Belper Baptist Church (Registered charity, number 1190792) Financial statements for the year ended 5 April 2023
| Page | Contents |
|---|---|
| 2 - 4 | Trustees’ annual report |
| 5 | Independent examiner’s report |
| 6 | Receipts & payments account |
| 7 | Statement of assets & liabilities |
| 8 - 9 | Notes to the accounts |
Belper Baptist Church Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 5 April 2023
Full name Belper Baptist Church
Organisation type Charitable incorporated organisation
Registered charity number 1190792
Principal address
c/o Rev Dr Robert Foster, Minister, 16 Hillcrest, Belper DE56 0JF
Trustees
Rev David Harvey, Elder & Treasurer Raymond Lesley Lorraine Bolger Joanna Lambourne Jonathan White
Rev Dr Robert Foster, Minister from 1.9.22 Elizabeth Foster, until 31.8.22
Independent examiner
John O’Brien, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
Governance and management
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 10 June 2020 at a Special Church Meeting.
Revd Elaine Burrows was an employee with effect from 1 March 2022 until 30 October 2022 to meet the requirements of having an Interim Member of the Baptist Union Pension Scheme under the age of 75 in employment to avoid triggereing a cessation. She received £50 per month as a nominal salary. Elaine was not a Charity trustee of the church. Rev Derek Allen continued as Moderator for which he received £50 a month until 30 September 2022. From 1 September 2022 Rev Robert Foster became the part-time Minister of the church. He is remunerated at 75% of the Baptist Union standard stipend together with a housing allowance and agreed reimbursements to cover operating expenses, Council Tax and Water charges. Robert is Chair of the Charity trustees.
Ministers are appointed by the Church members. Trustees including the Secretary and Treasurer are appointed by the Church members to serve for fixed periods.
Objectives and activities
The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The Church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom or other parts of the world.
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Belper Baptist Church
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit
Weekly Sunday services with worship, prayer, preaching and teaching, and fellowship. Pastoral support to individuals; Mid-week meetings for bible study, prayer and fellowship; Children's youth work; Support to local charitable causes including Hope for Belper; Support to mission activities in the UK (Home Mission) and overseas (Baptist Missionary Society - BMS) and direct support to churches in Uganda and Ghana. The church responds to Emergency Appeals.
Making the church building available for use by local organisations where their activities are compatible with the church's declaration of faith.
All Church activities with exception of Trustees and Members meetings are open to the public. The Church website encourages people to visit and attend activities of the Church.
The Minister and other members of the church aim to provide appropriate pastoral care and practical support to any member of the community who seeks it. The Church holds regular open drop-in sessions including a Warm Space initiative. Advancement of the Christian faith has educational and social benefits as well as spiritual to individuals and local communities.
Public benefit statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
Summary of the main achievements during the period
The church continues to participate in Sunday worship and mid-week activities. Fellowship Link Teams ensure that every family within the fellowship is contacted regularly and is offered practical care and spiritual support. The Inspire magazine continues to be published monthly electronically and in print for those without access to the internet. Daily prayer meetings and weekly house groups for study and prayer meet online, and a new in-person house group has been formed. There are activities for children and young people on Sundays.
Young people from a number of churches meet together during the week. They participated in a youth mission in Belper in the Autumn. Members of the fellowship participate in a prayer ministry for Belper supported by a number of churches and individuals.
During the summer, a number of new families began to worship at the church on a regular basis, the result of a community church ceasing to meet for worship on Sundays. This coinciding with the appointment of a new minister has significantly changed the numbers attending and the dynamics of our worship, and a number of these new attendees have become members of the church, bringing many new gifts to the church.
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Belper Baptist Church
The Church continues to host the Hope for Belper Community Hub and Food Bank. Demand for support from the Food Bank continues to increase. Alongside this, the church has opened up the building one afternoon a week as a Warm Space open to all. Supportive relationships are being built through both of these activities.
During this financial year, the church has invested in a significant upgrade to our audio visual systems to enhance our worship experience for those in the building and on-line. There have also been repairs to a leak in the roof and the construction of a new meeting room upstairs is on-going.
Financial review & risk
Over the course of the period 6 April 2022 to 5 April 2023 receipts exceeded payments by £2,381. The manse previously occupied by the Minister generates a net rental of £726 per month. Receipts from Sunday loose offerings continue to be below pre COVID levels. Regular Gift Aid donations are now above pre COVID levels. Not paying a Minister during the first 5 months of this period enabled £9,005 investment in audio visual equipment to be made together with creating an upstairs meeting room for £2,429 whilst delivering a modest operating surplus over the period. This included making £7,746 in Charitable donations.
Based on current levels of giving, budget estimates for 2023-24 indicate that with a 75% part-time minister in post, there may be a modest operating surplus of circa £600. This does not allow for any further major improvements at the church. Costs beyond April 2024 are anticipated to increase depending on inflation and coming off fixed price contracts for gas and electricity. During the pastoral vacancy, funds have been accumulated in a Future Ministry Fund which will be used to cover any funding gap in the short term with an expectation that the church will grow and giving will increase. This fund will only last a few years.
The Church's debts to the Baptist Union Defined Benefit Pension Scheme have now been eliminated. As a result of national initiatives by the Baptist Union, the monthly pension deficit payments were reduced to a nominal £1 during this financial period.
The charity’s policy on reserves
The Church relies on voluntary donations from those attending to fund all of its activities including the employment of a Minister. Additional receipts come from rents for the use of church properties which can be planned for. One-off donations are received on an ad hoc basis.
