CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Rye Baptlst Church Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For th• perlod Tc+ 111124 12rJ1124 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestrlcted fund$ to thv nearest Restrlcted funds Endowment lunds tvth• DDar•6t£ Total funds Last year toth• nvar•6t£ toth• DDar•st£ tothe nearest E A1 R¢¢¢ipts Donations GiftAid Rèfund from HMRC 50.593 9,397 6.2BJ 8,183 50.593 9,3¥7 6.285 8,183 10,577 4.76T 445 Sal&s coffeesrt&as Legaci&s 1.077 2.241 467 Fellowshlp Fund Foodbank grants Donaiionsty loodbank 20.84S 43.346 20,84S 43.3 19,823 39.244 Sub total(Gross income forAR) 7S,622 65,268 140,890 126,112 A2 Asset and Inve8trnent 8al•s. 18ee table). Sub total Total roc•lpts 75,622 65.261 140.890 126.112 A3 Payments 39,119 626 4,J52 23.4B9 39,119 626 4.952 23.489 37,084 1.424 13,05$ 25.087 1,478 15,874 22 8,119 61,345 114,019 Mans Upkeep ofchurth 3,322 150 7,165 3,322 15 7,165 13,5&3 14J,ts76 F*iitShiP Fund Away Givln9 (Thhel Foodbank purthaaès 83,5JJ 63,S93 Sub total 79,483 A4 A$s•t and inv¢$tmtnt pur¢ha$•s, Is¢¢ tabl•l Sub total Totalpayments 79,483 63.S93 143,076 164,089 Not of rneélpts/(paym•nts) A5 Tran$f¢rs beeen funds A6 cash funds last y•ar end Cash funds thls yearend 3.061 1.675 2,186 37.977 103,265 80,151 81.826 183A16 181,230 221,393 183,416
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted nds to nBar•it£ Pe5tricted funds Enflowrnent funds to n¢are•i£ Catogorfès D•tall$ to n•Br•4t t B1 Cash funds HSBC IRBC CuffeMAccounll 63,064 Kingdom Bank IRBG SavingsAccounll 36,340 Bardays Bank IF0banK CuttèntAccountl 1.lJ58 Barclay5 Bank IF0bank sA¥IrSAteeUn1> 00,768 Total cash funds 81,826 8ttoUI9)l Unr•strl¢ted fvnfl$ R¢$lrfd¢d fund$ Endowm¢nt fvnds Detall$ to nvar•st£ to É to n•wr•8t£ Details belonys Ct loOnI1) ¢urr•nt valu• loOnall Fund tQ7*l¢h bfrlory Curr•Dt ¥Jlu• lopOonal} Details Ct loOnI1) B4Ass•ts rntalned for th8 charity's own use Fund to thl¢h Ilabbllty relate Arnountdu• loOnall When du• lopOonal} Detalls BS Llabllltl•$ Signed by one orlwotrusts85 on b8haWof all th& Irustsas SnatUre Prfnt Name Date of approval
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts S@GttiM] A ILidep¢ndent ExaLniiier.'s Rcpait Report to the trustee51 On aGcounts for the ygar ended Charity no .' {rf any) 11 Zft)<7 Set out on paga8 I report to ts trustees on my examinatson oflhe aOunts gf the above charity l%he Trust i for the year ended Rosponsibllilles and A5 the Ghaiity trustees of Trust, you are r88pon8ibl8 for the proparion basts of report ol the &ccount8 in accordance Wilh the ¥equ'irements of ihe Charities Act 2011 Ilhe Acr). I report in r8speca of my examination of the Trust's accounts carrled out under se1<) 14> tr4 the 20.11 Act and in carryino oui my examination, I have followed the applicable Dir8Ctlon8 giv by the Charity C(Mnml88lon under section 145(5llb) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I rLnfirm that no material matters have come to my attention I ') In ¢OMe¢tion with the examination which gives me cguse lo tAlieve Ihat in, any material re5Cl.. accountiTrJ records wwe not kept in ac£ordaTr wih Section 130 of the Acl or the accounts do not accord with the aOntIng records Indèp8ndont Oxamlnarfs 8tatsm0nt have no concerns and ha come acr088 M elhèr matters in ¢onneGtion with the examinaiion lo whiGh attention should be drawn in order to enable proper under8tsndirKJ of the ac¢ounts to be reac. . Ple888 delete the words in brackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: Dato: N¥vke: J£REMq 4w&r&t Relevanl prOfe10nal qualifi¢ationls1 or body lif any): Address: 19fv6 q£G- Thj IER Octobor 2018
Section.P. Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem (see CC32. gll luOJJts 91 Independenl examinatlon of charty accounts.. dire¢tions and gurdartt for eA<4mi li lei71. Give hern brief details of any Items that the Oxaminer wishes to dls¢108•. IL'b L ce£h/ n¥ t>eli4 no juo J 8niL'. isq$i '.ei 918 ijox 0 39sJ81111 yl,'::, 1>., {'bA 41'1- ros lur, b91n6? 2Yn noiii,'!iim$xg ¥m lo noieaimilloJ yJ..l)il? Eji 1 ¢1 lQ',_;)i?iQ stdp-,ilqq£ fj 9fl+ fri) }Id}cr noiJ38e i$ts', ,j.JJ9nn7 rij <ID IstLI {its. ): 1$18d ol 'gri.tts} nonlIE 4;:1 .)i S ?iflw nnii&nir¥itsx ocr flJ.;'.v J3E ni JqA If. Irs (jn 8201?E f,TrlLYJ 4V6n bns pll)n ts(7 ¥V6 Lviib¢i£l~' fli aJy'.¥P, :'- :. '.ts&ngi f)ntsi8t•tow IER k wdolJO Octobor 2018
