ENDERBY LIFE CHURCH Moores Lane, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 4AN TRUSTEES REPORT AND ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDING 31st MARCH 2024
The Charity Trustees present their report and independently examined accounts for year ending 31st March 2024.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Charity operates under its Constitution dated 21st July 2020. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission (registered charity No. 1190574) and recognised as such by the Inland Revenue for Tax purposes.
The Trustees of the Charity comprise:
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Andrew Briars (Chairman)
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David Banton
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Charles Clark (with effect from 28[th] January 2024)
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Karen Smith
The Charity is seeking to appoint more Trustees.
In order to be appointed, Charity Trustees must
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Be conformable to scriptural qualification. (1 Timothy 3:8-13).
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Be in agreement with the doctrinal basis and objectives of Enderby Life Church.
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Be nominated by the Church Eldership and submitted for spiritual witness and approval to the Church Leadership Team and to the Church congregation.
The Charity Trustees have legal and financial responsibility for the Charity, whilst the Church Elders have spiritual responsibility for the Church. Additionally, a Leadership Team provides advice and support in all areas of the Church’s life and ministry.
The Trustees have regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and confirm that all activities are undertaken for the benefit of the public.
The Charity employs one full-time paid member of staff (the Church Pastor/Elder). Volunteers from the Church congregation, varying from time to time as needs arise, work alongside the Pastor to fulfil the Church’s objectives.
The Trustees give regular consideration to the major risks to which the Charity may be exposed, including financial, regulatory and legal, and are satisfied that such risks are adequately identified, monitored and controlled through policies, procedures and insurance arrangements.
The Church is an autonomous body following an historical independent tradition and does not belong to any denominational organisation. It is a local expression of the world-wide fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ. However, the church is a member of the Ground Level Network of churches and the Evangelical Alliance (the EA). Whereas Ground Level is a movement networked together through regional and relational connections (largely in the Midlands), the EA supports churches in a wider sense across the UK. Both exist to equip, support and care for churches and ministries.
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Objectives and Activities
The main objectives of the Charity are summarised as:
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The advancement of the Christian faith and the worship of God.
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The proclamation and furtherance of the gospel of Christ.
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The preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
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The provision of pastoral care, counselling and support.
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The education of children and adults on the basis of Christian principles.
These objectives are met in accordance with the Charity’s constitution and will be fulfilled in such ways and in such parts of the United Kingdom or elsewhere as the Trustees, Elders and Leadership from time to time may think fit.
The main activities of the Church to further its charitable objectives are:
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A weekly programme of Sunday worship, communion and family services.
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Regular meetings during the week for prayer, Bible study and fellowship, both at the church and at homes of individual members of the congregation.
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Special programmes for families, children, young people, those seeking to deepen their relationship with God and people from the Church and local community who want to meet for friendship and improve their wellbeing.
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Funerals, weddings, adult baptisms and baby dedications.
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Social support and benevolent giving, both at home and abroad. The Church Elders and Leaders decide upon individuals and organisations that are to receive financial support out of the Charity’s assets in support of the Charity’s objectives. For the year April 2023 to March 2024 11.7% of Unrestricted income from General Offerings was allocated in this way.
Through these objectives and activities, the Charity’s aim is to effectively serve the community for the benefit of the public. By upholding Christian values and beliefs, it is the Trustees’ conviction that through these activities a positive impact into the community is being achieved for the good of all.
Achievements
Some particular achievements during the year April 2023 to March 2024 were:
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Numbers attending our Sunday services increased, as new people and new families have joined us.
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We continued to provide live streaming of our services for those unable to attend in person.
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Our ‘Monday Club’ grew in numbers. This is a weekly, evening club for primary school children.
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Our ‘Stonebaked’ grew in numbers. This is a monthly after-school club for high school children.
