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2023-08-31-accounts

Love God Passionately. Build Church Biblically. Serve Community Relevantly.

Emmanuel Community Church International (ECCi) CIO The Greenleaf Centre, 67-69 Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow, London,E17 6QP Charity no: 1188984

Report and Financial Statements

Year ended: 31 August 2023

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

CONTENTS PAGE
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION 2
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES 3-16
INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT 17
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 18
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION 19
CASH FLOW STATEMENT 20-21
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 22-26
DETAILED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 27

Trustees

Douglas Williams Anthony Hodgkinson Deputy Chair Debra Duncan-Silvera HR Wane Brockett Health and Safety Anetta Toudji Secretary Paul Butler Chair Mark Williams Oluwatoyin Cornwall David Lovell Treasurer Christopher Palmer

Resigned 31 August 2023

Resigned 6 January 2024

Resigned 6 January 2024 From 27 May 2024 From 1 August 2023

Nursery Committee

Mark Williams Chair Jill Lovell Secretary Sue Pattimore Hon. Treasurer/Administrator Edith White Co-opted member of ECCi Edidiong Smith Co-opted member of ECCi Mavis Amposa Nursery Manager

Elders

Rev. Douglas Williams Rev. Anthony Hodgkinson Wane Brockett Joe Stephens

Dayananden Permale Paul Bombo BentleyGreaves Christopher Palmer

Rev. Alaguthurai Ratnaras David Lovell Roshad Gibbons Daniel Ratnaras Richard Irish

Independent Examiner Allen

Robyn & Associates 367 Caledonian Road London N7 9DQ

Bankers

Barclays Bank Plc Leicester LE87 2BB

Triodos Bank Deanery Road Bristol BS1 5AS

CAF Bank Ltd 25 King Hill Avenue West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ

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The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2023. The Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS102 effective from 1 January 2015.

Objectives and activities for the public benefit

The purposes of the charity are:

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and consider that the activities of the charity meet those objectives and provide a benefit to the public.

We have over 30 active ministries within the life of our organization aimed at supporting those who attend our services and working within the local community. These include:

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Community Impact

ECCI works closely with the groups below and through them continue to have a large and effective impact on the local community.

• Emmanuel Community School.

During the last academic year, Emmanuel Community School has continued to grow under its new Headteacher, working as the founding school of The Emmanuel School Trust. The school has renewed its focus on its vision of being 'A Christian school in the heart of Walthamstow' through engaging regularly with the local community. For example, the school continues to work with local churches and the Leyton Orient Trust; the school choir, in collaboration with the Waltham Forest Music Service, also had the privilege of performing at the Local Authority's Staff Awards event this year. The school works with just under 200 children, providing education and support for them and their families.

• Emmanuel Community Church Nursery.

We had 39 children on register from August 2022 to July 2023 at the end of the academic year. We had to reduce the number of children we would normally take as we had children with high dependency needs who needed greater support in their daily routine.

19 children out of the 39 went to school reception, these children started with us as 2-year-olds, so it was good to see the progress they had made before transitioning to school.

The Ofsted inspection in March 2023 resulted in being ‘GOOD’. Thank you to the staff and all involved, for your hard work.

• ECCi Tamil Speaking Fellowship

The Tamil Fellowship is dedicated to sharing the gospel message and providing relevant support to the Tamil community. This past year, we've witnessed a recovery from the pandemic, with our fellowship growing to approximately 60 attendees, led by a dedicated team of 3 leaders and 6 department heads.

While restrictions impacted traditional outreach methods like street evangelism, our Christmas Carol event served as a targeted outreach, attracting friends and families of existing members, as well as those who had previously attended the fellowship. These connections are being nurtured through follow-ups and prayers.

We are also seeing a change in the demographics of the Tamil community in London. We are now welcoming Tamil-speaking individuals from India seeking work or education, rather than primarily refugees from the Sri Lankan conflict. Our online presence has enabled them to find a church family and this year, we welcomed 3 new families and 5 students through this. In the coming year we are planning to dedicate funding in this area so we can promote this further.

In addition to the weekly Sunday services, we have Sunday school for children up to 10 years old, a weekly gathering for teenagers on Friday, a weekly Bible study and prayer meeting on Thursdays, and a monthly fasting and prayer. Additionally, the 3rd Sunday of each month is designated as Youth Sunday, empowering our young members to lead the entire service.

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We have also been able to support the Tamil community by sending clothing, books and gifts for children and families in need in both Sri Lanka and India.

We are deeply grateful for God's blessings this year. As we plan for the future, we remain passionately committed to serving the Tamil community and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to hear the message of the gospel.

Little Leaves began in September 2022 as a re-commencement of the Parents, Carers and Toddler group that has run at ECCi since the early 1980s. This current iteration is a partnership between ECCi and Union Church who together provide sufficient staff for the group.

Little Leaves is open every Monday morning between 10:00-11:30am during term time, at the Greenleaf Centre. There are 30 adult spaces per morning with the cost set at £1- per child, by donation. When we have 30 sign-in’s we display a ‘Group Full’ sign on the door. Union Church provides 2-3 volunteer staff and ECCi likewise. The ECCi Administrative Assistant helps with set up and set down, front of house, plus some kitchen duties, as part of their job role. Little Leaves is jointly led by Anna Fountain, who runs the room and Lois Lovell who provides the refreshments and does the admin. We have become a strong team who function well together.

