Together In One Accord
Registered Charity Number 1187052 Trustee Annual Report – Year end September 2021
Aim and Purposes
Together in One Accord is a partnership-based organisation, grown organically through mutual objectives and activities aimed at proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and strengthening churches in their mission and ministry praxis while serving congregants and the wider communities of faith or not, through the love and power of God. We achieve this purpose through our five all-encompassing goals, namely; the work and networking efforts of the River International Christian Church (River ICF), prayer forums, leadership development programmes, evangelism outreach and mission mobilisation through different interest groups and partnerships. Our ultimate aim is to see God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, bringing salvation, blessing, healing, peace, justice and freedom to all nations.
Objectives, Activities and Performance
In planning the activities of the organisation, the Trustees were mindful of the CIO’s objects and had regard to the Charities Commission guidance on public benefit in the advancement of religion and the prevention or relief of poverty. For the period being reported on, these activities included:
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Worship and communion service: A weekly public Sunday morning worship and communion service was offered, providing expository teaching of God’s Word, corporate worship, prayer and Holy Spirit enabled ministry with the partaking of communion. These services were held at the Cranleigh Court Chapel in Yate, except for the short mandatory Covid lockdown periods in our region, where services were done online via Zoom.
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Local community reach : As an upstart charity, we were neither positioned nor adequately resourced to deliver essential services to the vulnerable in our extended local community during hard lockdown. However, as measures eased, River ICF congregants did resume prayer walks in the neighbourhood to engage with residents to know of their wellbeing, offering prayers for peace, comfort or healing to all who so asked. During the summer two major events were put on for our local beneficiaries, with a global cost of £850 namely:
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a. Open day : Our community presence can only be deemed successful if what we stand for and our services is made known to the community and this raises interest. The River ICF held an open day with an informal BBQ afternoon to make the activities of the church and charity better known. This was well attended by River ICF members, families and friends as well as interested parties of the community. The trustees were pleased the event was hugely successful in building relationships and promoting the charity’s objectives.
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b. Pop-up Festival : the trustees, Women of Faith and other volunteers worked together with several local businesses who helped sponsor the end of Summer Pop-up Festival at the Cranleigh Court Chapel and Car Park on the 4th of September. The event featured a clothing bonanza of pre-loved good condition clothing and shoes for men, women and children. Over 250 people from the community passed through the gates to enjoy the BBQ hot-dogs, ice-cream, cup-cakes or a cuppa in the brilliant sunshine we had that afternoon. More than 500 clothing items were sold at a nominal donation of 20p each and a full car load of clothing was donated to a larger charity in Bristol. The sponsored great prizes, delightful hampers, toys, face painting and children’s games kept families animated enjoying the afternoon. Several local organisations also exhibited their services and we received positive feedback that new interest and uptake for their work in the community also resulted.
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River Bible Academy (RBA) : Since lockdown, RBA took its courses online, opening up opportunity for Bible students in the UK and abroad to benefit from free, sound Biblical teachings presented by the River Church. During this period, Rev Chris Catlin prepared and presented Overcoming Faith and facilitated the presentation and discussions of Layered Warfare prepared by Rev James Reimer, an associate minister from Portugal. The trustees were satisfied the direct training costs of £280 had gone a long way in equipping and mobilizing believers who are committed to the task of advancing the Gospel and Kingdom of God on earth.
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Hope-4-Britain Prayer Initiative : Corporate prayer is transformational and key to equipping and mobilising God’s people with the right perspective to engage in Spirit-led and enabled ministry. For this reason, the trustees continued the online prayer initiative during this reporting period as a stimulant to nationwide awakening and reviving of the church specifically in the UK and Europe.
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Mobilisation through interest groups: Our values as a charity are built upon motivation and momentum created by the flow of the Holy Spirit’s presence and anointing in our midst as we function as the Body of Christ on earth. During this reporting period the work of two strategic interest groups was further developed, namely:
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a. Grounded Men: This initiative was started in the interest of building up men spiritually in faith and relationally through fellowship that is rooted in God’s love and Word. Once lockdown lifted, the men were able to hold a special breakfast at the Cranleigh Chapel and thereafter continued to meet bi-weekly for the duration of the reporting periods for the ministry of the Word, discussion and mutual prayers. The trustees are pleased this initiative is providing the right kind of nurture that is building the pillars of faith and leadership in the household of God and community.