tist Church cio Trustees, Annual Re ort on 2024 Aims & Pur oses The Trustees of Rye Baptist Church worktogether to advance the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination,. to promote the whole mission of the church, through worship and pastoral care; evangelism; social care and ecumenical involvement,. to advance education and carry out charitable purposes both in the UK and in other parts of the world; and as the overseeing charity for Rye Foodbank, to promote the alleviation of poverty and relief of need in the local area. The Trustees are also responsible for the maintenance of the Rye Baptist Church building,. the manse at 86 Udimore Rd. Rye. East Sussex,. and the Old Burial Ground at Watchbell Corner in the Rye Citadel, which is being developed as a Community Peace Garden. Ob'ectives & Activities The Trustees are committed to enable as many people as possible to be part of the RBC worshipping community, and also to provide service and support to the wider community of Rye and District. through our various groups and activities. When planning our various activities, the Trustees have considered the Commission's advice on public benefit and in particular, the specific advice for charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we endeavour to enable people to live out their faith through-_ Worship & Prayer, Bible Study and Teaching Baptism and Holy Communion Offering and Encouraging Pastoral Care Nurture of Christian disciples Missionary Outreach and Evangelism, locally, nationally, and internationally Welcome. inclusion and Christian nurture of young people Supporting and encouraging Christian Social Action in the UK and beyond Education & Training for Christian Community Service To facilitate this work, it is essential that we maintain the fabric of the RBC church building and the manse at 86 Udimore Road. Achievements & Perfomian Worship & Prayer During 2024, Sunday worship services have taken place each week, with church attendance gradually increasing and with a number of new people becoming regular attenders. Numbers on a Sunday averaged from 35-50. The summer season always brings in a number of visitors to our services. Our seating layout of Semi-circles of chairs around coffee tables, giving a relaxed and informal feel to the worship service, has continued to be appreciated by regulars and visitors alike, although on some services, where we have expected much larger attendances e.g. funerals and the CTRD united morning services, we have occasionally reverted to the more traditional rows of chairs. Preaching series during 2024 included an Old Testament series on the life of Jacob; a series on the shortest letters of the New Testament,. a series on notable prayers in the Bible; some studies on
heroes of encouragement in the Bible: a series on Paul's Letter to the Philippians: and an Advent series on OT Messianic prophecie5. During the minister's half- sabbatical (September to mid October) we also were blessed by a number of Buest preachers bringing sermons on a variety of themes. A special worship highlight during August was an open-air Songs of Praise evening service held in our Community Peace Garden. Other worship highlight5 during 2024 included a Covenant New Year service: a Reflective Service for Good Friday,. a Celebration of Easter which included 2 baptisms- a Church Anniversary celebration- an Olympic- themed service- a Harvest celebration- a Remembrance Service,. and a Carols by Candlelight service. We also hosted and led the Churches Together United Service for Pentecost. In addition to our regular Sunday worship, throughout 2024 we also continued holding our "Encountering God" evening5 - a monthly midweek informal praise and prayer gathering. Prayer Is recognized as a very important element in the life of the church. and hence prayer takes place at almost all of the church'5 services, events and activities. The church's four well-populated house-groups all focus on prayer, as well as worship, Bible study and fellowship. Our main church prayer meeting is the monthly "Saturday