For every session the Greenleaf Hall is set up in zones, including: a buggy-park, baby corner, imaginative play, reading wigwam, construction toys, ride on toys, tuff tray activity, craft table, refreshment area for all and more. We display a roll-out banner to welcome our guests and another to convey safety information.

A typical morning starts with sign-in and buggy-park, leading to a choice of how to interact with the room, for example we let our guests choose when they eat the refreshments and do the crafts. Every week we end with Circle Time, which features singing, action songs, puppets, and sometimes musical instruments. The idea of a stay and play group is that the adults accompany their children and take responsibility for them. Within these constraints there is time for the adults to form relationships with us and the other adults there. As the morning goes along there is always a real sense of people supporting each other and helping with the children.

As a team we want to provide a top-quality community group which is a benefit to the people of our parish and beyond. Attending Little Leaves are parents, grandparents, childminders, and carers. It is a lovely mix of ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds, for which we are grateful. We want to form friendships with people and open conversations about our faith. Little Leaves is not a quiet space so we aim to drop small references to what we believe where we can and ensure people know there is an open door at ECCi for them. In conclusion, the greatest encouragement for us has been the feedback we continuously receive. People love and value the group, often we are told it is the favourite activity they do and if only we were open every day. We have had comments on the atmosphere in the room and the sense of love, support and safety people feel when they attend. This all means a great deal to us and we give God thanks for what He has done.

We were pleased to host our first in-person carol service for several years since the pandemic, on Sunday 5[th] December 2022. Our international Carol Service represented the many different nationalities and age groups at ECCi in song, scripture, games, reading and prayers.

Friendship Hour exists to build relationships. It is open to all but targeted at the older members in our congregation and the wider community. We meet to support, learn and

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pray with and for each other and to have sociable activities that encourage sharing, talking and enjoying each other's company.

FH meets on Wednesdays from 12.45pm to 2.30pm starting with a sandwich lunch. We have fun and laughter together and provide an opportunity for mutual support. FH provides an occasion to encourage one another. We offer a listening ear or a way to work through problems.

A challenge we face is for volunteers to help run the ministry and the energy to continue as all volunteers are over 60 and retired or semi-retired and busy with other commitments in the week. We started September 22 with a team of six volunteers, one coming every other week due to work commitments, in the early summer of 23 a member of the Office team joined us to help with setting up tables and washing up. By August 23 three members had left for a variety of reasons. We ended the year with three volunteers, one of them only able to come every other week and the team member from the Office.

We all enjoy what we do and work well as a team. The older people who come to FH are very open to new ideas and very willing to join in anything new. They participate, offer suggestions, and share and are very welcoming to new people and this makes FH very successful.

Activities are very varied and use the skills and creativity of the team as well members of the church invited to be visiting speakers or entertainers! FH participants have ideas of activities they enjoy too individually or as small groups. We have tabletop games, Word searches and Crosswords. Plenty of Quizzes and bingo! A church member comes regularly to play instruments and sing. We have chair or gentle exercise afternoons, questions, and answers and plenty of craft and creative activities around Christmas and Easter. Various members of the church have come to share stories, or a Bible message and we have a mission afternoon once a year. This year it was Mission Aviation Fellowship

We have had two new regular members through the ‘More Than a Meal’ outreach that was held last Winter 22. FH participants bring along friends and family if they are visiting.

We have benefited tremendously from the regular help of a member of the office team. He sets up and lays all the tables for lunch and then helps to load the dishwasher after lunch enabling more of the volunteers to be in the room during the session after lunch. He successfully passed the Food Safety and Hygiene course, which means if needed he can help prepare the lunch too.

FH is valued by the members and the team. We have become a close group, all benefiting from getting to know a new set of people in the church. Our impact can be measured by the enthusiasm of all who attend both as members and as volunteers although there is little between us when it comes to age!!

• Emmanuel Football Club.

Again, we thank ECCi for the financial support of the club, now in its 11th season.

We recently changed our mission statement on our website www.emmanuelfc.co.uk to "an outreach football team of Emmanuel Community Church Int” as it was felt the team now has more non-churched players than ECCi partners involved.

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This is slightly sad that we don’t have the church youth interested in football but also an exciting opportunity to introduce faith thorough football to non-churched players.

We still maintain high standards of conduct and bring a weekly prayer and share to the team.

The next few seasons will also be transitional for ECCi players who now have young children and the commitment of weekly matches will become more challenging.

We hope and pray we can continue being an outstanding team in the church league … We love Pastor Anthony being around. Emmanuel FC - Belong, Believe…

• Prison Ministry.

The Prison Ministry aims to reach out to those in prison, encouraging those who already have a faith and spreading the good news of God’s love and His life-changing power to those who don’t yet know Him. We take services in prison, pray with people inside and continue to support them in prayer after our visits.

