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2025-03-31-accounts

New Zion Christian Fellowship

Report and Accounts Year ended 31 March 2025

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

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE GOVERNING DOCUMENT

140 Cole Green Lane Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire AL7 3JE CIO - Foundation registered 12 November 2020

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1192292 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Susan Brown MANAGING THE CHARITY Santosh Chacko Peter Eldridge 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 & Administrative Details Page 2 Independent Examiner's Report Page 3 Receipts and Payments Account Page 4 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 5-6 Notes to the Accounts Appendix [10 pages] Trustees' Report

Page 1

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 2025.

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.

J. Young

J. Young (Jan 12, 2026 10:03:15 GMT)

Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: Jan 12, 2026

Page 2

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted Funds
General Designated Restricted
Funds Funds Funds 2025 2024
Notes £ £ £ £ £
Income receipts
Donations 75,651 - 18,922 94,572 105,615
Gift aid receipts 23,247 - 8,386 31,634 -
Grants 6,333 - 16,133 22,466 18,790
Interest 3,539 - - 3,539 2,222
Other 181 - - 181 865
Total receipts 108,952 - 43,441 152,393 127,492
Payments
Payments
in
relation
to
activities undertaken directly		 charitable 2 58,705 - 23,051 81,756 82,803
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
activities undertaken by others		 charitable 3 22,242 14,500 4,465 41,207 40,435
Total payments 80,947 14,500 27,516 122,963 123,238
Net of receipts / (payments) before 28,004 (14,500) 15,925 29,430 4,254
Transfers between funds 5 (10,902) 10,902 - - -
Net movement in funds 17,102 (3,598) 15,925 29,430 4,254
Cash funds as at last year end 118,856 60,254 51,193 230,303 226,049
Cash funds at this year end A 135,959 56,656 67,118 259,732 230,303

The notes on pages 5 - 6 form part of these accounts.

Page 3

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted Funds
General Designated Restricted
funds funds funds 2025 2024
Notes £ £ £ £ £
A Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access 17,363 56,656 67,118 141,136 145,914
Notice deposits 117,866 - - 117,866 84,327
Prepaid card 730 - - 730 -
Petty cash - - - - 62
135,959 56,656 67,118 259,732 230,303
B Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity 22,000 - - 22,000 42,557
22,000 - - 22,000 42,557
C
Liabilities
Falling due within one year
Fee for Independent Examination		 1,500
1,500		 -
-		 -
-		 1,500
1,500		 1,380
1,380

D Assets retained for charity's own use

Equipment

Fund to
which asset
belongs
General		 Value
2025
£
53,193
53,193		 Value
2024
£
53,193
53,193

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:

Peter J Eldridge _____Peter Eldridge Peter J Eldridge (Jan 11, 2026 12:49:37 GMT) Date:_____ Jan 11, 2026

The notes on pages 5 - 6 form part of these accounts.

Page 4

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

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
Note 4
Rent
Repairs, maintenance, equipment and utilities
Foodbank ministry
Note 5
Building improvement
Church activities, support and administration and misc.
Visiting speakers
Insurance
Governance and legal fees
3
Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others
Organisations:
Iris Ministries
Eternal Wall
YMCA
Christian Concern
The King's School
Isabel Hospice
Tearfund
Samaritan's Purse
Great Lakes Outreach
Gideons UK
Salvation Army
Community Bible Study
Liberations Ministries [Elim]
Good News For Everyone
United Christian Broadcasters [UCB]
Organisations < £1,000
Individuals		 Unrestricte Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,000
2,000
1,000
-
2,000
1,000
-
1,000
-
-
-
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
500
2,000
14,500
d Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
23,051
-
-
-
-
-
23,051
-
-
-
1,450
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
760
2,255
-
4,465		 2025
£
26,259
10,100
11,918
23,051
3,525
2,744
1,665
1,114
1,380
81,756
4,600
2,000
1,000
1,450
2,000
1,000
-
1,026
6,000
-
-
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,760
2,755
14,616
41,207		 2024
£
General
funds
£
26,259
10,100
11,918
-
3,525
2,744
1,665
1,114
1,380
58,705
3,600
-
-
-
-
-
-
26
6,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,616
22,242
23,103
10,000
10,080
30,350
-
4,173
2,700
1,077
1,320
82,803
3,600
-
-
-
-
-
1,620
3,760
4,600
2,000
1,280
-
1,000
-
-
3,147
19,428
40,435

Page 5

NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

4 Transactions with related parties

Peter Eldridge and Caroline Reeves served as church leaders and were each paid £8,753 [2024: £7,701 each] for serving in that capacity, not for serving as trustees. The governing document supports these payments.

Movement of funds

vement of funds
General funds
Designated funds
Tithe
Contingency fund
Restricted funds
Foodbank
Special offerings
Total funds		 Opening
balance
£
118,856
10,254
50,000
60,254
48,738
2,455
51,193
230,303		 Receipts
£
108,952
-
-
-
35,990
7,451
43,441
152,393		 Payments
£
(80,947)
(14,500)
-
(14,500)
(23,051)
(4,465)
(27,516)
(122,963)		 Transfers
£
(10,902)
10,902
-
10,902
-
-
-
-		 Closing
balance
£
135,959
6,656
50,000
56,656
61,677
5,441
67,118
259,732

The Foodbank grants and donations are given specifically to provide food for those struggling to make ends meet. Special offerings relates to collections for specifically supported charities and full-time Christian workers (e.g. missionaries).