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Our ‘Renew Life’ grew in numbers. This is a well-being drop-in held weekly at the Enderby Civic Centre offering activities, friendship, refreshments, and prayers with people from our community who need and value these things.
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We developed our skills by having our pastor complete a course in ‘Food Safety and Hygiene.’
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We ran a Freedom in Christ Discipleship course, aimed at helping Christians become fruitful disciples.
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We continued to work with Jaikin, a Christian Counselling Service, which provides counselling and support for those going through crisis pregnancies, pregnancy loss and stillbirth.
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We continued to provide support and strengthen our connections with a country where Christian persecution is prevalent through a ministry who provide refuge for impoverished children from the slum area. Schooling, food, shelter, clothing, medical care and rehabilitation are provided for the children.
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We provided regular financial and prayer support to missionaries working for;
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Hellenic Ministries in Athens, involved in evangelism, discipleship and church planting.
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Iris global in South Africa, providing residential, education and healthcare for orphaned children.
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We saw continued co-operation with the other churches in Enderby through united prayer times and various pulpit exchanges.
Mission Foodbank
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During the financial year of 2023/24, the demand for support from Mission Foodbank continued to grow. It has supplied approximately 2500 food parcels in total to households in need in Enderby and 6 neighbouring villages. These parcels were either delivered using our delivery van or collected in person by residents. Each food parcel is roughly £40 in value and contains ambient products and also fresh items such as fruit, vegetables and bread.
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We supported some households for a fixed period of time (usually 4-8 weeks on 2 different programmes) to help them through a difficult period in their lives, along with emergency one-off support parcels to residents experiencing homelessness, unforeseen circumstances or those being relocated into emergency accommodation.
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Working alongside the District and County Councils, we have also provided food support to residents being housed in temporary accommodation, whilst waiting for benefit applications to process or until the council resolves their housing difficulties. Oftentimes, those facing homelessness are housed in local hotels, hostels and have little to no cooking facilities available to them so we specifically tailored food parcels with this in mind.
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There are approximately 10 food 'donation drop-off points' across the neighbouring villages in places such as schools and nurseries and also local shops / libraries / cafes etc.
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We regularly collected surplus food items, such as bread and fruit and vegetables, left over at the end of the day from a local bakery and a Co-op store. We then distributed it to local families to not only help the residents' situation, but also helped tackle food waste on a larger scale.
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Local schools have supported the foodbank by holding various fundraising events throughout the year. We used the money raised to help provide extra support to families in need throughout the school holidays.
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During the school summer holidays we put together over 100 'Holiday Hunger' boxes to help low income families.
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At Christmas, approximately 85 residents received a Christmas parcel containing festive treats and at Easter, we provided an easter egg to all children in the families we were supporting.
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We received grant funding from Leicestershire County Council, amongst other sources, which helped us to retain our Foodbank Coordinator, cover running costs such as insurance, road tax and fuel for our delivery van and also purchasing specialist food items such as 'Free From' items for those with food allergies and / or intolerances.
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In total, we have supported around 450 different households living in Enderby and surrounding areas during the financial year.
Other Notable Items
- Our pastor remains the only elder and we continue to actively seek an additional elder.
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- In August 2023, we became aware that the local Methodist Church would shortly be closing. The building is bigger than our existing premises and in a better location, in the heart of the village that we serve. With a shared desire to see Christian worship continue and thrive in this location, we entered into negotiations with the Methodist Church to purchase the building. A purchase price was agreed upon and after protracted discussions on the terms of the transaction, it is hoped to conclude the purchase of the site early in 2025. The purchase will be financed by the “Vision fund” (donated by the congregation over a number of years), plus a small mortgage.
Financial Review
There are no material uncertainties about the ability of Enderby Life Church to continue as a going concern.
We benefit from full ownership of our property and land in Moores Lane, Enderby, which continues to be used for
the charity's main purposes. The Charity's funds have all been applied in accordance with its charitable objectives.