We have 12 volunteers in the Prison Ministry; it is a very faithful and united group. Everyone in the team takes part in the services, and everyone shares a real passion to serve God in this way. As reported a year ago, we were unable to go into prison during covid and some prisons have been slow to allow volunteers back in again. All of our visits during the given time period have been to HMP Chelmsford; this has been helped by me being on the Chaplaincy team there and having keys. We have made 9 visits to Chelmsford. I’ve continued to keep in contact with the other prisons we used to go into (Belmarsh, Highpoint, Pentonville). There is light ahead, as we have dates booked later in 2023 at Belmarsh, Highpoint and Swaleside. The latter prison is a new one for us. We know that the Lord will open the right doors for us.

An important thing to report is that, from June 2023, Ezekiel Ngotho, who already shares the running of the Prison ConneX Group with me, will start to help with more Prison Ministry matters. He is supported in this by Monica, who is already a wonderful member of the team. Eventually, Ezekiel hopes to have keys at HMP Chelmsford. I am also encouraging others to lead the services sometimes when we go in. For the time being, I am happy being on all the prison visits and need to be there, because a musician is necessary; thinking of the future, we are actively seeking another musician.

In terms of resources, we did not spend our budget money because the current situation is that we cannot take any paper into prison. So the songbooks and resources that we usually needed printing are not allowed anymore. This will change once other prisons open up to us. We may also need some new equipment in due course.

The Prison Ministry is still going well; everyone has a real heart for the ministry. We have always prayed together regularly and, since becoming a ConneX group, meet fortnightly. Amongst other activities, we pray for the prison work. Every person in the team has a real contribution to make and we always welcome new members. We are blessed to see that the ministry makes an impact on those we meet.

• Christians Against Poverty

In November 2022, we ran a CAP course (CAP Money). We were fortunate that when we put it out that we had x4 candidates who signed up for the course. They were all external to ECCi and came from members of the public. They found out about us as they were seeking

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help about their finances. The main aim of the course is to just help people how they can better use whatever money they have in a more prudent way. It’s just to help them look at their spending habits and try and help them implement ways on how to spend wisely and try and not get into debt. Currently I’m the only person geared up for this however I do have another person who is trained up should we run a CAP Employment course.

The initial course operated on a Tuesday evening however, should the course operate again then maybe a different time would be chosen (to capture a different audience). The course has been updated with new material and its now much easier to follow and understand. CAP throughout the year do have training seminars and it would be great to get more people who would be interested and possibly sign up to be trained. It’s a worthwhile ministry as in these particular times of hardship some people do need help (but often do not call out until it’s too late).

• Security Team

Our Aim: to unlock and lock church building for Sunday services, greet people, keep everyone in the building safe, oversee safe emergency evacuation, help and respond to people needs.

We have a small team of 2 full-time volunteers and have help from 3 others from time to time. We are hoping to grow the team.

Challenges: Team size, knowing that the church is open to all and recognizing people who need extra support that we don’t always have time to give on a Sunday.

Success: Desmond, one of the volunteers, had the idea of cleaning street before church Which is part of our outreach and service to the wider community.

Support: The Security Team works mainly in conjunction with the welcome team. We have carried out one fire drill and a basic fire safety information this year, which going forward will be repeated annually.

• Welcome Team

The Welcome Team has two distinct functions:

-To be the welcoming face of the church for services; to welcome attendees and ensure their comfort.

-To serve as stewards for the service. This includes (in no particular order) overseeing such things as: the Offering collection; filling the coffee machine; looking after lights and ceiling fans; supervising seating; carrying out the attendance count; assisting with the stairlift and access for those with limited mobility; distributing and collecting communion cups; passing prayer/praise cards to the service host; supervising any evacuation of the building.

We are currently a team of 15 volunteers, which is fewer than we have had in the past. We have lost members to relocation, poor health or other personal commitments, and recruitment has been weak. Many of the members are also active in other church ministries, which restricts their availability. We work to a rota and aim for each member to serve one Sunday each month and to have a team of three serving each Sunday, but current numbers mean that, at times, we can only field a team of two. Filling the rota, and keeping all team members happy, remains a constant challenge.

Post-pandemic, it is noticeable that attendance at church is more inconsistent, which includes the attendance of our team members. This makes team-building and training difficult; however, regular contact in the WhatsApp group is strong, as is support for one another and covering for emergency absences. Morale within the team appears strong, as is the communication between myself and church administration.

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Front Line’s aim is to mobilise and encourage men at ECCi to develop strong relational bonds and to engage men in reaching the unchurched through social engagement within the community. It is our desire to see men develop strong spiritual growth, flourish in their God given potential, serving the local church and beyond with their talents and skills.

Challenges:

i). Initially, our team consisted of a core of five volunteers. However, regrettably, we have lost three team members due to personal reasons.

ii). Increase the attendance of men of all ages from across all three congregations at our events.

iii). Striking a balance between online and in-person meetings to improve attendance.

Success: We ran our first “Freedom In Christ Course” through a mixture of online and inperson meetings. The in-person meetings were the most popular but equally the most challenging as most men travelled straight from work to the meetings. It was satisfying to hear the individual testimonies of how the course had impacted their lives.

