Charity number: 1190396
## **Discovering Prayer CIO**
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 August 2022
Discovering Prayer CIO
**Contents of the Financial Statements** _for the year ended 31 August 2022_
||Page|
|---|---|
|Report of the Trustees|1|
|Report of the Independent Examiner|4|
|Receipts and Payments Account|5|
|Statement of Balances|6|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|7|
Discovering Prayer CIO
## **Report of the Trustees** _for the year ended 31 August 2022_
The trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2022.
## **Principal office**
Suite 261 266 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7DL
## **Status of Charity and Governing Document**
Discovering Prayer CIO was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 14 July 2020. The organisation was previously incorporated as a private limited company called Discoveringprayer.com Ltd (Company number 09177881) from 15 August 2014 until its dissolution in 2021. The charity registration number is 1190396.
## **Trustees and Office Bearers**
Management of the charity remains with the trustees. The constitution requires a minimum of three trustees and a maximum of 12 to serve at any time.
The trustees who served from the date of registration to the date of this report are: Michelle Eyre Robert Eyre Daniel Heyward Kate Jefferyes Timothy Pottle
Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee will be appointed for a period of three years by a resolution passed at a trustee meeting. Any person retiring as a charity trustee is then eligible for reappointment.
## **Objectives**
The charity’s objects, as laid out in its governing document, are: ‘To advance or enlighten others about the Christian faith by encouraging people to explore prayer and spirituality in their lives, to deepen their relationship with God, but not limited to:
- The development and promotion of prayer resources, educational training materials and courses;
- The hosting and/or facilitation of prayer meetings;
- The hosting and/or facilitation of retreats; and
- The teaching of ancient practices of the Religious Life of Anglican and other Christian denominations in the UK and worldwide.’
## **Vision**
Our vision is for everyone to have a joyful and fulfilling relationship with God.
Our goals are to:
## _**1. Help people to deepen their relationship with God through prayer**_
Many people want to pray, but don’t know how to get started. There is a wealth of experience and guidance available in prayer through the lives of Christian monks and nuns, and we aim to help people benefit from this daily.
Page 1
Discovering Prayer CIO
**Report of the Trustees** _for the year ended 31 August 2022_
## **Vision (continued)**
## _**2. Research and teach the best ways to help people learn to pray**_
We hope to glorify God in our teaching on prayer and that means learning the best, most evidencebased ways that we can help people to flourish in their walk with God. We will continue to develop best practice in researching what we do and teaching those in the church who are keen to learn more about fostering prayer in their communities.
_**3. Give generously to the worldwide community**_
We believe that prayer is always linked to action, in our homes, our communities and throughout the world. We pray for others and take action that supports communities that care for those in need.
## **Activities and achievements**
We are delighted to report that, over the course of the year, we:
- Recorded and released 32 new guided prayer times and interviews with nuns and monks.
- Created and hosted the _NEW Rhythm of Grace_ course. Each prayer time was designed to provide a space for people to bring others to God in prayer and hold them in his presence. The course included five inspirational short talks from Brother John and 100-year-old Brother Herbert from Turvey Abbey. 2,700+ registered to take part, and people reported notable improvements in their prayer life and mental wellbeing in a post-course survey. One participant, Rachel, wrote, ‘ _My daily prayer time is increasing, and I feel more and more in touch with God and am finding it easier to put myself in God's presence. My intercessory prayers for other people are feeling more meaningful and deeper all the time_ .’
- Invited 1,300+ to learn the practice of stopping and stilling themselves in prayer through the _ChristCentred Mindfulness_ course. This offered both Christian theory through inspiring daily interviews with mindfulness expert, Revd Shaun Lambert, and prayerful practice through daily guided meditations focusing on scripture and incorporating increasing periods of silence. 64% of respondents to a postcourse survey rated it ‘excellent’. Bernadette wrote, ‘ _Thank you. Without this spiritual encounter, which was made possible by you, I was lost. It has touched my life in so many ways_ .’
- Worked with app developer Fruto to create the design, functionality and pathways of an exciting new mobile app.
- Continued to provide a library of 200+ guided prayer times in a range of styles of Christian prayer.
- Diversified our funding streams, holding a successful major donor event and individual appeal for the first time.
## **Future plans**
In the year to 31 August 2023, we will seek to help people find peace, strength and deeper communion with God through prayer, even in volatile and challenging circumstances. To do this, we aim to:
## _**Build a transformational new prayer app**_
- We want to simplify and enrich people’s experience of praying with us by building, testing, refining and launching a new mobile app.
## _**Record new guided prayers**_
- We aim to record at least 30 more guided prayer times, with the ultimate goal of producing prayer times covering the whole of St John’s Gospel.
## _**Create a new course**_
- _Still Small Voice: 10 Ways to Go Deeper in Prayer_ – we will host and widely promote a brand-new, foundational course which will include inspiring interviews with nuns and monks.