In the event the Church ceased to function or attract people, expenditure would end very quickly other than outstanding utility bills and any payments due to any employed Minister under their terms of employment. It may then be necessary to pay and house the Minister for a 6-month notice period. In cash flow terms a reserve of around £15,000 is deemed sufficient.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signed ______ Date _ Rev Dr Robert Foster, Trustee
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Belper Baptist Church for the year ended 5 April 2023
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Belper Baptist Church (the charity) for the year ended 5 April 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity 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 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.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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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 ____ Date _______ John O’Brien MSc, FCCA, FCIE Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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Belper Baptist Church Receipts & payments account for the year ended 5 April 2023
| 2022 £ Note Receipts 6644 Weekly loose offerings 27395 Covenanted Gift Aid offerings 3384 Donations and other income 1752 Income tax recovered on Gift Aid offerings 2 8955 Rents and contributions for use of premises 3 110 Raised for other causes - Bank interest 48240 Total receipts Payments 900 Ministry - Major church improvements 6 388 Leadership team expenses 4691 Fees & insurances 4 6551 Mission - support to outside bodies 5 3063 Utility bills 2773 Upkeep of Church premises 405 Light company (Junior Church) 3709 Baptist pension deficit 1646 Miscellaneous, Magazines & printing 24126 Total payments 24114 Net receipts/(payments) 66245 Cash funds at start of this period 90359 Cash funds at end of this period |
2023 £ 7540 31400 2667 7510 11067 251 308 |
|---|---|
| 60743 | |
| 21004 11434 1721 4469 7746 3910 5131 918 1258 771 |
|
| 58362 | |
| 2381 90359 |
|
| 92740 |
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Belper Baptist Church Statement of assets and liabilities at 5 April 2023
| 2022 £ Cash assets 20275 Current account (general) 70084 Capital reserve account 90359 Other monetary assets 7504 Debtors - Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid offerings 812 Prepayments - Fees and insurances 8316 Assets retained for the charity’s own use 1973239 Insured value of church buildings 245000 Market value of Blackden Manse General equipment |
2023 £ 22347 70393 |
|---|---|
| 92740 | |
| 8618 2374 |
|
| 10992 | |
| 2076491 245000 |
Audio visual equipment, purchased January 2023, cost £9,005 Kitchen appliances purchased October 2017, cost £1,709
| Liabilities (15792) Creditors - Fees and insurances (15792) |
(516) |
|---|---|
| (516) |
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed _____ Dated _____ Rev David Harvey, Trustee
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Belper Baptist Church Notes to the accounts for the year ended 5 April 2023
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
2. Income tax recovered on gift aid offerings
HMRC Tax rebate for the period to April 2022.
3. Rents and contributions for use of premises
- Rent for use of building by H4B = £1,800 Plus, £8,712, (which represents the net rental income for the manse, after management fees of £1,188 were deducted) plus other rents of £555.
4. Fees & insurance
- £3,775 Fees & insurance plus £694 professional fees.
5. Mission – Support to outside bodies
Charitable giving to HOPE Belper. BMS, Home Mission, sundry donations and DEC Syria/Turkey.
6. Major church improvements
- £9,005 Audio Visual Technology upgrade and £2,429 for the creation of an upstairs meeting room.
7. Fund Analysis
| Unrestricted funds General Benevolent Fund Local Causes Manse Repair Fund Tithe BMS Emergency Appeals Future ministry Home Mission |
Opening balance £ 27672 2818 1043 4150 2869 - 215 51592 - 90359 |
Receipts £ 52241 - - - 5888 - - 2614 - 60743 |
(Payments) £ (50990) (500) (2000) (872) - (2000) - - (2000) (58362) |
Transfers £ (7200) - 2000 - (6000) 2000 - 7200 2000 - |
Closing balance £ 21723 2318 1043 3278 2757 - 215 61406 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92740 |
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Belper Baptist Church Notes to the accounts for the year ended 5 April 2023
Active Designated Funds:
Benevolent Fund: Balance £2,318. Purpose: To enable the Minister to distribute funds at their discretion to meet individual needs within the fellowship or wider community.
Local Causes: Balance £1,043 Purpose: To support projects in the local community. The funds are currently committed to supporting the Hope for Belper Community Hub and Food Bank.
Manse Repair Fund: Balance £3,278 Purpose: To fund any repairs or upgrades to the Manse.
Tithe: Balance £2,757. Purpose: To build up a fund to distribute as Charitable Giving. 10% of donations and other income is set aside in this fund. It is distributed once a year by the Church Members usually based on the recommendations of the trustees.
BMS: Balance £0. Purpose: To support the work of the Baptist World Wide Mission.Any balance results from the annual distribution of funds accumulated in the Tithe Designated Fund. Contributions are made each year from a distribution of the tithe on receipts.
Emergency Appeals: Balance £215. Purpose: To enable the Church trustees to respond quickly to World wide emergency appeals. The fund is topped up from general funds.
Future Ministry: Balance £61,406. Purpose: To build up funds to cover any shortfall between the future costs of employing a Minister and receipts. During the pastoral vacancy, a sum was added to this fund equivalent to the monthly costs of employing a 3/4 time Minister together with some post tithe Manse rental and solar panel receipts. Funds may be reallocated for other ministry and missional purposes.
Home Mission: Balance £0. Purpose: To support the wider Baptist Family through the provision of Regional ministry and grants to churches. Contributions are made each year from a distribution of the tithe on receipts.
8. Trustees’ remuneration
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
9. Glossary of terms
Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
Debtors: These are amounts owed to the charity, but not received in the accounting period.
Prepayments: These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting period.
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