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2023-03-31-accounts

New Zion Christian Fellowship

Report and Accounts Year ended 31 March 2023

1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 140 Cole Green Lane Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 3JE GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO - Foundation registered 12 November 2020 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1192292 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Susan Brown MANAGING THE CHARITY Santosh Chacko (appointed September 2022) Peter Eldridge Alan Hill (to April 2022) Caroline Reeves Gillian Whitcombe BANKERS The Charity Bank Limited The Co-operative Bank INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

INDEX

Page 1 Legal and Administrative Details Pages 2-9 Trustees' Report Page 10 Independent Examiner's Report Page 11 Receipts and Payments Account Page 12 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 13-14 Notes to the Accounts

Page 1

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

Trustees Annual Report

Summary

New Zion Christian Fellowship was approved as a Registered Charity 1192292 on the 12[th] November 2020. This report provides a review of the legal purposes, objectives, activities, financial performance, and financial position during the period April 2022 to March 2023. Examples are provided of the results that have been achieved.

Charity Purpose

Vision and Values

The Church advances the Christian faith in accordance with Biblical teachings which include clear and ethical guidelines recognised 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 commands to "love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself".

Objectives

Activities and Achievements

1. Providing a place of Worship

New Zion Christian Fellowship (operating 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 groups and prayer meetings. Specifically:

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

Meetings are available to all members of the public and are advertised via word of mouth, church notices, our website. Typically, Sunday morning worship is attended by approximately 50-60 people, with approximately 6-10 additional people connecting via our Zoom link.

Our use of video conferencing means that worshiping together as a church is not limited by geography, health, or personal situation. Rather our extended church family from all over the UK and the world, as well as people who are unwell, or have long term health issues, can continue to connect and participate in our Sunday worship.

Having worship and prayer at different times of day, and on different days of the week, gives everyone the opportunity to participate in our activities, regardless of their other commitments. Our website also contains a library of audio and video recordings from our Sunday meetings that enable people to access message as shared by our speaker, at any time of day or night that works for them.

2. Working as a Church Family

New Zion Christian Fellowship operates as a Church Family where no one is excluded and all family members 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 diverse world.

The principle of working as a family comes from our Faith that as Christians, we are all one body in Christ. Individual family members are just like the different parts of a human body; we all look different, and we all have very different functions, but none of us can claim to be more valuable than the other.

Some examples of how being a church family delivers benefits are given below:

3. Helping those in Need Foodbank

The New Zion Christian Fellowship Foodbank was started in November 2009 and has continued to be open every week to provide food to those in need. We are the only foodbank service in Welwyn Garden City and hold on to the original vision that, for people who are struggling to make ends meet, an emergency food parcel can be a gift from God at just the right time.

Operation

We operate by providing our food vouchers to organisations across Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield who work with those in need. These include health visitors, the Advice, mental health workers, community centres, schools, surgeries, parent support workers and many more. These

3

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

organisations give out vouchers to those in need, regardless of race, gender, age, or religion. This ensures there is no discrimination and our vouchers reach those who are most vulnerable.

We are willing to provide vouchers to any organisation who work with people in need. In addition, since we are seeing a growing number of church members fall into food poverty, the New Zion Christian Fellowship Leadership Team are now able to assess need against a documented set of criteria and where necessary ensure the family or individual receives a foodbank voucher.

Vouchers can be exchanged for a parcel of food, normally on a Wednesday morning at our fellowship building. Food parcels are made up of non-perishable items such as tins of meat or fish, cereals, pasta, rice etc. and fresh food including fruit, vegetables and bread that have been gifted by local supermarkets. The individual chooses 20-25 items which provides enough food to last 3-4 days. The Food Bank is run by a team of approximately 9 to 12 volunteers.

Donations

We are incredibly thankful for all the food donations that we receive from the general public and, in response, we provide the guarantee that everything that is given will reach people in need within the community. We also receive financial donations and grants for the foodbank that are classed as Restricted Funds for this purpose only. These again are spent entirely on food / food storage supplies, because all other major costs involved in our operation (e.g., labour, building premises, administration) are provided by the Fellowship.

While in common with so many other foodbanks we have seen the level of food donations decrease over the last year, we are still blessed by financial donations that have remained constant. We continue to have sufficient to provide for those in need and sometimes even have an excess of specific products that we can donate to other local foodbanks.

Achievements

Over the last twelve months there has been an unprecedented increase in the cost of living (energy, food, rents) and the biggest impact of this has been felt by those who were already in need. Our customers are now individuals and families in very desperate situations. The number of people coming to the foodbank has increased for the second year running by approximately 15%-20% and we believe our role in the local community has never been more important.

In response to the increased size of our customer group, we have made changes to the way we work in order to improve our efficiency and our ability to support people with many differing needs:

By Grace, we are not a but rather one that continues, as its always done, to serve the local community as a provider of food. More than this though, we encourage, we listen as people

4

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

share their difficult situations, and we pray with and for our customers. We have the privilege of seeing the impact of our work and lives changed by love.

4. 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 (the whole church united in faith for a specific outcome).

