Horfield Methodist Church Annual Report: September 2020 - August 2021
Context
Horfield Methodist Church is part of the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Circuit, which includes forty churches across both local authority areas, led by a Superintendent Minister. This circuit is one of nine in the Bristol Methodist District, which also covers most of Gloucestershire and part of both Wiltshire and Somerset.
The minister appointed to Horfield has oversight of four other Methodist churches in the Circuit as well as Horfield, so about seventy percent of our acts of worship are led by one of his ordained colleagues or by a Methodist Local (lay) Preacher. We acknowledge the contribution that each of them makes to our core activity of Christian worship.
The Church registered as a charity on 20 October 2020 so this is the first annual report.
Year under review
The year will be remembered against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. The life and witness of Horfield Methodist Church were not immune from the difficulties and challenges faced by individuals and organisations alike.
Face-to-face church activities had stopped earlier in March 2020, when the UK's first period of lock down began. Alternative arrangements for church worship were put in place, focussed initially on a short, pre-recorded service available on YouTube. This was supplemented by weekly online gatherings for church members and others, weekly distribution of the church newsletter (electronically where possible) and an emphasis on keeping in touch with those who were vulnerable and without electronic communication.
When restrictions relaxed, a thorough risk assessment was prepared and implemented before inperson church activities restarted. This allowed worship to take place in the church building, for a period in autumn 2020, supplemented by the use of Zoom to allow remote attendance, in turn this facilitated fully online worship during a second period of lock-down. More recently, we have continued to offer hybrid worship, in-person and online together, and plan to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Sunday morning Junior Church was available to children and their parents via Zoom. Other church activities which rely on in-person attendance were impacted but we were able to continue Messy Church by offering some online material and by delivering individual packs to families and others.
Several community-led groups hire our premises regularly. Some of these were able to return during the late spring and summer of 2020, having implemented their own risk assessments to complement those put in place for the building as a whole. Income from these, and other lettings, was the significant cause of a drop in income for the year under review. The full financial statement accompanies this report.
Discussions were held during the year with a nearby Methodist Church (Bishopston) about the possibility of that church merging with Horfield, but maintaining a presence on two sites. That took place from 1 September 2021, so next year’s report will include Bishopston’s activities too as we are working on the basis that we are one church on two sites. Representatives from Bishopston have been included as trustees since 1 September.
Rev Patrick Stonehewer
on behalf of the Managing Trustees, 3 February 2022
CHURCH (Short Fornil RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS (SHORT FORM) Hotfeld Methodist church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2021 Bristol & South Gloucestershire Clrcuft Clr¢utt no 7/1 R?glgtgr¢d Charlty- Charlty R8g15tratlon number 1191908 If not a regrèt•r8d charity Her Majesty¥ Rovenu• ind Custom• Gfft Ald number ITh8 HMRC nurnb•r wuwaltrnt to a reglstered ch8Tlty numbw in tem)s ofevKJence of charit&bk status 8n¢ msy ba used to gwe to dontrs orgranlfundvrs %ishing to $e8 evK#8nc& ol the organoatKJn'8 chafi18bl8 slalus. Moihodtsi chaEitle5 in England and Waks that are not reglstered charitEs a excepted from wi8tration under Statutory In8trurn8nt 2014 No.2421 Mii¢er. Rov Palitk Stonehaw8T Church StevAfd& AAmin TRIr Treasurer.. *rtSl10n olacclJ2012 R.Px Halen wlbrid