1). In-house:

We have a ½ hour monthly online Prayer event which is regularly attended by a core group of men. We would love to see this group expand and see more men engage in prayer. The Freedom In Christ training course is a 11-week course designed to help Christians become fruitful disciples. Focused on firstly establishing every Christian in the sure foundation of their identity in Jesus, this course gives them the tools to break free and stay free from all that holds them back.

On Father’s Day, we had a visiting speaker. Traditionally all our men received a gift. However, in addition, six men were recognised and received a personal gift for their outstanding contribution for their service at ECCi and the wider community.

2). Outreach: We have our Saturday morning Breakfasts, which are very popular. Also, it is encouraging to have in attendance men from the unchurched community and some of our younger men from ECCi. We sometimes have visiting speakers, and, on some occasions, we get to hear personal testimonies of individual journeys to faith and their ongoing relationship with Jesus.

In addition, we had a Top Golf event and a first ever Bowls event at Lloyds Park. Social initiatives include responding to ECS’s request to assist with general low-level maintenance and tidying up work.

We are prayerfully considering adding to the core team in 2024.

• Sisters In Unity

Sisters in Unity’s aims and objectives are to provide discipleship and fellowship for the ladies of ECCi, to enable strong relationships to be built with each other, knowing who they are in Christ, and using this knowledge to serve with confidence.

Challenges:

For more women to get involved with volunteering to help the core team and facilitators when events are being planned and delivered, particularly our younger women. More help would be appreciated as it can feel like it is the same ladies supporting most of the time. We are grateful for any support received, but we would love to see more involvement from a wider range of women.

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Success:

We ran our fifth “Freedom in Christ Course. Even though it was the smallest group we have ever done, the ladies who participated were blessed for which we give God thanks. Several of the women shared their experiences about how the course opened their eyes to who they are in Christ and the tools it has given them when this is challenged.

  1. In-house: On Mother’s Day, Tracy Hodgkinson was our speaker. All women received a gift. However, in addition there were ten women who received a bouquet of flowers some of whom who do things that are not visible but support church initiatives and the wider community.

  2. Outreach: We had our Saturday morning breakfasts, which are always very popular. There is an opportunity for the ladies to bring their unchurched friends and families along. At the prayer breakfast, there is an opportunity to share testimonies, encourage each other, and pray in small groups as well as getting to know our sisters better.

We also did an outdoor activity for our wellbeing called “Walk and Talk”. We will be doing more of these in the future.

  1. Transition: We said goodbye to Tracy Hodgkinson who was part of our core team for over 14 years. We wish her all the best as she resettles in Yorkshire with Pastor Anthony.

  2. Safeguarding Team Safeguarding training (providing information on how to spot and signpost children and vulnerable adults in need).

  3. Rophe Counselling Service

Between September 2022 and August 2023 the service provided counselling to 20 individuals and five couples. We have helped people address various issues such as bereavement, relationship problems between married couples and families, low selfesteem, challenging health issues, and neurodiversity.

We have continued to develop our skills through training and have completed an in-depth training programme on couples counselling and other courses on Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), in response to the number of clients presenting with these diversities and attachment theory, bereavement and substance misuse. It is essential we continue to develop our skills and knowledge in various areas to ensure we can provide appropriate help to people .

YouthWave continues to be overseen by our previous youth pastor who has been working on a zero-hour contract during this period. This department has still not recovered from the impact of Lockdown and most of our young people leaving for university, then not coming back to London.

A smaller youth group has been meeting twice a month for meetings at our building in Erskine Road. During this period, a few of the Youth Wave team leaders have also stepped down from this ministry, further impacting its ability to run well.

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We advertised for the role of Youth Pastor this year, and had one strong applicant, who subsequently retracted their application due to a promotion in their current role.

More volunteers are needed to serve and support this ministry so we can continue to run on a weekly basis safely and effectively and not go back to having Explorers twice a month. In 2022/23 five leaders left the team due to other roles or various other commitments and no new volunteers have joined, so the current team is quite small. Having a small team brings its own challenges, especially as some of the leaders serving in Explorers are also serving other ministry areas.

As we move forward as a ministry area, we look forward to seeing what God will do in us and through us, so we can continue impacting the lives of our children. Please continue to pray for the team, the children, and volunteers who are willing to serve. In the summer of 2023 Magine Taylor took over the leader of Explorers.

The French Fellowship exists as a connection point primarily for those from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and who do not have English as a first language.

Families are supported through community gathering, prayer and encouragement. Children within the French Fellowship are also supported with any study needs.

Our team is a regular three members with others willing to cover if needed, and also to help tidy away at the end. We each have our own jobs and know our routine. We like to make

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filter coffee as opposed to using an instant jar in the hope that we might entice people to stay.

Although the refreshment service is advertised in the ECCi email news at the beginning of every month it seems to slip people's minds when it comes to the end of the month. Numbers can vary greatly, and we are never really sure how many people will come down, though from observation there is a strong core of the same people who stay each month.

Often people stay upstairs to talk instead of coming down, possibly because they get caught in conversation immediately after church and remain. Not really having any seating downstairs may also be a factor though logistically it is hard to see how we could provide this given the other requirements of the hall and limited capacity to store seating.

We have seen great success in enticing people in on special occasions especially for patties at Christmas and fruit after the Daniel Fast.

