Life Church
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2025
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
LIFE CHURCH
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Frederick Street Wigston LE18 1PJ GOVERNING DOCUMENT Constitution dated 12 December 2019 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1186922 Trustees RESPONSIBLE FOR Mary Buckley (resigned 31 March 2025) MANAGING THE CHARITY Leon Cole Andrew Harrison (resigned 31 March 2025) Matthew Hill James Fox (appointed 07 April 2025) Jacob Lescott Sonia Haithcock BANKERS Barclays Bank PLC Kingdom Bank Limited INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB INDEX Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-5 Trustees' Report Page 6 Independent Examiner's Report Page 7 Receipts and Payments Account Page 8 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 9-10 Notes to the Accounts
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LIFE CHURCH
REPORT OF THE Trustees
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Objectives and activities
The charity, which is a church, is governed by a constitution and is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation.
The principal aim of the charity is the advancement of the Christian faith and the worship of God. By upholding righteous values and beliefs it is the Trustees’ conviction that a positive impact into the community can be achieved for the good of all. Activities include:
•A regular programme of meetings is provided in the main centre for worship, prayer and outreach.
•Children and youth work.
•Mid-week groups and activities including Life Groups.
•Teaching series, inspiration and online resources.
•Community outreach including partnering with local agencies to provide support to those in need.
Achievements and performance
We launched a fresh vision for Life Church in September 2025, with our intent to be ‘a church overflowing with the life of God’, focused on Reaching People, Raising Disciples and Releasing Gifting.
The main achievements for the period were:
• We ran an Alpha course where participants had opportunity to explore and go deeper in their Christian faith.
• We held several baptism services throughout the year, where participants shared their journey to faith in Jesus.
• We engaged with the local community through the Knighton Park Show and Wigston Christmas Lights events.
• We launched Coffee & Cake, opening up our building to engage with the community.
• We extended our relationships with community partners, including providing Christmas gift bags for isolated and vulnerable members of the local community.
• We supported mission and missionaries in Greece and Spain, and into central and eastern Europe and Africa via Kingdom Journeys.
• We continued to fight modern day slavery via our partnership with Hope for Justice.
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Raising Disciples:
• We ran Sunday services, with many new individuals and families attending, and provided teaching to encourage and equip the church in God’s word.
• We held Life Groups throughout the year in homes or online, enabling relationship building, discipleship, outreach and leadership development.
• We continued to invest in our children and young people through Sunday mornings, Arise Youth, a midweek Life Group and the Summer trip to the RockNations conference.
• We held a series of Encounter worship nights to provide a space for going deeper with God in worship and prayer.
• We ran a variety of men’s and women’s events and activities, enabling relationship building and growing in faith.
• We launched our Young Adults ministry for 18-30s, providing opportunity for this age group to grow in community and go deeper in faith.
• We introduced Faith & Fitness, equipping people in basic fitness skills alongside spiritual input and encouragement.
Releasing Gifting:
• We brought several new people into church partnership, and provided opportunity for a large proportion of church partners to use their gifts to serve on our teams.
• We held several Stronger Team Sundays during the year, focused on growth, development and releasing gifting.
• We introduced ‘Real Life’ interviews in Sunday services, and continued to involve a range of people in leading communion.
• We provided opportunity for our leaders to engage with Assemblies of God leadership days, events and conferences.
• We began planning for the launch of Life Church Academy in 2026, a programme of practical theological development.
To implement our vision and mission, we strengthened our supporting infrastructure and enabling functions in several areas in 2026:
• We introduced Life Church ‘DNA’ – communicating our church culture and values.
• We introduced a part time Communications Coordinator role to facilitate church communications internally and externally via our various platforms.
• We established a Pastoral Care Team and Pastoral Framework to equip and support the church in providing pastoral care to church attenders and those engaging with the church.
• We continued to apply good practice in safeguarding, including raising the profile of safeguarding with the church through various channels, and providing internal training and support to supplement external training.
• We renovated our upstairs youth room to provide a fantastic space for our young people.
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• We refurbished our church office to provide a fit-for-purpose working environment for our expanded team.
The activities are mainly achieved through the faithful work of many church members who act as unpaid volunteers, without whose contributions the aims and objectives could not all be met.
In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
Financial review
The vast majority of the finances required to fund the activities are raised through donations from church partners, supplemented by the refund of income tax from HM Revenue & Customs through the Gift Aid scheme.
During the year we gave £19,216 (2024: £13,993) to other Christian charities and missions who help us fulfil our charitable aims and objectives.
During the year income decreased by £12,940, to £176,099, and expenditure decreased by £34,077, to £160,504. As a result the cash held by the charity increased by £15,593, to £83,182, of which £73,584 is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
Reserves policy
The Trustees’ aim is to hold surplus funds of approximately 3 months of unrestricted expenditure which equates to £36,976. At this level, the Trustees feel that current activities of the charity would be able to continue in the event of a significant drop in offerings. At 31 December 2025 the unrestricted general fund balance was £73,584, representing 6 months expenditure.
Governance and management
New Trustees are appointed by the existing Trustees. The Trustees are responsible for making the major decisions regarding the formulation and implementation of its aims and objectives, and for monitoring and controlling all of its financial resources. The Trustees formally meet at least four times a year, and report key issues and decisions to the church membership on a regular basis. Quarterly reports from the treasurer are received for discussion and necessary action. An Annual General Meeting is held each year to present to the church membership the management, departmental and Treasurer’s reports.
