New Zion Christian Fellowship Report and Accounts Year ended 31 March 2022 Stewardship Acrive gener0511y 1 Larnb's Pa55age. LO￿ EC1Y 8AB vAM.stewardship.oTg.uk NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE YEAR ENOED 31 MARCH 2022 ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 140 Cole Green Lane Wewn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO- Foundation registered 12 Novembor 2020 CK4RITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1192292 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE CHARITY Susan Brown Sanlosh Chacko {appointed Sèptember 20221 Peter Ek1[￿e Alan Hill (to April 20221 Caroline Reeves Gillrdn IAlhitcombe BANKERS SantsrKleT UK plc CTroperati¥e Bank INDEPENDENT EXAMINER J¥imèe Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Pa88age LONDON EC1Y 8AB INDEX Poge 1 Pages 24 Page 9 Page 10 Page11 Pages 12-13 Legal and Adminislralive Detai18 Trustees. Report Independent Examiners Report R￿1p1S and P•yTrents Acwunl stalen￿nI of Assets & L￿blIrt Notes to A￿oUnts P4e1 NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operatln8 as a CIO Trustees Annual Report Summary New Zion Christian Fell¢)w5hip wa5 appr<￿ed as a Registered Charity 1192292 on the 12 November 2020. This report provides a review of the new chariws structure, legal purpose5, objective5, artivities, financial performance and financial position durin8 its first IG months of opefation (i.e. 12 November 2020 to 51h April 20221 and provides examples of the results that have been achieved. Charity Purpose The purpose of the charlty Is as deflned Sn the Governing Docurnent (also known as the Constltutlonl. New Zion Christian Fellowship operates for the public benefit. the advancement of the Christian faith in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire and such other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charlty trustees may from time to time decide. To deliver this Purpose. Trustees make all financial and operational decisions by havin8 regard to the guidance Issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. Vlslon and Values The Church advances the Christian faith in accordance with Biblical teachin8s which include clear and ethlcal 8uldellnes recognlsed over a very long period of time. These include the requirements of the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus that are often summarised in his command5 to "love the Lord vour God and love your neighbour as yourselr. Objertives To advance the Christlan faith by providin8 a safe and loving place of worshlp for any member of the public who comes to the church 8enuinely seeking God. To deliver public benefit by servin8 the local and wider community through prayer and practlcal support. Our Foodbank, that has operated continuously for the last 12 years, Is one example of thi5. Activities and Achievements l. Providing a place of Worship New Zion Chrlstlan Fellowship loperatin8 as a CIO) is an Independent Church, located in an extensive residential area and close to an NHS Trust Hospital. We are open weekly for main public worship, bible study Broups and prayer meetin85. Specifically: Sunday mornings 10.30 Monday prayer meeting5 19.30 {except bank holldays} Wednesday early prayer 07.(Xl Friday bible study 10.30 (except bank holidays) Friday evening prayer and praise 21. NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP egistered Charrty 1192292 Operating as a CIO Meetings are available to all membefs of the public and are advertised via word of mouth, church notices. our website. While typically, Sunday morning worship is attended by approximately 60 people, our full list of regular 3ttendee5 comprises of 71 adults ond 22 children. In addition to these public meetin8s, we have regular gatherings for our church member5 that focus on healing and intercession prayer and evan8eSi5m. Having worship and prayer at different tirnes of day, and on different day5 of the week, givps everyone the opportunity to participate in our artivities, regardless of whether they work shifts or have weekend commitments. Our website also contains a library of audio and video recordings from our Sunday meetings that enable people to acoss God's message as shared by our speaker. at any time of day or ni8ht that works for them. 2. Responding to the Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic presented us with si8nifi¢ant challenges 35 a Small and very dlverse church. However. during lockdown, we were very successful at implementing all the changes that were needed to contlnue to be a "vlrtual" place of worship vla an Internet video conferencin8 Ilnk. Achleving this goal, required us not only to overcome all the a550ciated technical issues but also to provide indSvidual I to I 5UPPOrt for anyone who was stru881in8 to connect to the meeting. Since Au8USt 2021. as we have 8radually resumed operations Wlthln the church buildln8, we have established procedures in order to comply wlth the current government guidance and to continue to safe8uard our most vulnerable members who attend the meetin8S. God h35 blessed us amazingly in the Covid crisis. Our implementation of video conferencing technolo8Y means that worshiping together as a church is no lon8er limited by 8eo8raphy. health or personal Sltuatlon. By continuin8 to Provlde a video conference link to our Sunday Morning Worship lal our extended church family from all over the UK and from the world and Ibl people who are unwell, or who are still shieldinB due to lon8 term health issues, can still continue to connert, come tO8ether and participate in worship with us. We truly believe there are no barrier5 in God's Kin8dom. 3. Workln8 as a Church Famlly New