Prayers. which takes place via Zoom. R4P (Request for Prayerl- our textlemail prayer service has been used and appreciated extensively during 2024. Some 20 people are on the prayer team, responding to text5 and messages about prayer need5, and have been greatly encouraged by the results. During Advent we held a Day of Prayer, on the themes of Advent. using a number of Prayer Stations and concluding with Holy Communion. In January 2024 members of the Church also participated in the local Churches Together "Week of Pn7yerfvr Christian Unity", which w35 held via Zoom. BU & SEBA membership Rye Baptist Church 15 part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, and is a member church of the South Eastern Baptist Association. Church Buildings & Land It is the responsibility of the Trustees to ensure the church buildings are well maintsined. Thanks to a church member's legacy. we were delighted to be able to complete the building of a new extended servery in our downstairs hall kitchen, which is much more attractive and makes the servin8 of refreshments much easier. We also put in new lightin8 in the downstairs hall which complements the servery. The thirty year old flat roofs at the front of the building were leaking and had to be replaced. The repairs to the damage to interior decoration will be carried out during 2025. Thanks to a grant, and some of the money raised at the Gift Day, we were also able to re- surface the car park, which has made a big difference especially in the winter. Work to redecorate the toilet corridor and replace the flooring there commenced at the end of 2024 and will be completed in 2025.
The Manse has not needed any major work this year, but plans are in hand to re-paint the building during 2025. The Community Peace Garden (formerly the old burial ground of the original Baptist Church building) is still in the process of being developed. During 2024, after much negotiation, Rother District Council finally completed the repairs that should have been undertaken prior to the expiry of their lease of the ground. An arrangement has been made with Rye Town Council for the general maintenance of the garden in return for a contribution from the church towards the costs. Plans are underway for signage giving both information about the history of the space, and to include scriptures and texts which might aid visitors to the site in quiet prayer and reflettion. In the meantime, our Butterflies Carer and Toddler group used the Garden for a Teddy Bears, Picnic in July 2024, and an evening 'Songs of Praise, outdoor worship service took place there in August. Pastoral Care Pastoral Care of the church fellowship is overseen by the Minister. assisted by the team of Trustees, and the house-group leaders. In addition to this, the church family are encouraged to look out for, and care for one another, and this has worked very well. During 2024 four house-groups met regularly. maintaining a strong level of mutual pastoral care. Due to the Size of the groups, three of them met in the church lounge, and one in the leaders, home which has plenty of space. Church Membershi etc.-RBC has a membership roll of people who have been baptised bv immersion and who, after an interview process, have covenanted to support and serve the church here. During 2024. we were delighted to have two baptisms and to welcome in three new members. This brought our total number of active members at the end of the year to 47. The congregation a150 include5 a number of 'fringe' folk and committed non-members who are very much part of the church family. Mlsslon & Evan ellsm Coffee Plus- our Coffee Plus outreach activity opened from Easter to December 2024. Selling low priced refreshments and cakes in a comfortable welcoming environment, the friendly volunteers also offer opportunities for prayer and pastoral conversation if this is desired. Many positive contacts in the community have been made through this outreach. Buttertlies-Throughout 2024, Butterflies - our Carer and Toddler group, opened from 9.30 to 11am on Fridays during school term-times and welcomed up to 20 carers and toddlers each week. Our welcoming and caring helpers, and the comfortable and safe environment we provide, has