In the pursuit of its charitable activities, the charity has been in fellowship with the Assemblies of God in the UK, and is a member of the Evangelical Alliance.
Risk statement
The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The Trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they take appropriate measures to mitigate those risks.
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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:
Matthew Hill
_____Matthew Hill (May 12, 2026 15:15:08 GMT+1) MATTHEW HILL (Trustee) May 12, 2026 Date:___
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
LIFE CHURCH
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Life Church ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2025 on pages 7 to 10 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 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.
Sarah Crispin
Sarah Crispin (May 19, 2026 13:39:03 GMT+1)
Sarah Crispin Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: May 19, 2026
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LIFE CHURCH
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
| Notes Income receipts Donations Gift aid receipts Income from events Investment income Other Total receipts Payments 2 3 Total payments Transfers between funds 5 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 £ £ 118,113 4,000 34,418 1,000 - - 314 - 20 - 152,865 5,000 135,337 3,429 12,565 - 147,902 3,429 4,962 1,571 213 - - 4,749 1,571 67,265 - 72,014 1,571 Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds £ 16,539 - 1,694 - - 18,233 2,492 6,681 9,173 9,060 213 9,273 324 9,597 |
2025 £ 138,652 35,418 1,694 314 20 176,098 141,258 19,246 160,504 15,595 - 15,593 67,589 83,182 |
2024 £ 150,384 36,827 700 747 380 189,039 180,567 14,013 194,580 5,541 - - 5,541 - 73,130 67,589 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The notes on pages 9 - 10 form part of these accounts.
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LIFE CHURCH
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
| Notes A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access Notice deposits Petty cash B Other monetary assets Gift aid due to charity Other debtors C Liabilities Falling due within one year Trade creditors Payroll and Tax Fee for Independent Examination Total |
General Designated funds funds £ £ 27,559 1,571 44,392 - 62 - 72,014 1,571 6,621 - 391 - 7,012 - 1,706 - 1,413 - 1,260 - 4,379 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted funds £ 9,597 - - 9,597 - - - - - - - |
2025 £ 38,727 44,392 62 83,182 6,621 391 7,012 1,706 1,413 1,260 4,379 |
2024 £ 28,511 39,078 - 67,589 7,568 - 7,568 1,004 1,930 1,200 4,134 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
D Assets retained for charity's own use
| Land and buildings (give brief details) Fixtures, fittings and equipment |
Fund to which asset belongs General General |
Current value £ 1,460,175 126,007 1,586,182 |
|---|---|---|
Current insurance values have been quoted because reliable valuations are not available
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:
Matthew Hill
Matthew Hill (May 12, 2026 15:15:08 GMT+1) _____ MATTHEW HILL (Trustee)
May 12, 2026
Date:_____
The notes on pages 9 - 10 form part of these accounts.
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LIFE CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 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 (see note 4) Ministry expenses Youth and children's work Outreach activities Events Equipment Maintenance of buildings & equipment Upgrade of buildings & equipment Utilities Insurance Office and support costs 3 Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others Grants for: Mission in the UK and overseas |
General funds £ 83,590 10,315 4,090 - 1,660 4,541 16,604 514 5,063 1,535 7,426 135,337 12,565 12,565 Unrestrict |
Unrestrict | Designated funds £ - - 2,734 - - - 695 - - - - 3,429 - - ed Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - 250 - - 1,718 - 524 - - - - 2,492 6,681 6,681 |
Total 2025 £ 83,590 10,565 6,825 - 3,378 4,541 17,822 514 5,063 1,535 7,426 141,258 19,246 19,246 |
Total 2024 £ 74,235 15,784 6,567 1,257 865 1,621 17,275 43,086 7,951 1,568 10,358 180,567 14,013 14,013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 Transactions with related parties
Mary Buckley, Matthew Hill and James Fox served as church leaders and received employment benefits totalling £12,964, £44,310, and £15,659 respectively (2024: £49,240, £19,947 and £0) for serving in that capacity, not for serving as Trustees; these payments are permitted by the charity's governing document.
Beth Hill, who is closely related to Matthew Hill, who is a Trustee, received financial support of £2,625 (2024: £2,625) towards theological education.
Payments were made to Tracey Harrison (wife of Trustee) for her role as a cleaner: £5,027 (2024: £4,669)
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LIFE CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
5 Movement of funds
| General funds Designated funds 3D Ministries Restricted funds Building Fund Missions Fund Youth Fund Appeals Fund Events Fund Total funds 3D Ministries: for helping those in need Building Fund: for building-related projects and expenditure Missions Fund: local and global outreach and relief of poverty Youth Fund: for youth ministry, events and conferences Appeals Fund: for special appeals including vision offerings Events Fund: for events or conferences where participants pay some |
Opening balance £ 67,265 - - 324 - - - 324 67,589 or all of the cost |
Receipts £ 152,865 5,000 669 936 850 14,915 864 18,234 176,098 |
Payments £ (147,902) (3,429) - (1,081) (1,063) (6,374) (655) (9,173) (160,504) |
Transfers £ (213) - - - 213 - 213 - |
Closing balance £ 72,014 1,571 669 180 0 8,541 209 9,597 83,182 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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