We ourselves have benefited greatly because while around serving we get to know people better as we chat over the counter.

The Prayer Team has 9 volunteers - 1 of the team stepped down in April.

We continue to meet fortnightly on Saturday mornings mainly on zoom. During this time, we pray for our leaders, congregation, and ourselves. We take it turn to share a word and have also had two guest speakers bring a teaching one on Spiritual Warfare and the other on The Authority of the Believer.

We met together for an all-night prayer meeting in May.

Meet for preservice prayer on Sunday mornings and now we lead prayers during the service. Host/lead the Wednesday morning prayer meetings. In the future we hope to encourage other members to lead these meetings as well.

Some of the team have had personal challenges and we continue to support each other. There was no major expenses this year.

Throughout the past year, the LIVE STREAM ministry stayed committed to its goal of offering spiritual support and community outreach via online platforms. Our team, composed of four devoted volunteers, worked diligently to navigate the challenges presented by the everevolving digital environment. Despite encountering technical hurdles and limited resources, we experienced notable achievements, such as heightened engagement with our online streams and a growing audience. Through personalized training and knowledge sharing, our team refined their skills, allowing us to make a significant difference in the lives of those we served locally and globally. We gained valuable insights into adaptability and the necessity of flexibility in our operations, leading us to update our procedures to better suit our audience's needs. By harnessing new equipment and technological advancements, we improved the quality of our livestreams and broadened our reach, amplifying our ministry's impact in the digital realm.

We advertised Kintsugi Hope Groups twice during this period within the Walthamstow community but did not have a large enough response to enable us to go ahead with the groups. An average group size would be 10 people, and both times we only had 3 or 4

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people show interest. We think we need to build more connections within the community for people to come into the building and trust us to share in Kintsugi groups.

During this period, we trained two new volunteers and in addition, a few leaders attended the Kintsugi Hope annual conference and did some online training.

Due to the small uptake from the community and combined with some significant challenges within the group leaders’ personal lives, no Kintsugi groups were run during this period.

We have seen a slight increase in team numbers, and now have 17 members. We were glad to welcome two new singers to the team. We always enjoy preparing Easter and Christmas services. On the 18th of December 2022 we had our International Christmas Carol service, and on the 7[th] and 9[th] of April we supported the Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. We try to bring new seasonal songs to these services that can then be used again during regular Sunday services. We also use Easter and Christmas services to prepare ministry songs for the congregation to enjoy. Our biggest challenge in this season has been the limited number of musicians. This puts extra strain on the rest of the team, as they are put on the rota more regularly. We also try to give space a few times each year for the whole team to come together and learn new songs that we will bring to our Sunday services. We enjoyed our New Songs Days in November 2022, and March and July of 2023.Some songs that have been received particularly well are ‘Gratitude’, and ‘Praise’.

Church Partnership .

Although the Covid pandemic has seen a change in church attendance on Sundays, we currently have 298 registered partners on our database, which is a slight decrease on the previous year. Our average attendance at services during 2022-23 was 162 people per week, with a significant increase in numbers on Easter Sunday, our carol service and on Pastor Anthony’s leaving service in August 2023.

Another impact of the covid pandemic is that many people did not return to church. Some have moved to other churches; some have moved away, and some have opted to watch our online services from home. However, we have are seeing new people in our congregation, and we will promote membership with them in the near future.

During this year, we encouraged our partners to get connected to a small group, where they can find deeper friendship and discipleship development opportunities.

We meet online every Wednesday morning on alternate months for 30 minutes of early morning prayer. We find this coming together to pray at the start of our day, beneficial for our members and attendees. On average we have about 30 people online each week. We are also holding AGM’s, Bible Studies, ministry leader training and ConneX Small Groups, Trustees and Elders meetings via Zoom, maximizing the new online option for our members and attendees to meet.

ConneX Groups established themselves during this year, and we now have 8 groups operating, with up to 30 people in a group.

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As part of our curriculum, our speakers on Sunday mornings provide questions that can be discussed further in smaller groups, for better understanding and application as well as making time for questions.

Some ConneX groups met in person during this period for social activities.

Building Hire was not as successful as it was pre-covid, though we are starting to have more enquiries. People from the community hire the building for events such as: birthday parties, engagement parties, funeral receptions, and training.

Throughout this period, we held a variety of events for our church community and for the surrounding community such as: the launch of Marriage Mentors (for those who may be newly married, married for some time or need some support within their marriage),), We ran a series called Living with Less (giving financial guidance and support considering the financial pinch following lockdown).

In December and April, we held a breakfast for our ministry leaders where we created a space for some general training, to make sure our ministry leaders have the resources and support they need to run their ministries and Q&A.

In April, we baptized 6 candidates in water, this was a great celebration. These candidates attended a class to make sure they understand what being baptized in water means. In June 2023, we held our first church retreat in over a decade. 50 people went to a conference center where the focus of the weekend was rest, renewal and recharge. This weekend was enjoyed by all who attended – and created space for friendship, support, Biblical teaching on rest and some opportunities for fun.

Missions Support

“Hands and Feet” is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing family-style, residential care for children in crisis. We continue to support 5 children access this care by providing financial support monthly.