created positive connections and outreach opportunities with a good number of families in the community. Rye Food Bank operating from our buildin8 is also run wlth a Christian ethos, by a Christian manager, and with a team of volunteer5 including members of RBC and other local churches. Prayer is offered, and a listening ear, and signposting to agencies that can help with clients, problems with benefits, heating. housing and so on. Our CAP I Christians Against Poverty) Debt Advisor has continued to work in Rye one day a week alongside Foodbank I this appointment being funded by contributions from the churches of Churches Together in Rye & Distrirt and from Rye Foodbank). Through her work with a number of
clients who were struggling with debt, several of these have been able to become debt-free during 2024. Messy Church- begun in July 2024, and held on the first Saturday of each school holiday, this new initiative for RBC has been very successful so far in attracting a number of young families. With songs, stories, and craft activities planned around a biblical theme. and finishing up with snacks and light refreshments. up to 27 children plus their parents and carers have enjoyed the sessions and given really positive feedback. Evangelistic Men's and Women's Breakfasts- In May 2024, our outreach ideas group put on an evangelistic ladies, breakfast with a guest speaker. A similar event for men was held in November. Both were well attended and positively received, and further similar events are planned for 2025 for both men and ladies. Personal Witness- It has always been our practice to encourage our congregation to witness personally to their faith to friends and neighbours. Connect and Engage- Our monthly fellowship gatherings in a local pub (Connett for Ladies and Engage for men) provide an enjoyable evening out for church folk, and also serve as an opportunity for gentle evangelistic outreach to invited guests. Oasis Bereavement Support group- this group started up again during 2024 and ran once every month or so throughout the year, following a video course on dealing with loss, and offering support and companionship to Christians and non-christians who have suffered bereavement. R4P (Request for Prayer)- this text/email prayer service has been greatly utilised by church folk and others outside the church who would like our prayer team to pray for particular needs or concerns. Many have been helped by this, and again it is a means of witness to the power of prayer and the God who cares for all. Council Prayer5- During 2024, our minister Fiona was invited to lead prayers at several of the Rye Town Council Meetings- a great opportunity for witness and building connections with the Town Council. School Assemblies-During 2024 our minister Fiona led several assemblies both at Rye Primary School and at a school in Bexhill. She also helps lead the local Churches Together "Open the Book" team- a Bible Society initiative whereby a group of people from the various Rye churches go into school to enact and explain Bible stories to the children. Rye Bonfire- This is a big event in the community life of Rye, and RBCjoined in again this year by opening our building, selling hot drinks, and allowing use of our toilet facilities, which was much appreciated by the public. Rye Street Pa5tor5 -a number of our members also serve as Street Pastors in Rye and District, reaching out to the night-time economy to listen, help and care. We are pleased to provide our church hall as the town centre base for their operations and prayer. Website and Online Sermons: _For some years RBC has maintained a website giving useful information about the church. The website also includes a page with recordings of sermons from our Sunday services. This enables us to present a clear Gospel message in an online presence, and provides an opportunity for people to be able to make a Christian commitment of faith. Publl¢lty In Rye Flxtures Magazlne- The church continues to have a monthly advertisement in the local Rye Fixtures magazine, highlighting both our upcoming and regular events. This has raised our profile in the community, and elicited positive comment and interest by various readers of the magazine.