Zlon Christlan Fellowship operates as 3 "Church Fafflil￿, where no one 15 excluded and all famlly mernbers are respected, valued and precious in the sight of God. We believe this is central to both our Values, and to delivering our Purposes as a charity in a modern and dtverse world. The principle of working as a family comes from our Faith that as Christians we are all one body in Chrlst. Indlvldual family members are lust like the different parts of a human body; we all look different and we all have very different funrtions. but none of us can claim to be more valuable than the other. Some example5 Of how being a church famity delivers benefits are given below: The church has both regular attendees and "walk-in" visitors who come from natlons all over the world and who are from very different social and economic back8rounds. We extend the same love, respect and welcome to everyone who tomes through the door seeking God. regardless of their race, age. gender, physical or mental ability etc. Help is always on hand for families with young children and for our less mobile family members. Aware of individual needs, at our meetings we provide facilities such a5 more comfortable armchair seatin& a dedicated mother and baby room and a fully accessible cloakroom We positively celebrote our international diversity! For example- individuals are free to sing and pray in whatever language feels right to them. People can share a testimony about issues affecting their family and ask for prayer for a need anywhere in the world. In common with many families, we often NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Re8i5tered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO eat together as 3 church and on these occasions. people are usualty encouraged to cook a national dlsh so we all enjoy different cultures. 4. Helping those in Need- Foodbank The New Zion Christian Fellowship Foodbank was started in Novernber 2tX)9 and has continued to be open every week to provide food to those in need. We now provide the only foodbank service that is available in Welwyn Garden City and hold on to the ori8inal vision that for people who are struggling to.make ends meet, an emer8ency food parcel can be a gift from God at just the right time. eration We operate by providin8 our food vouchers to or8anisations across Welvryn Garden City and Hatfield who work wlth those In need. These include health visitors. the Citizen's Advice. mental health workers, community centres, children's centres, parent support workers and many more. These independent organisations 8ive out vouchers to those in need. regardless of race. 8ender, a8e or religion. This ensures that the voucher5 reach those who are most vulnerable and with no discrimination. We are willing to provhle vouchers to any organisatlon who come into contott with people In need. A voucher can be ex¢han8ed for a parcel of food on a Wednesday morning at our fellowship building. The food parcel is made up of non.perishable items such as tins of meat or fish, cereals, pasta, rlce etc. and fresh food includin8 fruit. ve8etables and bread that have been 8ifted by local supermarket5. The Individual chooses 20-25 item5 which provides enough food to13st 34 days. The Food Bank is run by a team of approximately 12 volunteers. who also offer tea and coffee and a listening ear. We are incredibly thankful for all the food donations that we receive from the general public and, in response, we provlde the guarantee that everything that IS given will reach people in need within the community. Even when we receive a level of food donations that exceeds our stora8e capacity, our approach is to bless other local foodbanks by donatin8 the produce to them. We also receNe financial donations and grants for the fi)odbank that are classed as Restricted Funds for thls purpose only. These agaln are spent entirely on food / fi)od storage supplie5, because all other major costs involved in our operation le.8. labour, buildin8 premises. administration) are provided by the Fellowship. Achlevem Over the perlod of the COVID-19 pandemlc, the foodbank has very successfully adapted Its ways of workln8 In order to continue to operate while keeping the safety of our vi51tors as our first priority. Slnce October 2021, we have seen a significant rise in the numbef of people in need coming to the foodbank. We now anticipate that the total number of food voucher5 redeemed will rise from the previous long term average of 18CW) vouchers / year, to a level around 22tK) vouchers I year. Even though thls represents an in¢rease of 20-25Yo in the amount of food we provide. we have never at any time run short of supplies or failed to meet the needs of our clients. Since many of our voucher5 feed a whole famity. often in a very desperate sltuation, we believe that going forward the foodbank will deliver an increasingly valuable service to the local community. nt 5. Helping those in Need - Prayer We believe in the power of prayer and therefore it is fundamental to every aspect of how we deliver benefit to both the local and world-wide community- We believe in the need for both individual prayer and for prayer as a fellowship "bodf Ithe whole church united in f31th for a specific outcome). NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operatin8 as a CIO We have a number of approaches to prayer which include: Prayer during any of our regular meetings Specific healing and intercession prayer The "Prayer Chain" individual prayer requests can be sent to an administrator, who then shares the request via Text and WhatsApp with all participatin8 members of the church. Individuals within the church can request prayer for thern5elves, their family and the people they come into contact with in their daily nves. As a body we come together to pray for local issues, for hospitals and schools, for governments, and for whole nations. Over the last 16 month5. we have seen God move in so many situations and continue to see this as pivotal to our role within the community. 