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Income for the year ending 31[st] March 2024 was £123,042 (compared to £123,868 during 2022/23).
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Expenditure in the year was 97,507 (£103,384).
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This resulted in a surplus for the year of £25,534 (£20,484).
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As at 31st March 2024, the church had total funds of £281,788 (£256,253) which included £251,842 (£228,604) of Restricted Funds (see breakdown below between Vision Fund & Foodbank).
The principal source of funds is regular giving and one-off donations from members of the Church congregation. We are registered for Gift Aid, and where appropriate this is encouraged to maximise this source of income. As indicated below Grants for the Foodbank decreased during 2023/24 however at the present level funding is adequate to support the continuation of the charity’s current activities for the foreseeable future.
As detailed on pages 7 to 8 the Charity received funds for use in our Foodbank in the form of Grants and Donations from Companies, Organisations and Individuals outside of the Church. In 2023/24 we received grant income of £13,825 from Leicestershire County Council (compared to a total of £32,400 in Grants from 4 separate sources in 2022/23).
Money set aside in our Vision Fund for the church expansion project and held as Restricted Funds as at 31st March 2024 stands at £249,140 (£215,825).
Money set aside in our Foodbank and held as Restricted Funds as at 31st March 2024 stands at 2,702 (£12,780).
The Church only invests its cash reserves in deposits with UK banks. There are currently no outstanding debts.
The Church’s policy on holding cash reserves as Unrestricted Funds is to maintain an equivalent of three months
average expenditure so as to enable it to continue operating during a short term down turn in its income, or to allow a period of restructuring should a longer term down turn occur. Two separate bank deposit accounts are maintained for this purpose. Actual cash reserves held as Unrestricted Funds as at 31st March 2024 were £15,938 (£15,562).
A remuneration committee made up of Trustees and Leadership Team members (including the Treasurer) meet annually to consider the skills, experiences and competencies needed from our paid staff, so as to offer fair remuneration within our ability to pay, bearing in mind the charity’s performance and staffs’ performance against expectations, in both the short and long term.
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Looking Ahead
The purchase of the new building (the former Methodist Church) in the heart of Enderby will allow us to address the challenges of the changing needs of our existing congregation and enable us to undertake a broader range of Christian based activities for people of all ages and backgrounds. The location will make us more visible to the local community, especially with outreach activities like our food bank and Renew Wellbeing (which will relocate from the nearby Enderby Civic Centre).
Under the current financial climate we understand the hardship that some are suffering in our community. Our foodbank continues to be in demand and it is anticipated that this will increase in the year ahead. We will continue to assess the financial and logistical requirements and will work to see how we can assist in our community practically through ‘Mission Foodbank’ and mental health support through ‘Renew Wellbeing’. The Trustees will monitor income and expenditure. Grant applications for funding for the foodbank will continue as needed / available.
Responsibilities and Declaration of the Trustees
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees' report above.
The Trustees recognise their responsibility for the preparation of accounts for each financial year to give a true and fair view of the Charity's incoming resources and application of resources during the year and of its state of affairs at the end of the year, and for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity. The trustees have opted to prepare receipts and payments accounts as the church is a non-company charity with income less than £250,000.
The Trustees also recognise their responsibility in safeguarding the assets of the Charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
To that end, the Trustees certify that the books, vouchers and information produced to enable the independent examination of the accounts to be conducted contain a full and correct record of the financial transactions and activities to the best of their knowledge and belief.