We continue to support ten children in Effiakuma, Ghana through Compassion with a monthly financial gift. We also make an additional gift of £30 per child at Christmas as well as making donations to the care workers at the orphanage.

We currently support Tim Spring and Emmanuel Chanda who work with LCM monthly.

We continue to support the hospice in Kyrgyzstan with one off donations for specific requests for projects and purchases.

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External Organisational links.

To ensure that our organisation operates well, we have membership with various external organisations such as: Assemblies of God UK and Ireland, Evangelical Alliance UK, Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers and Thirtyone:eight.

Financial Review

The Charity’s work is entirely reliant on a) voluntary income from its donors b) local authority grants to fund the operation of the Nursery. In the current year, ECCi received a total income of £541,363 (2022: £138,045). A total of £582,833 (2022: 148,218) was spent on the public benefit of activities of the charity. The Charity made a deficit of £41,470 (2022: (£10,173) during the financial year 2023.

All the remaining assets and liabilities have now been transferred to the CIO and these financial statements reflect the current state of the charitable incorporated company.

Total unrestricted funds as at 31 August 2023 were £3,296,643, of which £2,925,963 related to tangible fixed assets (net of secured debt). Unrestricted funds as at 31 August 2023, excluding those related to tangible fixed assets, were therefore £370,680; this included £138,106 designated as ‘General’ – see Note 11(b).

Reserves Policy

The charity aims to maintain unrestricted funds at a level sufficient to meet the unrestricted charitable purposes and cover support costs for a minimum of 3 months. As at 31 August 2023, this requirement was assessed to be £137,757, meaning that the unrestricted funds balance (excluding those related to tangible fixed assets – see above) was sufficient to meet the policy.

Risk Management

ECCI has no investments and therefore, now needs a present to manage any such related risks. However, it takes every precaution to minimize the risks that may arise through its charitable activities. ECCi does this by ensuring that there are fully updated and effective policies in place which are actively monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. These include but are not exclusive to: A robust system of financial controls.

Safeguarding Structures

Two of our Registered Partners help us to maintain good safeguarding structures at ECCi. Our Safeguarding Officer is a Barrister and our Safeguarding Deputy is a Social Worker, both bring skills and experience to this role that are crucial in helping us run our provision with excellence and care. We have a Safeguarding policy in place which is reviewed on a yearly basis. We also run Safeguarding Training for our staff and volunteers on a regular basis.

Prospective volunteers at ECCi are expected to be a Registered Partner of our Church, showing that they are willing to follow our structure and leadership. They also complete a DBS check and go through a short interview before being allowed to serve in a Department of ECCi. Some of our departments also obtain references for our volunteers. These structures help us to implement safe standards for all our users and volunteers.

15

Health and safety management

We have a health and safety policy and a range of risk assessments and procedures in place which are regularly reviewed and updated. There are measures and processes in place to help us to maintain safe environments which are monitored by staff members and overseen by a Trustee.

Structure, Governance and Management

Emmanuel Christian Centre was established in 1926 as part of Assemblies of God in Great Britain & Ireland, and subsequently as a separate charity by a Trust Deed dated 16[th] January 1997. To reflect its current identity more accurately, in 2015 the charity changed its name to Emmanuel Community Church International (ECCi. ECCi was registered as a incorporated company (CIO on the 09 April 2020. All assets of the previous unincorporated charity have been transferred during the financial years 2022 and 2023.

ECCi is overseen by a board of nine Trustees 5 of whom are elected by the Registered Partners of the charity following a vote. They remain in post for 2 years following which they can stand for reelection. The Senior and Senior Associate Pastor are automatically trustees. The Senior Pastor appoints 2 of the 9 trustees from among the Elders. These 4 trustees remain in post indefinitely.

The board meets at least 6 times a year to oversee the administration of the charity. The day to day administration of the charity is delegated to the Administrator and to a number of teams and committees which operate within policies and procedures laid down by the board. The various subcommittees carry out specific tasks and make recommendations to the wider board for consideration.

Trustee Training

Once appointed our new Trustees sign a model Trustee declaration statement committing them to giving of their time and expertise and undergo a process of induction and are presented with a welcome/information pack which outlines the policies, procedures, Church Constitution, Trust Deed, Holding Trustees, current Trustees and The Charity Commission’s guidance ‘The Essential Trustee; what you need to know’ and ‘Public Benefit; running a charity’.

Trustees attend ongoing training provided internally and by external providers. Edith White has undertaken Trustee Training with Stewardship Services. Anetta Toudji has received training in Information governance and safeguarding. Anthony Hodgkinson has completed training in: investigations in relation to Safeguarding Allegations against People who work with Children. He has also received training in Recognizing and Preventing Female Genital Mutilation, also a certificate in Managing Allegations of a Safeguarding Nature, certificate in e-learning safety, certificate in Professional Advanced Safeguarding from kidscape.