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b. Women of Faith: The purpose of Women of Faith is not just to build women in their faith as members and leaders in the household of God but to nurture them as pillars of the home and society, in a move to restore faith in communities. Women of Faith are catalysts of change, an outward thinking action-group focussed on reaching other women who need God’s salvation, healing and help for themselves and their families. During this reporting period, Women of Faith worked together with the River Church and charity trustees to put on the very successful end of Summer Pop-up Festival for the community.
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Mission mobilisation: As a charity in England, operating a local church, the trustees are committed to influence and steer the organisation in the direction of impacting world missions in nations which have opened up to our ministry and where meaningful partnerships are being nurtured. During this reporting period these charitable activities included:
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a. Evangelism and poverty relief in Cambodia : Bethel Mission Organization (BMO) is our lead partnering organization in Cambodia. Their work targets families living in the slums of Phnom Pehn and more specifically the graveyard community living in between the graves in the colonial era cemetery, due to a shortage of living space in a rising bustling metropolis where the extreme poor are invisible. BMO’s strategic objective is to plant churches among these impoverished communities and through the church to establish the necessary support services to raise the quality of life through education and training to upskill these marginalised people, some of whom are the second-
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generation slum-born with no prospects. BMO understands the church is the place where a new generation of strong leaders can be developed. Thus, beyond the necessary spiritual formation and support, they offer children and youth Khmer, English and IT literacy classes, along with soft life skills, job seeking skills and entrepreneurship courses. During this reporting period 4 teachers of English were hired to teach 210 children and teens who attended the English classes and 140 teens who completed computer training at the 10 community churches, 2 slum classes and 1 graveyard class.
The trustees were pleased to contribute £1,113 towards this most worthy cause and it is our expressed hope to increase our support of this transformational vision for these otherwise undesired communities.
b. Evangelism and Poverty relief in Mozambique : Since February 2000 when the deluge in Mozambique submerged the town of Chokwe and images of human despair were seen around the world for weeks, Mozambique has suffered repeated calamitous weather-related events. In February 2021 Cyclone Heloise devastated central and southern Mozambique leaving Chokwe submerged once again. Our lead partner, Pastor Daniel Hlungwane of Chokwe, was left stranded inland in Machaila, isolated by flood waters for more than a month, as a result of the cyclone. Although the trustees were unable to raise the necessary funds to airlift him from the location, our appeal to support them in rebuilding their livelihoods and ministry operations resulted in a helpful contribution of £1,665 which went a long way to making a lasting difference.
During the stranded time in Machaila, Pastor Daniel shared the Good News of Jesus with the cut-off population resulting in a new church plant and the training of leaders both for the church and community enterprise that followed by having acquired seed, farming implements, a pump and irrigation equipment. Once the maize, cassava, onion and tomato crops went to market, the gift we sent just kept on giving because all the proceeds were invested into further community farming initiatives which continue to be established as a result of evangelistic outreach among rural communities in the Southern Province of Gaza and now Northern Mozambique where Islamic State continues to decimate rural populations in a war intended to strip Mozambique of its mineral resources.
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c. Evangelism in the UK and USA : As a result of our grant making and funding policy, the trustees contributed £500 to the work and evangelism efforts of Salvation for the Nations, UK and a further £1009 to the evangelism efforts and launch of the River Church NWA Arkansas, USA, an associate ministry of The River network of independent churches under Revival Ministries International which continues to reach the world through the Stand on the worldwide web and TV networks daily.
