Русская Православная Церковь Заграницей | Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe| Великобританскаяи Западно - Европейская Епархия ## **Diocesan Chancellery** **58 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton. CH43 2HY** # **Annual General Meeting held (virtually) on 21st September 2025** **Agenda Open with prayer Those present and apologies Annual Report Financial Statement AOB Close with blessing** ## **Annual Report** ## **Submitted to the Annual General Meeting of the Trustees of the Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe (ROCOR)** **This report is presented to the Trustees by the Chancellor of the Diocese at its meeting on the 21st September 2025 held virtually. This meeting also received the financial statement with the Financial Report to be submitted to the Charity Commissioners of England and Wales by October 31st 2024 at the latest.** ## **Introduction** **The Diocese has had Charitable Status since November 9[th] 2020. It will submit its Annual Report and Financial Statement by October 31st 2025 at the very latest. It will normally submit its reports to the Charity Commission at about this time as the accounting year concludes on December 31[st] each year. In future years, the timetable of accounting will hopefully be closer to the close of the accounts. It is usual for Charities to have 10 months from January 1st each year to submit their accounts and reports to the Charity Commission. The Diocesan Chancellor sought specialist advice from our appointed auditors and the reports are enclosed.** Diocesan Chancellery, 58 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, Wirral, United Kingdom. CH43 2HY - **Fulfilment of the Aims of the Diocese.**  **Establishing places of worship and devotion of the Russian Orthodox Faith.** **The Diocese maintains over 40 places of worship across Great Britain, Ireland and Western Europe. The Diocese has opened new places of worship. Its missions in the United Kingdom such as Bury St Edmunds seem to be progressing well as are the new Parishes in Lichenstein and Rome. The Parish in St Leonards is in the process of purchasing its own building. The Diocese hopes to address the situation in Spain and Gibraltar in the near future. There are, nevertheless expanding opportunities for worship throughout the many national territories of the Diocese. The Diocesan Chancellor is pleased to report that the Diocese has continued to experience marked growth and exciting developments with the Diocesan Youth, with many adult baptisms and growing congregations. Our established Cathedrals and Parishes have continued to benefit from an influx of the Faithful and an increased fervour. The ordination of new clergy has continued which helps the Diocese to meet the needs of an ever-growing number of worshippers. There continues a pressing need to establish male and female monasteries. The new Convent of the Annunciation in Didcot has already been a great blessing. The purchase of a large property in France for a monastic community is in an early stage of development. The Diocesan Bishop has visited many of our parishes this year which continues to strengthen their resolve and fervour of faith. There has been an appeal for funds to purchase a new residence and Diocesan Chancellery which is hoped will come to fruition in 2026. This will be the first time that the Diocese will be able to own its own office, administrative centre and episcopal residence since its formal registration as a charity in 2020. It is hoped to establish deaneries across the Diocese later this year to add to the pastoral care of the clergy and their parishes, to aid efficiency and to improve communication. Closer relations have been established between the Serbian Diocese and the Antiochian Diocese in the United Kingdom during this past year.** - **Raising awareness of the Russian Orthodox Faith and encouraging missionary and outreach activities to enlighten others about the Russian Orthodox Faith.** **The Diocesan website and the websites of the Diocesan parishes and missions are very well visited and used. These are means of reaching out to a wider group of people. New missions in new areas bring great blessings and soon attract new worshipers. There is outreach through a wide variety of means including youth camps, food banks and collections for good causes. The Diocese provides aid to refugees from Ukraine and assists our communities in the Holy Land. It has sent considerable funds to our Synod in New York to be distributed for charitable purposes. All these activities were greatly enhanced by the visit of the Myrrh Streaming Icon of the Mother of God from Hawaii in November. This drew thousands of worshippers across the Diocese both in the UK and in Continental** Diocesan Chancellery, 58 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, Wirral, United Kingdom. CH43 2HY **Europe. The Diocese is even now preparing for a visit from the Wonderworking Kursk Root Icon this October, November and early December.