Monitoring Achievement

The activities of ECCi are provided by a number of departments who are allocated a small annual budget. Each department has a leader who is also the budget holder. The department leader is responsible for monitoring the activities of its department and evaluating the effectiveness of its activities in the light of the charity’s objectives. We aim to review all departments on a three-year basis to consider its progress, development and viability.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on Friday 28th February 2025 And signed on its behalf by:

……………………………………………………………. Paul Butler (Chair)

16

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended

31st August 2023, which are set out on pages 18 to 26 of this report.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect,:

of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: 03/03/2025

Rolston Allen (FCCA)

Allen Robyn & Associates Ltd Chartered Certified Accountants 367 Caledonian Road London N7 9 DQ

17

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

Unrestricted
Restricted
INCOMING RESOURCES
Incoming resources from
Funds
Funds
generated funds
Voluntary Income
2
506,881
34,482
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Charitable Activities
3
453,547
10,549
Governance Costs
4
4,560
-
Support Costs
5
114,177
-
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
572,284
10,549
NET INCOME/EXPENDITURE
FOR THE YEAR
(£65,403)
£23,933
OTHER RECOGNISED
GAINS/(LOSSES)
Transfer into CIO
621,779
46,687
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
TOTAL FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD
2,722,342
1,985
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
£3,278,718
£72,605		 2023
541,363
464,096
4,560
114,177
582,833
(£41,470)
668,466
2,724,327
£3,351,323		 2022
138,045
144,035
-
4,183
148,218
(£10,173)
-
2,734,500
£2,724,327

None of the charity's activities were acquired or discontinued during the year and there were no recognised gains and losses for 2023 other than those included in the statement of financial activities.

Page 18

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

TANGIBLE ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS: due within one year
Net Current Assets
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES
CREDITORS: due after one year
Net Assets
FUNDS:
Unrestricted funds
Restricted Funds		 Notes
6
7
8
9
11
11(b)		 2023
3,212,296
19,532
417,780
437,312
(46,045)
£391,267
£3,603,563
(£252,240)
£3,351,323
2023
3,296,643
£54,680
£3,351,323		 2022
2,623,208
-
101,149
101,149
(30)
£101,119
£2,724,327
-
£2,724,327
2022
2,722,342
£1,985
£2,724,327

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on Friday 28th February 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

…………………………………………………….

Paul Butler (Chair)

The notes on pages 22 to 26 form part of these accounts.

Page 19

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL STATEMENT OF CASHFLOW YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated from operations
(a)
Net cash provided by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Net cash used in investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Loan repayments in year
Net cash used in financing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period		 2023
(8,358)
(8,358)
(13,587)
(13,587)
(27,468)
(27,468)
(49,413)
467,193
£417,780

Page 20

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF CASHFLOW YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASHFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

Net income in the period:
(a)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Interest paid
(Increase)/Decrease in debtors
(Increase)/Decrease in creditors
Net cash flow from operations
ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET FUNDS
Net cash
Cash in hand and at bank
Debt
Debts falling due within 1 year
Debts falling due after 1 year
Totals		 At 01.09.22
467,193
(30,960)
(310,515)
(341,475)
£125,718		 Cashflow
(49,413)
-
30,960
30,960
(£18,453)		 2023
(41,470)
48,516
(15,445)
(9,665)
9,706
(£8,358)
At. 31.08.23
417,780
(30,960)
(279,555)
(310,515)
£107,265

Page 21

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with FRS 102 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard Section 1A applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland and the Companies Act 2006.

Emmanuel Community Church International meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue operation for the foreseeable future. The Charity has adopted the Going Concern basis for the preparation of the financial statement.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Donations and other incoming resources - Represents income from tithes and offerings from members and visitors of the Church recorded when they are receivable.

Resources expended

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Charitable activities

Costs of charitable activities are those costs relating to the activities carried out to meet the objectives of the Church. These include both directly attributable costs and apportioned support costs.

Governance costs

Governance costs are the costs associated with the strategic direction of the organisation and with meeting regulatory responsibilities including apportioned support costs.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Freehold property and Investment property In accordance with the property Fixtures and fittings 33% on cost and 10% on cost

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Page 22

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

2. VOLUNTARY INCOME
a) Donations and legacy
Unrestricted
Restricted
Tithes and offerings
301,133
16,557
Gift Aid
47,721
-
348,854
16,557
Charitable and other
unrestricted incomes
b) Income from Charitable Activities
Charitable Income
138,493
17,925
c) Other income - Unrestricted
Rental Income
15,761
-
Other Income
1,265
-
17,026
-
d) Interest income -Unrestricted
2,508
-
Total incoming resources
£506,881
£34,482
3. CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE
Unrestricted
Restricted
Charitable expense
453,547
10,549
Support cost
114,177
-
Governance cost
4,560
-
£572,284
£10,549
4. TRUSTEES REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
Trustees' salaries
Trustees' social security
Trustees' pensions paid		 2023
317,690
47,721
365,411
156,418
15,761
1,265
17,026
2,508
£541,363
2023
464,096
114,177
4,560
£582,833
2023
64,439
8,884
3,362
73,323		 2022
-
-
-
138,045
-
-
-
-
138,045
2022
144,035
4,183
-
£148,218
2022
58,167
11,968
2,401
70,135

The charity consider its key management personnel to comprise the trustees and eldership of the church. Remuneration paid to key personnel is shown under trustees remuneration above.