We have several approaches to prayer which include:

Individuals within the church can request prayer for themselves, their family and the people they come into contact with in their daily lives. As a body we come together to pray for local issues, for hospitals and schools, for governments, and for whole nations.

5. Providing Premises for Baptism, Marriage, and Memorial Services

While this is a very much smaller part of our activities, it is none the less an intrinsic part of both advancing the Christian faith and delivering public benefit. The church building is licenced for the purposes of marriage and a member of the Spiritual Leadership team holds the pastoral responsibility for conducting both marriage ceremonies and funerals. In addition, we hold special services where infants / babies can be dedicated to God and where new Christians who have come to know Jesus as their Saviour, can be Baptised.

Grants and Donations

The church charity also achieves its stated Purposes of delivering public benefit and advancing the Christian faith by giving financially to charities, organisations, and people around the world whose work aims to achieve these same goals.

Examples of the types of organisations who receive our donations include numerous local churches and local community volunteer groups as well as larger charities such as Christians Against Poverty (CAP); Iris Ministries (who provides support to communities in crisis-stricken regions of Africa); Good News UK and UCB (a Christian news website and radio station); and Samaritans Purse (who this year received £5000 from us for the Turkey/Syria appeal).

Typically, we have three different approaches to funding for Grants and Donations:

5

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

the Tithe has been gifted to a total of fourteen different charities and organisations both local and international. The list includes four schools, the Salvation Army, the Gideons, Christians Against Poverty, the Isobel Hospice, and Christian community centres.

Role of Volunteers

Unpaid volunteers deliver most of the church work and therefore we can provide public benefit with minimal overheads. Volunteer roles include 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 employees who are contracted to work 30 hours per month and are paid at a rate equivalent to £7200 per annum per employee.

Volunteer Documentation and Training

Financial Review

1. Review of Financial Position

The charity is in a strong and stable financial position. The income and outgoings have remained stable throughout the year, and we hold more than the reserve agreed by the trustees.

Restricted funds

There are 2 restricted funds: the foodbank and offerings (a monthly collection for a variety of causes the charity supports). The foodbank had outgoings of 14K and began the year at £39K and finished at £48K, this puts the fund in a good place for serving the community over the coming years.

Unrestricted funds

The funds started the year at £159K and finished at £175K. Given the agreed reserve of £113K we are in a very good position. We hold aside 10% of income in a designated fund that is exclusively for giving to other Christian work initiatives.

6

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

2. Sources of Income

The charity receives donations from church members and from other members of the public. We do not organise or run events. Rather everything that comes to us is as a result of individuals seeking God for his Will on what they should give to us.

In addition, external organisations sometimes provide grants for the foodbank and members of the public sometimes make financial donations or donate food . Everything given for the foodbank is held in a Restricted Fund and dedicated for that purpose only.

3. Policy on holding Reserves

In 2020, the church building experienced some significant subsidence issues as a result of trees owned by the local council damaging a section of the foundations. This has left us in the position that we are now unable to obtain building insurance to cover any future, similar incident. The Trustees have recommended that the charity holds a reserve of £50,000 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, building insurance will again be possible.

This £50,000 would be in addition to a standard reserve of 6 months income (currently £63,000) making a total of £113,000 to be held as reserve funds.

7

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

Structure, Governance and Management

1. Governing Document

New Zion Christian Fellowship is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The Governing Document type is a CIO Foundation Constitution.

2. Trustee Governance

Procedures for the appointment, training, retirement, and removal of Trustees are all defined in the CIO Governing Document / Foundation Constitution. Key points include, but are not limited to, the following:

Appointment

Training of New Trustees

On or before their appointment, charity Trustees provide each new Trustee with the documentation listed below and follow up on an individual basis to ensure understanding.

Retirement of Trustees

While a trustee can cease to hold office for a number of reasons we expect resignation, retirement or the completion of a term of office (without re-appointment) to be primary triggers for the change. In more exceptional circumstances, the charity Trustees may recommend that an individual Trustee should be removed by virtue of their continued absence from meetings, or because the individual is deemed to be no longer capable of fulfilling their duties. This decision would then need to be endorsed by a resolution passed by at least 75% of the Spiritual Leadership team.

3. Changes in 2022

During 2022, we very sadly lost a much-loved brother in Christ, and member of our original Trustee Team, to cancer. Alan Hill is still so dearly missed by us all his wisdom and unique gifts can never be replaced.

For four months the Spiritual Leadership Team waited on God for who to appoint as a new Trustee. Finally, in September 2022, we had the exciting news that church member Santosh George Chacko had been

8

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

offered and had agreed to take on the role of charity Trustee. We are truly blessed to have George as part of the team.

Finally, we are also blessed by the decision that trustees Peter Eldridge and Caroline Reeves have made to continue in their roles for another year. When the charity was registered in November 2020, we were advised that trustee terms should not finish at the same time. Therefore, Peter and Caroline had their term set for 2 years (until November 2022) while the remainder of the team had their term set for 3 years. Going forward the Spiritual Leadership Team will continue, as before, to seek wisdom on the membership of our Trustee Team.