6. Providing Premises for Baptlsm, Marrlage, and Memorlal Servlces While this is a very much smaller part of our artivities, it is none the less an intrinsic part of both advancing the Chflstian faith and delivering public benefrt. The church buildin8 is licenced for the purposes of marriage and a member of the Spirltual Leadership team holds the pastoral responsibility for condurtln8 both marriage ceremonies and funerals. In addition. we hold speclal services where infants I babies can be dedicated to God and where new Christian5 who have come to know Jesus as their Saviour, can be Baptised. During the feporting period the church has condurted approximately ten 8aptlsms, one Infant dedicatlon, one marria8e, two memorial services. All were socially distanced and compliant with the government guidelines for that specific point in time. Grants and Donations The church charity also achieves its Stated Purposes of deliverin8 public benefit and advancin8 the Christian faith by givln8 financially to charFtles, or8anisation5 and people around the world whose work aims to achleve these same goals. Examples of the types of organisations who receive our donatK>ns include numerous local churches and local community volunteer 8roups- Christians Against Poverty. Iris Ministries {who provides 5UPPOrt to communities in crisls-stricken regions of Afiical,. The Gideon5: Good News UK and UCB la Chflstian new5 website and radio 5tationl,' Open Door5 {supportin8 Christians world-wide who suffer discrimination and persecution). E55entially there are three different approaches to fundin8 for Grants and Donations: Monthly Mlsslons Donatlons are rnade by the charity (total £1150 per monthl. Thi5 fundln8 comes directly from the charivs income and is used to support a missionary in Pemba, Mozambique and to give regular monthly donations to Iris Ministries UK and to Great Lakes Outreach, Burundi. Church Charlty Tlthe. In accordance wrth the Biblical principle of "tithing" IO% of the charity's income Is Put into a designated fund within the church accounts. At regular intervals durin8 the year, the Splritual Leadership Team then seek wisdom from God a5 to where portions of the fund should be "sown"18iven, donated) in order to achieve the charitls Purposes. For thi5 reason, we believe we are small shareholders in the success of very many diverse, world-wide Christian ministries. Monthly Offering. Every rnonth, church member5 are given the option of contributin8 money to a specific charity, Christian ministry. or individual. These causes always share our goals of advancing the Christian faith and delivering public benefit. so supportin8 thern is a key element of the work that we NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP e8i5tered Charity 1192292 Operatin8 as a CIO Role of Volunteers Unpaid volunteers deliver most of the church tharlvs work and therefore we are able to provide public benefit with minimal overheads. Volunteer roles inclLbde the leadership. management and administration of the charity. the foodbank. the meetings and the finances. The speakers at our Sunday Morning worship are typically ordinary members of the church, as are the people who run our Bible study groups and who lead prayer and healing meetings. In addition to volunteers the charity has three employee5 who are contracted to work 30 hodrs per month at National Minimum Wage. In 2021 this was equivalent to £72CKI per annum per employee. Volunteer Documen ati n and Trainin All volunteers are required to complete an applicatlon form and provide 3 Reference. Any volunteers working in the church building are made aware of the fire evacuation procedure. Volunteers working at the Foodbank. or any role involvin8 children, young people or adults èt risk of harm, are required to have a DBS check and to Sl8n I comply with New Zion Christian Fellowship'5 C¢xle of Conduct. In addrtion, these volunteer5 are made aware of the church's own Safeguarding Policy and are encouraged to undertake a formal 2-hour Safeguarding Training Course. We have volunteers fom)ally assigned to key foles such as Safe8uardin8 Coordinator, Fire Warden and Treasurer who undertake any specific trainin8 required for their role. Financial Review l. Revlew of Flnanclal Posltlon The charity is In a strong and stable financlal posltlon. The Income and out8oln8s have remalned stable throu8hout the year, and we hold more than the reserve agreed by the trustees. Restricted funds The restricted fund5 Include the foodbank and offering5 la monthly collertlon for a variety of causes the charlty supports). The foodbank had outgoin8s of 7K and an began the year at £24K and finished at £39K. this puts the fund In a good place for servin8 the community over the comin8 years. The charity's involvement with the Mercy fund is soon to end due to this now being administered by the charity members to support individuals in need. nr trirt d funds The funds started the year at £155K and finished at £IS9K. Given the agreed reserve of £85K we are in a very good position. We hold aside IO% of income in a designated 'tithe' fund that is exclusively for glvln8 to other Chrlstlan work Inltlatlves. 