Page 2
Discovering Prayer CIO
**Report of the Trustees** _for the year ended 31 August 2022_
## **Future plans (continued)**
## _**Introduce more people to the riches of monasticism**_
- Enabling participants to ask nuns and monks questions about prayer and to benefit from their insights.
- Inviting people to go on retreats hosted by a range of religious communities.
- Equipping people to adopt a regular rhythm of prayer through morning, midday and evening guided prayer times.
- Encouraging individuals to consider the religious life and the testing of vocation.
## **Financial review**
## _**Results for the year**_
The financial statements for the year are set out on pages 5 to 8. The Receipts and Payments Account on page 4 reflects a new surplus for the year of £10,345 (2021: £14,397). Total reserves, including restricted funds, amounted to £24,742 (2021: £14,397).
## _**Reserves policy**_
The trustees aim to maintain free reserves in unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately three months of unrestricted charitable expenditure. The trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to respond to applications for grants and ensure that support and governance costs are covered. This currently equates to a working reserve policy of £15,000 which we have met at the yearend.
## _**Thanks**_
The trustees are immensely grateful for the generosity of the religious communities, trusts, churches and individual donors who funded us during the year, and would specifically like to thank:
- Community of St Mary the Virgin
- Community of St John Baptist
- Community of All Hallows
- Pershore, Nashdom and Elmore Trust
- Christ the Saviour Monastic Trust
- Souter Charitable Trust
- Gladiator Trust
- An anonymous religious community
- Individuals who gave generously to our app appeal
We would also like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the volunteers who provide valuable support for Discovering Prayer’s website development, administration, script editing and recordings.
The accounts were approved by the trustees on 5 December 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
**Michelle Eyre** Trustee
Page 3
Discovering Prayer CIO
## **Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees** _for the year ended 31 August 2022_
I report to the trustees on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2022 which are set out on pages 5 to 8.
## **Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner**
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of Independent Examiner’s statement**
My examination is carried out in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
## **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 to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Alison Franks CA Director Cornerstone Accounting
11 Erngath Road Bo’ness EH51 9DP
Date: 5 December 2022
Page 4
## Discovering Prayer CIO
Receipts and Payments Account For the year ended 31 August 2022
|**Receipts**
**_Subscriptions_**
One-off
Annual
Monthly
Bursary
**_Donations_**
Personal
Grant income
Fundraising income
Transfer from Discoveringprayer.com Ltd
**Total receipts**
**Payments**
**_Fundraising costs_**
Marketing and social media costs
Fundraising dinner
Donation collection fees
**_Charitable activities_**
Salary costs
Contractor costs
Other staff costs
Personal customer service
Conferences and retreats
Expert Reviewer costs
Recording costs
App design costs
Resources
Travel and subsistence
Insurance
IT and website costs
Equipment costs
Business address
Administration costs
Legal fees
Bank charges
Accounting costs
Independent examiner's costs:
Accounts production
Independent examination
**Total payments**
**Surplus/(deficit) for the year**
Transfer between funds
**Surplus/(deficit) after transfers**
**Total funds brought forward**
**Total funds carried forward**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**2022 **
**funds**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**600**
**-**
**600**
**7,860**
**-**
**7,860**
**1,549**
**-**
**1,549**
**213**
**-**
**213**
**568**
**2,593**
**3,161**
**43,539**
**12,858**
**56,397**
**-**
**13,933**
**13,933**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**54,329**
**29,384**
**83,713**
**2,303**
**1,685**
**3,988**
**-**
**720**
**720**
**369**
**-**
**369**
**32,274**
**3,856**
**36,130**
**15,524**
**-**
**15,524**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,465**
**-**
**1,465**
**442**
**-**
**442**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**663**
**-**
**663**
**-**
**7,500**
**7,500**
**280**
**-**
**280**
**393**
**-**
**393**
**319**
**-**
**319**
**3,491**
**-**
**3,491**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**435**
**-**
**435**
**434**
**-**
**434**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**33**
**-**
**33**
**482**
**-**
**482**
**400**
**-**
**400**
**300**
**-**
**300**
**59,607**
**13,761**
**73,368**
**(5,278)**
**15,623**
**10,345**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**(5,278)**
**15,623**
**10,345**
**21,714**
**(7,317)**
**14,397**
**16,436**
**8,306**
**24,742**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**2021**
**funds**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
580
-
580
8,864
-
8,864
1,776
-
1,776
171
-
171
420
-
420
40,000
7,858
47,858
-
-
-
18,843
-
18,843
70,654
7,858
78,512
6,157
-
6,157
-
-
-
329
-
329
33,233
12,775
46,008
-
-
-
947
-
947
1,663
-
1,663
150
-
150
25
2,400
2,425
235
-
235
-
-
-
-
-
-
371
-
371
311
-
311
1,578
-
1,578
760
-
760
400
-
400
45
-
45
2,250
-
2,250
29
-
29
457
-
457
-
-
-
-
-
-
48,940
15,175
64,115
21,714
(7,317)
14,397
**-**
**-**
**-**
21,714
(7,317)
14,397
-
-
21,714
(7,317)
14,397|
|---|---|---|
The notes on pages 7 to 8 form part of these financial statements.