Funds held as Custodian Trustee on behalf of Others

None - Not Applicable

Exemptions from Disclosure

None - Not Applicable

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the report above.

Signed on behalf of the

trustees

----- Start of picture text -----
Signature(s)
P. Eldridge
Full name(s)
Peter Eldridge
Position (e.g.,
Chairman
Secretary, Chair)
Date 21 January 2024
----- End of picture text -----

9

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 2023 on pages 11 to 14 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with

I report in respect of my examination of the 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.

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.

J. Young

Jaimée Young

Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: 22 January 2024

Page 10

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Notes
Income receipts
Donations
Gift aid receipts
Grants
Interest
Other
Total receipts
Payments
2
3
Total payments
Transfers between funds
5
Net movement in funds
Cash funds as at last year end
Cash funds at this year end
A
Net
of
receipts
/
(payments)
before
transfers
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken by others
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly		 General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
87,988
-
-
-
5,157
-
920
-
675
-
94,739
-
48,263
-
19,681
11,000
67,944
11,000
26,795
(11,000)
(59,318)
59,318
(32,523)
48,318
147,097
12,347
114,574
60,665
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
29,656
-
2,250
-
-
31,906
14,247
7,714
21,961
9,945
-
9,945
40,865
50,810		 Total
2023
£
117,643
-
7,407
920
675
126,645
62,510
38,396
100,905
25,740
-
25,740
200,309
226,049		 Total
2022
£
112,594
-
7,281
289
394
120,558
61,935
47,248
109,183
11,376
-
11,376
188,933
200,309

The notes on pages 13-14 form part of these accounts.

Page 11

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

A
Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access
Notice deposits
Unbanked cash
Petty cash
B
Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity
Other debtors
C
Liabilities
Falling due within one year:
Fee for Independent Examination
D
Assets retained for charity's own use
Equipment		 General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
82,407
10,665
32,104
50,000
-
-
63
-
114,574
60,665
17,275
-
-
-
17,275
-
1,320
-
1,320
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
funds
£
50,810
-
-
-
50,810
725
-
725
-
-		 Total
2023
£
143,881
82,104
-
63
226,049
18,000
-
18,000
1,320
1,320
Value
2023
£
49,436
49,436		 Total
2022
£
118,036
81,184
617
472
200,309
-
118
118
2,130
2,130
Value
2022
£
44,179
44,179

The trustees have used insurance values for contents and equipment as the trustees are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values.

E Guarantees and secured debts

The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf

by P. Eldridge

date 21 January 2024

Peter Eldridge

The notes on pages 13-14 form part of these accounts.

Page 12

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

1 Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

2
Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly
Staff costs
Rent
Repairs, maintenance, equipment and utilities
Foodbank ministry
Church activities, support and administration
Visiting speakers
Insurance
Governance and legal fees
3
Grants and gifts paid to others
Organisations:
Iris Ministries
Friends of Charity Organisation, Pakistan
The King's School
Isabel Hospice
Tearfund
Samaritan's Purse
Great Lakes Outreach
Eternal Wall of answered prayer
Community Bible Study
Liberations Ministries [Elim]
Organisations < £1,000
Individuals		 Unrestrict Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,000
1,000
1,000
5,000
-
-
1,000
-
2,000
-
11,000
ed Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
14,247
-
-
-
-
14,247
-
2,390
-
-
430
210
-
-
-
-
1,358
3,327
7,714		 Total
2023
£
21,600
10,000
5,891
14,247
4,404
2,665
1,038
2,665
62,510
2,400
2,390
1,000
1,000
1,430
5,210
2,400
-
1,000
-
3,358
18,208
38,396		 Total
2022
£
21,600
10,000
15,112
7,099
3,541
2,326
937
1,320
61,935
3,520
-
-
-
-
-
2,400
1,000
1,000
1,000
4,170
34,158
47,248
General
funds
£
21,600
10,000
5,891
-
4,404
2,665
1,038
2,665
48,263
2,400
-
-
-
-
-
2,400
-
-
-
-
14,881
19,681

4 Transactions with related parties

Peter Eldridge and Caroline Reeves served as church leaders and were paid £7,200 and £7,200 [2022: £7,200 and £7,200] respectively for serving in that capacity, not for serving as trustees.

A relative of trustee Peter Eldridge was paid £250 [2022: £500], for speaking fees. The governing document supports all above payments.

Page 13

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

5
Movement of funds
General funds
Designated funds
Tithe
Contingency fund
Restricted funds
Mercy Fund
Foodbank
Special offerings
Total funds		 Opening
balance
£
147,097
12,347
-
159,444
78
39,049
1,738
40,865
200,309		 Receipts
£
94,739
-
-
94,739
-
23,187
8,719
31,906
126,645		 Payments
£
(67,944)
(11,000)
-
(78,944)
(78)
(14,247)
(7,637)
(21,961)
(100,905)		 Transfers
£
(59,318)
9,318
50,000
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Closing
balance
£
114,574
10,665
50,000
175,239
-
47,990
2,820
50,810
226,049

Special offerings relates to collections for specifically supported charities and full-time Christian workers (e.g. missionaries).

Page 14