2. Sources of Income The charity receives donations from church members and from other members of the public. We do not or8ani5e or run "fundraising- events. Rather everyihing that come5 to LIS 15 a5 a result of irbdividua15 seeking God for hi5 Will on what they should give to US. In addition. external organisations sometimes provide grants for the foodbank and members of the publlc sometimes make financial donation5 or donate food. Everything given for the foodbank is held in a Restrirted Fund and dedicated fof that purpose only NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operatin8 as a CIO 3. Policy on holding Reserves In 2020, the church building experienced some signtficant subsidence issues as a result of trees owned by the local council damaging a 5ertion of the buildin￿S foundations. Following sorne negotiation, the councll very kindly agreed to pay for the subsidence repair and as a result the building is fully restored and also completely redecorated lin 20211. The subsidence has however left us in the position that we are now unable to obtain building insurance to cover any future, similar incident. Therefore, the Trustees have recommended that the charity holés a reserve of £50,0(Kl to cover the worst case event of having to pay for repair to the building foundations at Some point in the next 20 years. After this period of time building insurance will again be possible. This £50,000 would be In addition to a standard re5enrfe of 6 months income {currently £35,000) making a total of £85.000 to be held a5 reserve funds. Structure, Governance and Management l. Governlng Document New Zion Christian Fellowship is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The organisation's Governin8 Document type is a CIO Foundation Constitution 2. Trustee Governance Procedure5 for the appointment, trainin8, retirement and removal of Trustees are all defined in the CIO Governin8 Oocument / Foundation Constitution. Key points include. but are not lirnited to. the following.. ointment Charity Trustees are appolnted by a fesoltrtlon passed at a meetlng of the Splrltual Leadershlp Team. In alignment with our Statement of Faith (defined in the CIO Governing Document / Constitution) the Team listens to God the Holy Spirit when reviewin& discussing and approving all decision5. Trustee5 are appointed for a term of three years- unless the charity Trustees declde otherwlse In selecting individuals for appointment as charity Trustees. the Spiritual Leadership have regard to the skills. knowledge and experience needed for the effettive administration of the CIO. In addltion, all Trustees must be more than 18 years old and subscribe and adhere to. In belief and lifestyle, the Statement of Falth. Trainin of New Trustees On or before their appointment, charity Trustees provide each new Trustee with the documentation listed below and 3150 follow up on an individual basi5 to ensure understandin8. CIO Governing Document / Constitution and any amendments made to it A copy of the CIO'S latest Charity Trustees, Annual Report and statement of accounts New Zion Christian Fellowship's "Polic￿5 and Documents" that are held in a secure access section of our website- W¥￿v.new110nCf.Thet . These include broad foundational policies on Safeguarding, Equal Opportunwties, Volunteer Management. Safety. Privacy / GDPR. as well specific procedures e.8., for the Management of Expenditure, that are critical to the Tru5tee5 Role. NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Rwstered Charity 1192192 Operatin8 a5 a CIO Retirement or Removal of Trustee5 While 3 trustee can cease to hold office for a number of reasons we expert reSI￿ation. retirement or the completion of a tem of office Iwithout re-appointment) to be primary triggers for the change. In mor@ exceptional circumstances. the charity Trustees may recommend that an individual Trustee should be removed by virtue of their continued absence from meetin85, or because the individual is deemed to be no longer capable of fulfillin8 their duties. This detision would then need to be endorsed bv a re501ution passed by at least 75% of the Spiritual Leadership tearn. Funds held a5 Custodian Trustee on behalf of Others None - Not Applicable Exemptions from Disclosure None- Not Applicable Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the charitvs trustee5 Slgnature{s) Full Trame{sl qETEL Éu)@DQE ekni 4 fr&s P05itlon {e.g¥• Secfetary* Chalr) Date 22 2025 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** ## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF** ## **NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of New Zion Christian Fellowship ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2022 on pages 10 to 13 following . ## **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 2011 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 2011 Act. ## **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 accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Jaimee Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage **LONDON EC1Y 8AB** Date: 23 January 2023 Page 9 14ÈW 210N cH￿sTIAN FELL￿•sHIp RECEIPTS ANO PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Fun0• 71. 112.$94 105.772 7281 7,281 18.488 Int•r•* 224 41 124 Plymw Payrnenti In tyj (*¥ll*• 61.935 .219 19.1181 27.387 47.24b 74 Not ol r•*pts l ¢P•ffj*I b tr•nilw• 6,715 11,378 42,CK19 (12. 12.347 455 N•t mo¥•W￿rt In lu 18.1411 12.347 7.170 11.378 42,Ce9 Ca8h fund$ 8$ al l••lye•r• 155.2 188.933 146,864 C••h •tthl• )*r•nd 147 P4è 10 NEWZION CHRISTIAN FELL(YIISHIP STATEIIENT OF ASSETS AND UABILrnES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 1i4RCH 2022 A C••h lund• 64 824 81.184 617 4n 12.347 118.030 81.184 617 472 107 255 80,896 Petty casb 782 181933 118 F*lllng th• *41Nn ￿. 2130 2.130 810 810 VAIu¢ Equ1W￿ 44.179 44 854 22 23 Petw Eldridge Py11 Tth TL* Fw