Page 6

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 charity’s legal purposes, objectives, activities, financial performance, and financial position during the period April 2024 to March 2025. 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 people, with approximately 6 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 recordings from our Sunday meetings that enable people to access God’s message as shared by our speaker, at any time of day or night that works for them.

Building Improvement Plans

In October 2023, the Leadership and Trustee teams began to discuss making improvements to the church building that will (a) enable us to deliver a better service to the church and wider community (b) respond to the fact that both our church membership and the number of clients attending our weekly Foodbank has been gradually increasing over the years.

Our current, 25 years old kitchen has significant structural issues that are beyond a simple repair. It also lacks space to the extent it can be a safety issue when larger numbers of people are trying to work there. Next to the kitchen, at the back of the church, the Foodbank storeroom also lacks space and this means we have very restricted storage capacity and again, possible safety issues.

The combination of these two has resulted in the Leadership and Trustee Teams agreeing to explore the feasibility of building a small extension to the back of the church. Progress to date:

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:

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

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 Citizen’s Advice, mental health workers, community centres, schools, doctors’ surgeries, parent support workers and many more. These 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 can complete an assessment of need 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 some food for approximately 3 days. The Food Bank is run by a team of approximately 9 to 12 volunteers.

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

We have partnered with another local charity – Hertfordshire Communities 1st - who collect food parcels from us and deliver them to our customers who are unable to travel to the foodbank to collect food for themselves. Typically, Communities 1st distribute up to 10 food parcels per week and they have our grateful thanks because this helps us tremendously.

Donations

We are incredibly thankful for all the food donations that we receive from the general public. In response, our aim is that everything given to us reaches people who are 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 the Foodbank and providing for the needs of those in food poverty, because all other major costs involved in our operation (e.g., labour, building premises, administration) are provided by the Fellowship.

In common with many other foodbanks, we have seen the level of food donations decrease over the last 3 years. However, we are still blessed by financial donations, that have in part compensated for this decline. 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.

We believe our role in the local community has never been more important and therefore we continue to seek God about how we can improve and extend the support we give our clients. Some examples from 2024 / 25 are given below.

Improvements and Achievements

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

These factors led the Foodbank Leaders to propose that the Foodbank Restricted Fund holds a Reserve equivalent to a minimum of 1 years’ outgoings (rather than 6 months outgoings as is the case for the main charity’s funds). This proposal has now been approved by both the Trustee and Leadership teams

By God’s Grace, we are not a “struggling foodbank” 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 share their difficult situations, and we pray with, and for, our customers. We have the privilege of seeing the impact of our work and individuals changed by God’s 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 “body” (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 UK and multinational charities.

In cases where money is gifted to an individual rather than their charity or organisation, it is done so on the basis that the individual will use the funds to support their missionary work and in full alignment with the New Zion Christian Fellowship Charity Purpose as defined at the beginning of this report.

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

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

Volunteers and Employees

Unpaid volunteers deliver most of the church charity’s 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.

During 2024, we have expanded our volunteer AV team for the Sunday Morning meeting such that the role is not the responsibility of just one person and we are covered for absences.

In addition to volunteers, the charity also has three employees.

Volunteer Documentation and Training

Church Leader Employees

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

Financial Review

1. Review of Financial Position

The charity is in a 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 23K and began the year at £48K and finished at £61K. This is a decrease in spending on last year, which was due to 9k of winter fuel donations paid in the previous year. We believe that keeping a balance equivalent to minimum of one years’ expenditure keeps us in a sound financial position to continue to regularly help many people who need the foodbank, even if donations were to decrease.

Unrestricted funds

The funds started the year at £179K and finished at £192K. Given the agreed reserve of £91K we are in a very good position. We hold aside 10% of income in a designated ‘tithe’ fund that is exclusively for giving to other Christian work initiatives.

The income is larger than outgoings, but we are expecting an increase in rent over the coming year. Calculations in our budget show that we are expecting income and outgoings to balance after the increase, however we will be monitoring this closely.

We have also budgeted a large expense of £95,000 for an extension to the church building in the coming year. This will not affect the reserve and we will still be in a good financial position.

2. Sources of Income

The charity receives donations from church members and from other members of the public. We do not organize or run “fundraising” 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 building’s 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 Contingency Fund 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. In addition to the Contingency Fund, our policy is to hold a standard reserve of 6 months outgoings (currently £41,000) making a total of £91,000 held within our Unrestricted Funds.

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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 organisation’s 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.

In addition, training is offered for all trustees.

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.

Renewal of Trustee Roles

In November 2024 Trustee Susan Brown kindly agreed to renew her role for a further period of 12 months.

Trustee Meeting Structure

To ensure timely decision making, the Trustee Team have a structure of standing items to be added to the Agendas of their April / May, end of financial year meeting and their November, mid year meeting. These

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

items include topics such as the approval of the Year End Accounts, review of the Risk Register, employee salary review, and a review of all the charity’s policies.

3. Cost Saving

4. Policy Review

During 2024, Trustees conducted the annual review of the charity’s policies. The outcome was as follows:

New Zion Policies are all available via the charity’s website. The Leadership Team also deliver an annual Policy Reminder to the whole church during a Sunday meeting at the beginning of the year. This includes key contacts for specific items, fire evacuation procedures, safeguarding policies etc.

5. Risk Statement

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NEW ZION CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Registered Charity 1192292 Operating as a CIO

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 trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Peter J Eldridge Peter J Eldridge (Jan 11, 2026 12:49:37 GMT) Full name(s) Peter J Eldridge Position (e.g., Secretary, Chair) Chair of Trustees Date Jan 11, 2026

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