** - **Carrying out Russian Orthodox religious practices, devotional acts and pilgrimages.** **The Diocese has sponsored its annual European Music conference which was a great success in London. This drew singers from Orthodox parishes from Eastern Europe, Germany and Western Europe, Great Britain and the United States of America. This activity greatly enhances the traditional worship for which Russian Orthodoxy is known. There have been many pilgrimages. A Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was unfortunately cancelled due to the political situation in the Holy Land. Many other pilgrimages took place across the Diocese blessed by the Diocesan Bishop. All these activities strengthen and enhance the spiritual lives of the Faithful and lead to more and more devotion not least to the saints of the Godpreserved lands of Western Europe and the British Isles. This year, in November the Diocesan Bishop will call together all his clergy to Geneva for a Clergy Convocation. This will bring together more than 40 clerics from right across the Diocese, clerics from different national backgrounds and with different linguistic and cultural needs yet all united in their one faith in Christ.** - **Providing religious education, training and resources to the Russian Orthodox Faith community.** **Many of our parishes have Sunday Schools and youth activities. There have been youth camps held for example in Switzerland and young peoples work camps organised to support parishes for instance in building activities in the London Cathedral where a new book stall has been constructed in the grounds. Readers are regularly trained within the parishes and the Diocesan Cathedrals and larger parishes act as a resource for the training of new clergy. The Diocesan website and other websites blessed by the Diocesan Bishop continue to make available the many riches of the Orthodox devotional and liturgical tradition for a wider audience.** ## **Conclusion** **The Diocese is much stronger position both spiritually and materially. We should aim over the coming years to consolidate the achievements of the past year and to move towards the establishment of a permanent residence for the Bishop and the establishment of monastic life in the Diocese as spiritual resources and places of devotion and training. It is with deep gratitude to God that all these positive developments are reported to this meeting and a real sense of hope enables us to embrace our future.** ## **Archpriest Paul Elliott** Diocesan Chancellery, 58 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, Wirral, United Kingdom. CH43 2HY **Chancellor of the Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe (ROCOR)** Diocesan Chancellery, 58 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, Wirral, United Kingdom. CH43 2HY ## Diocese of Great Britain and Western Europe (ROCOR) ## Balance Sheet ## As of December 31, 2024 ||TOTAL| |---|---| |Fixed Asset|| |**Total Fixed Asset**|| |Cash at bank and in hand|| |The Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland (ROCOR) (9068)|281,103.48| |**Total Cash at bank and in hand**|**£281,103.48**| |NET CURRENT ASSETS|**£281,103.48**| |NET CURRENT ASSETS (LIABILITIES)|**£281,103.48**| |TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES|**£281,103.48**| |TOTAL NET ASSETS (LIABILITIES)|**£281,103.48**| |Charity funds|| |Opening Balance Equity|38,310.52| |Retained Earnings|222,275.80| |Surplus/(Deficit)|20,517.16| |**Total Charity funds**|**£281,103.48**| **1/1** **Accrual Basis Tuesday, 13 May 2025 11:45 am GMT+01:00** THE DIOCESE OF GREAT BRrrAIII AND ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER i) ADnu•lA¢counts & 2) Report 3) ¢omryi% ststs￿l of FInwI￿ ALthiiie4 S)*18nd r¢lakd T trust¢¢s consid¢rthat all audit is for the yegr (uth s43(2) of the A¢t It is my w￿￿]bIlity to.. ¢xamiDe the K¢¢)unts 0&ts143(3X¥) if the 1993 Ad): CoThmi88ione¥s (wider 843 (7) (b) of the 1993 Act. •% arnend￿). Clwity Conlltiis8ion¢n. AD exAMID￿ includes & revi¢w of the acxountiti8 Te¢ixdq kept by tho Clwity and 4 ¢OMpa￿ of the I￿)Unts pre￿I•j with th¢x recorth. It ￿80 includes Conside￿1￿ of UDul￿ it¢m8 cff di8closurts in the ac¢(rtmts, and Seeking expla￿110￿8 from yw as Tnutre4 coNYnin8 •ny s￿h mattern. The w￿￿ur¥j ¢orwuendy, I do DL* apress audii OPiDiOD on the vi¢w given by th¢ accounts. Ind•p•JdeAt •t*ltmeAt l) wbi¢h gives Te&8orAbk ¢4UBe ty beli¢Y¢that reop￿< the with the 8ccountin8 Wutren￿nts of 1993 Act been n*L' 2) to which. in nry (Wlnio￿ atrenti￿ be ty&rto CYew&C SW177NF JO 2025