Overseas Mission Support- Through our tithes and various special collethons during the year, we have sent financial help to those In need following natural disasters, conflicts etc. and supported a number of overseas mission agencies and ministries, e.g. Hope Home in Thailand; the BMS Harvest Appeal; Tearfund; and Bible Society. Ecumenical relationshi Rye Baptist Church plays an attive role in Churches Together in Rye & District. Our minister and two of our trustees represent RBC on the Executive Committee. During 2024, the churches in Rye have engaged in various worship and outreach activities together. Representatives from all the congregations participated in a Walk of Witness on Good Friday. Three congregations joined together for a United Morning Service in January and September at the Anglican church and in May at RBC. In July we celebrated Sea Sunday with an open-air service at Rye Harbour. We also joined together in a series of Zoom Prayer and Discussion Meetings during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January. The committee and church leaders met several times during the year to plan our ecumenical worship and outreach activities. R e Food Bank During 2024 Rye Food Bank has continued to operate as an independent Food Bank under the charitable oversight of Rye Baptist Church CIO, on behalf of Churches Together in Rye & District. Rye Baptist Church therefore owns all Food Bank assets, and the Church Trustees are responsible for the governance and oversight of the financial affairs and operations of the Rye Food Bank. Rye Food Bank operations are carried out from the Rye Baptist Church building by a team of volunteers, headed up by the Food Bank manager, Robert Harper, who supplied the following report:_ Summary Report on Rye Food Bank Operations 2024 to end November The operation of the Food Bank has not essentially changed during the year. It remains under the charitable oversight of Rye Baptist Church CIO, who also provide the premises and undertake the accounts {as opposed to treasury functions), all at zero cost to the Food Bank. We are indebted to the CIO for their willing support and generosity. The Food Bank remains open to clients on Wednesdays as before, though the open hours changed from 12 noon to 3pm to 12 noon to 2pm. This was because there were hardly any clients coming in during the 2pm to 3pm period. Expenditure was twice as much as income for the first three months of 2024. Even though it is usual for us to fall back onto reserves in the first quarter because of increased demand because of extra costs at Christmas and limited grant funding input, the scale of shortfall this year was unusual. Accordingly, we stopped making up food parcels in advance and started making them up on client arrival, including only those items that clients ask for. Costs dropped. and by April revenue was increasing and we ended the year in a sound financial state. We also increased the frequency and scope of periodic triage so that we are more aware of situations where clients are not really in need of food assistance, or would benefit from referral to our partner benefits and debt advisors (That's HARC, who attend the Food Bank every session, or CAP, who work to relieve debt and help people to avoid falling into debt again). This has kept client numbers In control and has released sever31 into independence from Food Bank assistance. We continue to deliver food parcels to homes where that is Strictly necessary, though it is
typically running at only between 3 and 9 deliveries per week. The van continues to perform well. The Food Bank remains 100% volunteer run, with two teams operating alternate weeks, which works extremely well. The willingness of volunteers to devote time and effort, working extremely hard and physically moving dozens of tons of food in a year is wonderful. Financial donations from Jan 1st to Oct 31st are split between private donors131.3%1, donation from local businesses and foundations (36.2%) and grant funding and gift aid 132.5%}. We continue to be amazed and so encouraged by the generosity of the local community. Grant funding has held up quite well but there is increasing demand from more charities and the amount of money available looks set to drop. Food donations continue and constitute almost 20% of all food allocated to clients. There are four especially significant donors, these being Jempsons of Rye, Jempsons of Peasmarsh, Pett Wl and Rye & Winchelsea Rotary. However there are a large number of other donors who give faithfully and regularly and all these donations are hugely appreciated and important. Jempsons has continued to support our operations with great generosity. They supply and deliver weekly in accordance with our orders and at their cost price. They collect donations of several thousand pounds a year through the Jempsons, Foundation. We are very grateful. Metrlcs Rye Food Bank maintains rigorous accounting and collects data on a range of performance