Signed on behalf of the Charity's Trustees:
Signed : Date : 23[rd] January 2025
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Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Enderby Life Church
Report on the Accounts of the Charity for the year ending 31st March 2023, which are set out on pages 7 and 8.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act), and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair” view and the report is limited to those matters in the statement below.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act, have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed :
Date : 23[rd] January 2025
Name : Andrew Hopkins
Address : Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, Latham House, 33-34 Paradise Street, Birmingham, B1 2AJ
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| 2023-24 ACCOUNTS RECEIPTS General Offerings Gift Aid Offerings GASDS Vision Income (Includes some GASDS) Stewardship Income Gift Aid Tax (Stewardship) Gift Aid Tax (HMRC) Investment income Foodbank Income (Foodbank Restricted) Childrens Ministry Total Receipts PAYMENTS Charitable activities Salaries & NHI costs (allowing for £4,000 scheme) Pensions (Total of Employee & Employer contributions) Visiting speakers - pulpit gifts Pastor & General Ministry Expenses Photocopier contract / Fire extinguisher service Church utilities (Water Rates) Church utilities (Electricity) Church utilities (Gas) Church utilities (Telephone) Church insurance International gifts (Asia) Ministry Support (Hope Centre & Iris Global) Donations to Groups (Tearfund, Compassion, Jaikin) Love Gifts Miscellaneous expenditure Foodbank expenditure (Foodbank Restricted) Governance costs (Audit, Accountancy) Utilities Claire Court Pastor mileage Cross Street Development (Building Valuation) Total Payments Net movement of funds for the year Net movement of funds for the year Balance brought forward from the previous year Fund balances carried forward to next year |
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds £7,925 £7,925 £39,629 £39,629 £3,023 £3,023 £31,587 £31,587 £4,147 £4,147 £188 £188 £12,453 £12,453 £375 £3,185 £3,561 £19,513 £19,513 £1,017 £1,017 |
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| £68,757 £54,285 £123,042 |
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| £37,022 £37,022 £2,290 £2,290 £450 £450 £769 £769 £1,159 £1,159 £191 £191 £2,098 £2,098 £1,033 £1,033 £874 £874 £1,065 £1,065 £2,520 £2,520 £1,570 £1,570 £1,044 £1,044 £2,920 £2,920 £6,391 £6,391 £31,047 £31,047 £967 £967 £1,279 £1,279 £1,377 £1,377 £1,440 £1,440 |
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| £66,460 £31,047 £97,507 |
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| £2,297 £23,238 £25,534 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds £2,297 £23,238 £25,534 £27,649 £228,604 £256,253 |
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| £29,945 £251,842 £281,788 |
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| CASH FUNDS (End Balances 31/03/2024) Barclays Current Account Barclays Current Account (Foodbank) Mission Foodbank - Petty Cash (for Foodbank) Main / Pastors - Petty Cash Barclays Savings Account (for Vision Fund) Market Harborough Building Society (for Vision Fund) Kingdom Bank Postal 60 Account (for Vision Fund) Kingdom bank 32 day Account (for Reserves Fund) Coop Bank (for Foodbank) Total cash funds |
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds £13,908 £3,072 £16,980 £0 £0 £45 £45 £100 £100 £32,504 £32,504 £122,716 £122,716 £91,321 £91,321 £15,938 £15,938 £2,185 £2,185 |
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| £29,945 £251,842 £281,788 |
Figures rounded to the nearest Pound
NB - There are no other monetary or investment assets held by the charity
Debtors & Creditors falling due after 31st March 2024
+£4,481.12 : Gift Aid Claim for 2023/24 Q4 & GASDS -£195.00 : First-4-Fun Mr. Twister (Easter Entertainer)
-£259.73 : Food for Easter Meetings
-£13.00 : Food for Worship Team Meeting
-£161.55 : Pastor March Mileage Expenses
ASSETS RETAINED FOR THE CHARITY’S OWN USE
| Church premises, Moores Lane, Enderby Other tangible fixed assets (allowing for depreciation etc.) Total assets retained for the charity's own use |
Current Value £435,000 £16,500 |
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| £451,500 |
NB - These values are shown at the Trustees’ best estimate of market value.
LIABILITIES
There are no liabilities to record.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees:
Signed :
Name : Andrew Briars Position : Trustee / Treasurer
Date : 23[rd] January 2025
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