 1.265.60 99.00 226.75 121.88 248.02 952.22 255.79 300.78 169.1x1 220.17 509.89 336.53 27.918.87 1.421.55 1.006.00 33.62 156.79 350.50 1,450.32 224.26 282.26 703.57 51.55 195.37 886.74 1.485.00 2.120.00 150.00 324.77 300.00 720.00 161.72 229.00 141.25 2,586.¢XI 245.00 3.377.30 200.00 827.77 860.00 1,320.00 733.40 465.53 202.00 129.00 6,381.88 230.56 2,726.75 200.00 1,130.00 480.49 151 98 1,350.56 TOTAL PAYMENTS 48.803.09 50,125.58 Exces8 of Receipts over Expènditure 14.713.23 {1,905.101 General Fund Balance brought forward 6.246.59 8.151.69 General Fund Balance carried foroyard 20,959.82 6,246.59 Page 9

Hope Church Sittingbourne Statement of Assets and Liabilrties - As At 31 December 2022 2022 2021 Bank Balances - #1 Main AGcount - #2 Hope CAP Funds - #3 Training & Futur8 Staffing

4 Building Fund

Hope Church Sittingbourne Notes to the Accounts- Year Ended 31 December 2022 1. Th6 accounts have been pr8par8d using the receipts and paymenls basis. 2. Funds Movement Note Brought Forward Recolpts Payments Transfèrs Carried Forward Unrestrict8d Funds 3,765.34 63,396.32 (48.209.84) (15,000.001 3,951.82 Hope CAP Funds 204.80 660.00 {720.00) 144.80 Training & Future Slaffing Fd 1.928.50 2.537.50 (3.050.00) 1,416.00 Building Fund 2.00 15.0(M).00 15,002.00 CrisislFamily Fund 45.95 145.20 ACTS 435 300.00 745. {645.75} 6.246.59 67.338.82 52.625.59 20,95g.82 Page11