Horfleld Mothodlst r¢•A Tg) IUIO F4 •1 147 torpUNATKQop¥uR ,Fx 1&7)) Ec7% k•L*JKEsTLL
Name 0fchuh...M0ffldIthIrt Declaratlons and Scrutiny I Confi that these Receipt Bnd Paymentb&88d for yearto 31 Auw 2021 have been Kyepared Irom the record5 olthe Church 8nd thatthey IrlUde all fLmds uNlerihe control of tha Church sbnaI ot1ToB8Wer.... . O@te....l.L! kz4 N8me 4nd address oftreasixer......... HÉièTr Wgllbrfdgo 20 Qtaroleycrescenl. Herte8ze, Brt(A BS9 4PG Prns•nWon to the Ch¥rch truits•¥ I confm that th8 repcyt accounts fof the yearended 31 AuSt2021 wereMIH to the ofts Ctruch trustees hekl on..19 ts.qD6krt 2021 SYJnare¢tfftè Chalrof meetir¥J ...... fftRick ST[)A.0.. Dqte............. . . ... Nameol Ihe Ch81r of rnetw ............................. 19 KloVÉW8tr< aol) Indopgndont Examln8rf$ Roport to th• Trustso9 of tho Horflold M•thodlst Church Ch4rfty P4umb•r. 1191900 Ro8ponslbllltlè# and bas18 of r•port 61'thELb tTh(Jiisr I nryport to the trustees on my e¥arnlMtion ofthe 8fxounts ofthe........................................ CtKJrch for the year8nded 31 August 2021 set out pages.1. lo .1 Ast1* Church's trusl8e8, 8re respDnsIt48 forthe pwération of the 41xounts in trI)¢O with Ihe reqthrements of th& Chjrffjes Act 2011 Ilho Act'i. I r8POrt in respad of my examlnation of thè Church's aCntS C&tri¥d out under secllon 14Sof the A¢1 an¢. in catyng OLrt myexamlnab'on. I have 811 Ihe appIta6 Dlreclonskmven by Ihe Chaflty Commssion U1$sCIon 1{5>(bI tsfthpAct ' dete orctrcl8 as 8pp¥oprbte
Name ofChur¢h.. lirW Moth)dt Indepgn4gntExamln8f8 Stat6m8nt I h8v& 0)Meted my8X8mlnatkJn. I confmi thatrn mat8rf81 mattor¥ hwe come ¢0 my0ttenn ln o)nnethn with the examinauon Ictherlhan Ihtttdisdosed b4) %hrth qlve me to Nleve thet in. ny rnAter501 reswt the actwTrln9 records were rrt7t kept in arLordanc8 vnth 8eLtion 130 oftha Ac( or thè atxounts do not aford sccounllng records. ilho Itho I h8v8 rrj CDnceTnB and hav? come acrD85 ro ollw matters th ¢trTmti¢ton Oxamination tovthkh aitantion shoukl be drawn Ri report ¢rd8r b èn8Ue a wopar underst8ndw of the accounts b) i I htr•lh8¥8 not. obtalrnd Ind6Fendont verfficellon ol oll hve¥trnents wlth Ihe Trwt•e¥ for MettK)dist Cmrth PK>se5 orheld ID othertrntsts, t4nk baLan¢e$ and fu18 atth8 Central Flnance Board oftha Mthodl8t whk are IndivU811y in excess of£10.000 Ilen thousaTKI pDUnd5I8tt ba19n slwt Swnatur8 of 1re¢jent èxamher ..... ........... .. .. . .... ... . . Naffl8 of knd8pend8ntexamlner Rdevarrt tKofwlttnttl qLlrficalon of ir8dent0aminw ............................................. Nam offimi Iwhw? 8pwowfatsi .............................................................................. . Addr•55 '.i.iol.zJ..... ' ddete cdrde 88 8wropr4at8 Sop21 Chutchshjrt Stdfcrfmofarcts R.P2012.x
Name of Chtjrch .. Hoffl8kJ Meth)diBt Indopfrndent ExamIn0$ Statom?nt I have completed my ex8minallon. I corfm) that M materfal matters have come to my attentlon In connectK*n with th8 examination (other than that disclosed below.) which give me u38 to believe that in. any m8terial respect.. the accoUnng records were not kept In accordance with Sectlon 130 of the ACL or Ihe accounts do not accord wlth the accountlng rOrdS. Ithe [th8 I hav8 Th) C(eMB and havg comg auosg nD olheT matteTr In conn8Ction Imth th8 8xamlnatlon to whlch 8tt8ntion 8Uld dravm in th18 r8POrt in ordor to enable 8 proper understsndlng of the accounts to be reached. I I8ve rv oblained Independent verfflcatlon of all Investrnents wlth the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank tqlances and fund$ at th8 Central Flnance Board of th8 Methodist Church whkh are Individually in excess of £10,000 {ten thousand wunds) at the balance shgot date. Slgnature of independent examingr Name of independent examiner .............. Relev8nt yole881on81 ou8llficatlon of Independent examlner Nam8 of firn {wther9 approwia18) Addrgss . Po$tCode .... 1.101.21.... ddete or clr¢le a$ approprlate Sep21 Churth short Std form of 4ccts R.P2012.xl8 4d4