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2025-12-31-accounts

2025 TRUSTEES REPORT FOR

BENTLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

CIO #1190319

Minister’s Report

Bentley Baptist church exists to ‘Make disciples who make disciples’ , striving to be a community that Loves God, Loves people and Loves life as we meet as a Healthy Hub Church with Spiritual Outposts.

Throughout 2025 the church Elders – Graham, Ian, Lorraine and myself – worked together to discern and bring vision and direction to the wider church from the Lord. Those ‘next steps’ included the vision for a new Associate Minister for Outpost Planting, and the decision to move to two Sunday morning services to create space for growth.

God spoke to the Leadership about the theme of ‘Rest not Stress’ and during 2025 we covered the following preaching series to discover how to overcome challenges on the journey of life:

We also explored the Christmas story through the season of Advent and ended the year with a service of thankfulness for all God had done.

Our Stepping Stones Church Outpost has now been running for three years, holding a service on Thursdays at 10.30am each week in the Renew 127 centre. The Outpost follows the same teaching as Sundays, with different team members taking responsibility for leading parts of the service each week. During 2025 we continued to see new attendees, and for a significant number it is the only church service they regularly attend.

Considerable amounts of teaching and discipleship took place within our eight Life Groups , which continued to welcome new members and provide the first point of pastoral care for those within the church family throughout the year.

Our first Leaders’ Ministry Day took place in March 2025, providing an opportunity for reenvisioning and prayer for those with significant responsibilities in the life of the church.

I was honoured and thankful to be able to take two months of Sabbatical during July and August, when I was able to participate in some extended study, reading, retreat time, and also take care of some family business as the executor of my recently deceased Grandmother’s estate. I cannot express how beneficial this time was to my wellbeing and relationship with Jesus.

Amongst the joy and busyness of leadership and services, it has also been a privilege to walk alongside many through life’s challenges, illnesses and times of loss. It continues to be my honour to serve as the minister of such a Spirit-filled, loving and missional church.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.

Rev Joel Ward

Secretary’s Report

In 2025 we continued to see new people coming through the doors and becoming part of the church, many of them finding us online. Sunday morning attendance overall rarely dipped below 100, peaking on Easter Sunday at 159. Given the high numbers, and to allow for further growth, the decision was taken in September to move to two Sunday morning services. Average attendance across both was 85 adults, 15 children and seven youth. We ended the year with a membership of 80, up six on 2024 . Although we had 13 new people come into membership, we also had five who resigned because they moved to other, nonBaptist churches, and two whose membership lapsed through non-attendance.

Once again, we ran an Alpha course from mid-January to mid-March, with a number of the participants then going on to become part of a Life Group. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who helped to make every session a success. We had the great joy of seeing seven people commit their lives to God through Believer’s Baptism, three of whom came to us through the Alpha course.

The Church Leadership Team (Board of Trustees) remained as the previous year, with two of the Elders being re-elected as Trustees, and the Secretary and Treasurer being reaffirmed in their roles. One member of the CLT attended the Fresh Streams conference in January, and in November the wider leadership once again had an away-day to seek God together for the way forward in the coming year.

Following the departure of the previous Youth & Children’s Worker in February, September saw the appointment of Sophie Ward-West to the role. With her leadership and support, both the Youth and Children’s teams are growing, and a number of successful events were held on Halloween and in the run-up to Christmas.

In September, the decision was made to establish two new, six-monthly events – a Newcomers’ Evening, to bring together those new to the church in a relaxed environment, introduce them to the Leadership Team, and help them understand our vision and structure, and explore opportunities to get involved and serve. The first of these was held in earlyNovember, with ten attending from 20 invitees. The second event, a Membership Exploration Coffee Morning, was held end-November. This was an opportunity for the seven people who attended to understand the role and responsibility of a registered church member, as well as sharing their personal testimonies.

My thanks go to Denise Russell and Gill Beams, who faithfully fulfil their respective roles as Purchasing Officer and Safeguarding Officer. Thank you also to all who step up each week to provide a warm welcome or serve refreshments.

Ruth Bellerby

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Bentley Baptist Church.

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 2 to 3.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of 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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

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.

Signed:

Name: Mark David Kidney Qualifications: BA (Hons), ACMA

Address: 6 Akeferry Road, Westwoodside, DONCASTER, DN9 2DX Date: 30[th] January 2026

Independent Review of Bentley Baptist Church Accounts for Year Ended 31[st] December 2025 1

Bentley Baptist Church Accounts - Year Ending 31st Dec 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
Summary
Income £126,156.27
Expenditure (£133,081.60)
Deficit for the year (£6,925.33)
Bank Accounts (Instant Access, Instant Access & Petty Cash)
Brought Forward £44,450.00
No unbanked receipts from 2019 £0.00
Transfer from/(to) Saving Account £10,000.00
Unbanked receipts £0.00
Movement in Year (Net Income & Expenditure) (£6,925.33)
Sub Total as per Dec 25 Statements £47,524.67
Deposit Account
Opening Balance £28,609.66
Transfer from/(to) Current Accounts (£10,000.00)
Bank Interest £500.10
Sub Total £19,109.76
Net Funds £66,634.43
----- End of picture text -----

2

Summary of Income & Expenditure

Income: Offering / Donations
Income: Grants/Loans
Income: Gift Aid refund
Income: Other
Expense: Staff Costs
Expense: Building
Expense: Youth
Expense: Youth
Expense: Gifts
Expense: Repairs
Expense: Loan Repayment / Loan Given
Expense: Other
Net Inflow		 £96,907.50
£0.00
£19,717.07
£9,531.70
£126,156.27
(£52,770.08)
(£43,019.11)
(£2,043.76)
(£2,236.70)
(£3,529.50)
(£2,906.07)
(£300.00)
(£26,276.38)
(£133,081.60)
(£6,925.33)

3