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d. Leadership development programme abroad: Collectively the trustees bring a wealth of expertise from personal experience gained in evangelism and mission mobilisation abroad, prior to the formation of the CIO in England. The relational network resultant from this past exposure is a great asset to the vision and work of the Charity, giving it reach and breadth of influence into established Christian networks across several nations. During this period of reporting the trustees targeted their leadership development efforts in the nations of Cambodia, Portugal, Mozambique and South Africa. Of noteworthy relevance in this period:
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i. Capacity building in Portugal : Rev. Susannah Catlin continued to build on previously reported initiatives. As lockdown measures remained firmly in place, Bible study and Sunday worship and communion services were offered online to small groups whose local churches ceased to operate out of the dysfunction caused by lockdown measures and subsequent loss of leadership. Through these adverse times, the trustees had opportunity to appreciate the privileges and available resources in England and to English speaking nations and thus we will continue to focus on renewal of the Church and evangelism in Europe as a strategic objective of this organisation.
Financial Review
In its second year of operation, during a worldwide pandemic, Together in One Accord had a Gross Income of £18,431 of which £1,410 were restricted funds for Cambodia and Mozambique poverty relief appeals. The expense of charitable activities for community events in the UK was £850 with further charitable contributions totalling £4,287. Operating costs totalled £7,802, ending the year with a net operating income of £5,491 and a cash-in bank position of £11,400.
The grant funding policy remained unchanged and the trustees continued sound governance and management measures to ensure the optimum impact to all our
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beneficiaries. For this reporting period, no further policies were deemed necessary, especially in the light of operational limitations due to Covid restrictions.
Trustee Report Acceptance
The trustees have reviewed the Charitable and Financial Activities Reports and are satisfied it is a fair and true reflection of the Charity’s activities in meeting its objectives for the public benefit and are thus pleased to submit this report to the Charity Commission.
Signed in Yate, 21 July 2022
Rev. S.E. Catlin Chairperson
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Together in One Accord Financial Activities
1 October 2020 - 30 September 2021
| 1 October 2020 - 30 September 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Income 500 S-01 Donations and legacies 501 Cash Offerings 502 General online giving Total 500 S01 Donations and legacies 520 Restricted funds 524 Restricted Funds Cambodia 525 Restricted Funds Mozambique Total 520 Restricted funds Total Income Expenditures 630 S-09 Charitable Activities 631 Charitable Activities UK Total 630 S-09 Charitable Activities 640 S09 Charitable Contributions 641 Charitable Contributions UK 642 Charitable Contributions USA 644 Charitable Contributions Cambodia 645 Charitable Contributions Mozambique Total 640 S-09 Charitable Contributions 720 Consumables & general supplies 730 Computer & Internet Costs 735 Conference, membership, subscription fees 750 Hire of equipment & facilities 760 Insurances 765 Payroll Expenditures 770 Printing, Postage and Stationery 771 Training Materials & Expenses 780 Travel and Accommodation Total Operating Expenses Total Expenditures Net Operating Income Net Income/(Expenditure) |
Total |
| 11,424.00 4,157.04 1,440.50 |
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| £ 17,021.54 260.00 1,150.00 |
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| £ 1,410.00 | |
| £ 18,431.54 | |
| 850.92 | |
| £ 850.92 500.00 1,009.50 1,112.90 1,665.00 |
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| £ 4,287.40 256.31 476.60 296.53 240.00 173.12 5,550.00 152.67 280.44 376.17 |
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| 7,801.84 | |
| £ 12,940.16 | |
| £ 18,431.54 | |
| £5,491.38 |
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Together in One Accord
Balance Sheet
As of September 30, 2021
| Fixed Assets Tangible assets 400 Office & Church Equipment Cost Total Tangible assets Total Fixed Asset Cash at bank and in hand 100 B09 Cash on hand 150 B09 Together in One Accord Natwest Total Cash at bank and in hand Net current assets Net current assets (liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities Total net assets (liabilities) Charity funds 470 Retained Earnings Surplus/(Deficit) Total Charity funds |
Total |
|---|---|
| 1,518.43 | |
| £ 1,518.43 | |
| £ 1,518.43 61.58 11,400.37 |
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| £ 11,461.95 | |
| £ 11,461.95 | |
| £ 11,461.95 | |
| £ 12,980.38 | |
| £ 12,980.38 7,489.00 5,491.38 |
|
| £ 12,980.38 |
Saturday, Jul 16, 2022 06:44:49 am GMT+1 - Cash Basis
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