In accordance with the Charity's constitution the Snr. Pastor lives a property owned by the Charity. Montly rent which would have been received on the open market is estimated at £1,085 if were not otherwise occupied.

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 August 2023 nor for the prior year.

Page 23

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

COST
At 1st September 2022
Additions
As at 31st August 2023
DEPRECIATION
Opening Balance
Charge for the year
NET BOOK VALUE
As at 31st August 2023
As at 31st August 2022
7. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS
Gift aid recoverable
Accrued income
Prepayments/Other Debtors
8. CREDITORS : Amounts falling due within one year
Bank loans and overdrafts
Other creditors
5. STAFF COST
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as
Church
ECCI Nursery
6. FIXED ASSETS		 Property
3,575,000
-
3,575,000
346,502
35,750
382,252
£3,192,748
£3,228,498
follows:
Freehold		 fittings
364,268
13,587
377,855
345,541
12,766
358,307
£19,548
£18,727
2023
12,070
522
6,940
£19,532
2023
30,960
15,085
46,045
2023
262,151
16,769
12,077
290,997
2023
11
7
18
Fixtures and		 Total
3,939,268
13,587
3,952,855
692,043
48,516
740,559
£3,212,296
£3,247,225
2022
-
-
-
-
2022
-
30
30
2022
89,717
4,041
2,518
96,276
2022
7
8
15





Page 24

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

9. CREDITORS : Amounts falling due after more than one year
Bank loans
10. BANK LOANS
Amounts falling due within one year on demand:
Amounts falling between two Aand five years:
Repayable by instalments:
Bank loans more 5 yr by instalments
11. MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS
Unrestricted Funds
General
Mission
Nursery
Restricted Funds
Nursery
School of Worship
Bags of Hope
Kintsugi Hope
Bible for ECS
Hardship		 2023
2022
£252,240
£310,515
£30,960
£30,960
£92,880
£92,880
£159,360
£186,675
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
Movement in
Funds
368,388
431,835
(63,447)
-
5,984
(5,984)
138,493
116,540
21,953
£506,881
£554,359
(£47,478)
17,925
17,925
-
-
7,038
(7,038)
8,739
381
8,358
1,318
293
1,025
-
77
(77)
6,500
2,760
3,740
£34,482
£28,474
£6,008
£541,363
£582,833
(£41,470)
11(b) FUNDS BALANCES
Unrestricted Funds
General
Nursery
Freehold
Mission
New Building		 At.31.08.2022
(12,158)
82,323
2,652,177
-
-
£2,722,342		 Tranfers into
CIO
213,711
-
273,786
82,098
52,184
£621,779		 Net Movements
in Funds
(63,447)
21,953
-
(5,984)
-
(£47,478)		 At.31.08.2023
138,106
104,276
2,925,963
76,114
52,184
£3,296,643

Page 25

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

(b) FUNDS BALANCES ( Cont'd)
Restricted Funds
Donation and legacy
School of Worship
Restricted New Building
Kids Club
Bags of Hope
Kintsugi Hope
Bible for ECS
Hardship
TOTAL FUNDS		 At.31.08.2022
1,985
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
£1,985
£2,724,327		 Tranfers into
CIO
-
24,996
800
1,311
12,657
1,398
355
5,170
£46,687
£668,466		 Net Movements
in Funds
-
(7,038)
-
-
8,358
1,025
(77)
3,740
£6,008
(£41,470)		 Net Movements
in Funds
-
(7,038)
-
-
8,358
1,025
(77)
3,740
£6,008
(£41,470)		 At.31.08.2023 At.31.08.2023
in
1,985
17,958
800
1,311
21,015
2,423
278
8,910
£54,680
£3,351,323

11(b) FUNDS BALANCES ( Cont'd)

Page 26

EMMANUEL COMMUNITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL INCOME AND EXPENDITURE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2023

Incoming Resources:
Voluntary income:
Tithes and offerings
Gift Aid
Interest
Charitable Activities
Rental Income
Other Income
Total incoming resources
RESOURCES EXPENDED:
Charitable activities:
Salaries and Wages
Church Premises
Department Expenses
Equipment expensed
Depreciation
Advertising & Promotional
Hospitality
Gifts and donations
GOVERNANCE COSTS
Accountancy Examiner fees
SUPPORT COSTS: MANAGEMENT
Mortgage Interest
Insurance
Repairs & cleaning
Travel and subsistence
Licence , membership ans subscriptions
Stationery , IT and telephone
Professional fees
Accountancy fees
Bank charges
Staff Training
Sundry
Total resources expended
Total Income over expenditure		 2023
317,690
47,721
2,508
156,418
15,761
1,265
£541,363
290,997
16,473
24,079
16,983
48,516
9,068
9,158
48,822
£464,096
£4,560
15,445
11,832
53,736
4,407
7,444
7,489
3,324
6,619
1,475
2,175
231
£114,177
£582,833
(£41,470)		 2022
-
-
-
138,045
-
-
£138,045
96,276
11,218
6,065
-
29,713
-
763
-
£144,035
-
-
1,188
309
-
1,328
737
-
-
-
621
-
£4,183
£148,218
(£10,173)

Page 27