measures, summarised below: Operational Metrics Total number of households that have received help since 2018: 405 Average number of households receiving support in 2024: 43/week Number of individuals provided for between Jan 1st and Dec 31" 2024: Total: 5157, of which Adults: 3404 (66¥0) Children: 1753 (34%) Children 04 yts: 536 (10.4%) Children 5-9 701 (13.6%) Children 10-15 yrs 516 (IOOA) Note - the breakdown of children's ages is an estirnate. Weight of Food supplied between Jan and Dec 2024: 42,227kg Summary Financial Metrics - note these are for January to DecembeT 2024: Total Income: £65,268 Total Expenditure: £63,593 Income split.. Private don0 31.3% Local OrganisationslBusinesses 36.2% Grants and Gift Aid 32.50 RBC Financial Review During 2024, total receipts on RBC unrestricted funds were £75,562 (including £1164 interest). We further received restricted funds of £65,268 (including £1077 interest) for the Food Bank activities. Plamied giving by way of bank transfers, standing orders and
cheques to the unrestricted funds were up by 2% during this period, and the total income of this fund increased by 180/0 year over year. From the unrestricted funds Rye Baptist Church spent £79,483 in pmviding Christian ministry, and the upkeep of the church building and the manse. This figure is including contributions to the Baptist Union and the Baptist Missionary Society. We currently have a savings account holding £36,340. The final result at year end was that our unrestricted fund had a net of receipts over payments of -£3861. Adding this minus figure to the balance brought forward at the beginning of the year of £103,265 gives us a balance of £99,404 carried forward on the 31st December 2024 across both current and savings accounts. The restricted fund for the Food Bank is split between a current account and a savings account. This allows the savings account to be used as a buffer for any monthly shortfalls. The receipts including interest were £65,268, the payments were £63,593. The net of receipts over payments was £1,675. Adding these to the balance brought forward at the beginning of the year of £80,151 gives us a balance of £81,826 carried forward on the 31st December 2024 across both current and savings accounts. The total balance of unrestrictsd and restricted funds carried forward at year end was £181.230 Reserves Policy The reserves policy of Rye Baptist Church is to hold three months of all necessary expenditure plus a further three months staff costs to allow the church to adapt to any changes in the income or expenditure of the church. The twstees currently believe this amount to be £23,087. There is currently sufficient funding in our general account to meet the policy. This policy will be reviewed annually. Volunteers The Trustees would like to thank all of the volunteers from our congregation who work so hard to make RBC the loving, lively and vibrant congregation it is. Fiona, our Minister, would like to also thank our Trustees and house-group leaders for all their hard work. Particular mention should go to Geoff Austin, our Church Secretary- Penny Kingham ourTreasurer,' Paul Kingham, our Financial Lead; Gillian Jarrett and Sally Moore of the Finance team; Geoff Haynes for oversight of the website and recordings; and Marguerite Kenward, Ellis Harper and Keith Haward for their help in so many areas of church life. Strurture Governance & Mana ement The Board of Trustees is currently made up of the Minister, the Church Secretsry and the Treasurer, plus three other Trustees, all elected by the membership in accordance with the procedures detailed in our Constitution. The Trustees are authorised by the church meeting to make decisions on smaller matters relating to the running of RBC, whilst larger matters, and larger items of expenditure are brought to the Church Meeting for approval. During 2024, Church Members, Meetings were held in January, April, July and October, to update members on general church business, and to discuss and agree plans for the immediate future. At the AGM in April. Marguerite Kenward and Penny Kingham were re-eletted to serve a further
term as Trustees, and Ellis Harper was elected as a new Trustee. Throughout 2024, The Trustees met monthly for church business and pastoral prayer. Administrative Information Rye Baptist Church is situated in Cinque Ports Street, Rye, East Sussex. It is part of the South Eastern Baptist Association within the Baptist Union of Great Britain. The Church is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. registered with the Charities. Commission of England and Wales Wlth the Charity Number 1188057. The Trustees, serving at least until the date this report is approved. are as follows:_ Chair- Revd. Fiona Gill, Minister Secretary- Geoffrey Austin Treasurer- Penny Kingham Tru5tee- Geoffrey Haynes Trustee- Marguerite Kenward Trustee- Keith Haward Trustee- Ellis Harper Approved by the RBC Annual Church Meeting on 28" April 2025 Signed by:.