Page 5
## Discovering Prayer CIO
## Statement of Balances
As at 31 August 2022
|**Notes**
**Opening**
**Surplus**
**Closing**
**balance**
**for year**
**balance**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Cash at bank and in hand**
Current account
**14,397**
**10,345**
**24,742**
**Total cash at bank and in hand**
**14,397**
**10,345**
**24,742**
**Represented by:**
**Unrestricted fund**
**2**
General fund
**16,436**
**16,436**
**Restricted funds**
**3**
Out of the Cloister fund
**-**
App fund
**8,306**
NEW Rhythm of Grace fund
**-**
**8,306**
**Total funds**
**24,742**
**Statement of assets at 31 August 2022**
**2022**
**£**
Reclaim due from HMRC
**-**
**-**
**Statement of liabilities at 31 August 2022**
**2022**
**£**
Accounting and independent examination fees
**600**
App design fee due
**7,500**
Charitable donation to Christian Aid (due for 2022)
**1,020**
PAYE payable
**266**
Pension payable
**247**
**9,633**
**2022**|**Opening**
**Surplus**
**Closing**
**balance**
**for year**
**balance**
**£**
**£**
**£**
-
14,397
14,397
-
14,397
14,397
21,714
21,714
(7,317)
-
-
(7,317)
14,397
**2021**
**£**
887
887
**2021**
**£**
600
-
-
-
215
815
**2021**|
|---|---|
The financial statements on pages 5 to 8 were approved by the trustees on 5 December 2022 and signed on their behalf by the undernoted:
## Michelle Eyre
## _Trustee_
The notes on pages 7 to 8 form part of these financial statements.
Page 6
Discovering Prayer CIO
## Notes to the financial statements
for the year ended 31 August 2021
## **1. Accounting policies**
## **Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, on a receipts and payments basis and in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.
## **Receipts and Payments Account**
For the purpose of the Receipts and Payments account as shown on page 5, funds are defined as follows:
_**Unrestricted**_ funds comprise donations, grants and other income received for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
_**Restricted**_ funds comprise income which has been received for the objects of the charity and specified for a restricted purpose within these objects by the donor.
## **2. Unrestricted funds**
|General fund
**Total unrestricted funds**|**Balance at**
**1.9.21**
**£**
21,714
21,714|**Receipts**
**£**
54,329
54,329|**Payments**
**£**
(59,607)
(59,607)|**Transfers**
**£**
-
-|**Balance at**
**31.8.22**
**£**
**16,436**
**16,436**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## _**Explanation of funds**_
The _General fund_ represents all income and expenditure relating to the primary focus activities of the charity, other than those for which funding is restricted.
## **3. Restricted funds**
|Out of the Cloister fund
App fund
NEW Rhythm of Grace fund
**Total restricted funds**|**Balance at**
**1.9.21**
**£**
(7,317)
-
-
**(7,317)**|**Receipts**
**£**
7,858
16,526
5,000
**29,384**|**Payments**
**£**
(541)
(8,220)
(5,000)
**(13,761)**|**Transfers**
**£**
-
-
-
**-**|**Balance at**
**31.8.22**
**£**
**-**
**8,306**
**-**
**8,306**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## _**Explanation of funds**_
The _Out of the Cloister fund_ represents funds received towards a six-month project to create the 14-Day Prayer Challenge.
The _App fund_ represents funds received towards the development of a new mobile application for guided prayers.
The _NEW Rhythm of Grace fund_ represents funds received towards the production of a new guided prayer resource.
## **4. Donated facilities and services**
We are grateful for the office space at St Andrew’s Church, Linton Road, Oxford, which allows us to be at the heart of this prayerful community. We also acknowledge the contribution of an amazing team of volunteers who contribute to audio design, editorial guidance, bookkeeping as well as our wonderful trustees who contribute their expertise in prayer, website design, finance, HR, marketing and fundraising.
Page 7
Discovering Prayer CIO
## Notes to the financial statements
for the year ended 31 August 2021
## **5. Trustee and related party remuneration and expenses**
Michelle Eyre, who is a trustee, is employed by the Charity as Chief Executive. The remuneration paid, including pension costs, in the financial year was £34,070 (2021: £27,539).
There were no remuneration or expenses paid to any of the other trustees or their related parties during the period ending 31 August 2022 (2021: nil), other than the reimbursement of direct costs paid on behalf of the charity.
Page 8