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2023-12-31-accounts

Annual Report

The Lightwave Community Bishops Mission Order and Charitable Incorporated Organisation

2023

With thanks to Lightwave Leader Lauren Moore for the illustration above

Contents

Welcome and Introduction to Lightwave ............................................................................ 3 Executive Summary and Key Statistics ................................................................................ 4 Stories from our Groups and Hubs ....................................................................................... 6 Bungay and Beyond Hub ............................................................................................................ 6 Emerge Hub .............................................................................................................................. 7 Red Lodge Hub .......................................................................................................................... 8 Big 4 Hessett – Believing in God for Hessett .............................................................................. 12 Bridge Communities ................................................................................................................. 12 Chadbrook ............................................................................................................................... 13 cook@church ........................................................................................................................... 14 Place by the Water................................................................................................................... 15 Pilgrims Together ..................................................................................................................... 16 Rising Hope – Little Cornard ..................................................................................................... 17 Rural & Agricultural Chaplaincy ................................................................................................. 17 Safe Harbour ........................................................................................................................... 18 South Hartismere Connect ........................................................................................................ 19 Spirit – Samford Deanery ......................................................................................................... 19 Youth Network Church ............................................................................................................. 20 Lightwave groups in development in 2023 ................................................................................. 20 Lightwave Priorities 2023-5 and Progress so far............................................................... 21 Priority 1: Prayer and growing as disciples ................................................................................. 21 Priority 2: Growing disciple-making leaders ............................................................................... 22 Priority 3: Financial Sustainability .............................................................................................. 23 Priority 4: Integrated and Enabling Structures ........................................................................... 24 Safeguarding ...................................................................................................................... 28 Financial Review ................................................................................................................ 29 Growing in God in the Countryside ............................................................................................ 29 Lightwave Community Financial Review .................................................................................... 29 Governance, Structures and Management ......................................................................... 31 The Lightwave Community Council............................................................................................ 31 Staff and volunteers ................................................................................................................. 32 Trustees Responsibilities Statement .......................................................................................... 32 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Lightwave Community CIO ........ 33 Financial Statements ................................................................................................................ 34 Glossary/Definitions .......................................................................................................... 39

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Welcome and Introduction to Lightwave

Welcome to the Lightwave Annual Report on 2023. We hope you will be encouraged to see what God has been doing in our lovely county.

The vision is for a wave of God's light and love in Suffolk, bringing hope. The name, Lightwave comes from the idea of waves being the way in which light spreads into dark places. Lightwave is a network of small groups, committed to shining the light of Jesus through Christian witness and practical service: Our groups are especially involved in youth work, combatting isolation and poverty, engaging in care for creation and agricultural chaplaincy. We are a Bishop's Mission Order in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and everything we do is to complement the ministry of parishes and others.

The foundation of Lightwave Ministry is discovering Jesus as the Light of the World. We believe that Jesus calls all people to follow him and is cares about our everyday lives. We aim to be church for people who don't normally "do church" and our groups meet in homes, pubs, offices, schools as well as churches. Lightwave groups do the essential things of a church – but in different ways, suited to the needs of members in a small group, who get to know each other well. We attend to the Bible and try to put it into practice in our lives. We eat together, have fun, support each other, share our faith and try to put faith to work in practical care for friends and neighbours and the most needy in our society.

We’d love for you to get involved. Scan a code or click on a link below to find out find out how you can partner with the Lightwave Community in prayer, serve in practical ways, give to our work financially or to find a group near you.

Archdeacon for Rural Mission Leader of the Lightwave Community

Pray

Serve

Give

Learn Find a Group

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Executive Summary and Key Statistics

Lightwave is a CIO dedicated to help people discover faith in Jesus in Suffolk through small Lightwave groups and fresh expressions of Church:

2023 saw the beginnings of our transition from a brand-new community, fully supported by national funding through “The Growing in God in the Countryside Project”, to a community which is fully embedded in the life of our diocese and county, financially supported by Suffolk giving and using the talents of local volunteers. While maintaining our call to cherish the rural, our community is now fully mixed with significant groups in urban areas.

We are making progress on our four priorities for 2023-25:

  1. Prayer and growing as disciples. We have seen 541 new disciples through the ministry of Lightwave since it began in 2019 – with 121 people becoming disciples in 2023. At the end of 2023, there are forty active missional “Lightwave” groups (including 2 in Ipswich) and over 500 people are part of our worshipping community, attending our discipleship groups, fresh expressions of Church and mission initiatives, of whom around 30% are under the age of eighteen. Four new rural Lightwave groups started during the year.

  2. Growing disciple-making leaders. Growth of Lightwave Leaders in ministry has continued. Six of our Rural Outreach Pioneers have gone on to become licensed ministers. This year Kathy Wilson (leader of Place by the Water) was ordained deacon, Diane Grano (leader of our Red Lodge hub) and Debbie Nicholls (Lightwave curate in South Hartismere) were ordained priests. Gail Southgate (Pilgrims Together Leadership Team) became the Leader of the Suffolk Centre of Mission. Several more are exploring licensed or ordained ministries in the Church of England.

  3. Financial sustainability. The Lightwave Community CIO received donations and grants of almost £180,000 in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022, with a 21% increase in regular giving including gift aid. Ewan Darby was employed as a part time fundraiser towards the end of 2023 to help us with the key task of building new sources of funding. In 2024, there will also be a focus on increasing members’ regular committed giving to the Lightwave Community.

  4. Integrated and enabling structures. The community is adapting its governance and leadership and operational structures to be less dependent on grant-funded posts. At the same time, we are establishing ways of working closely within the diocese to enable Lightwave’s pioneering to be fully relationally embedded and ongoing learning from Lightwave to benefit to the whole diocese.

Highlights of the year from our hubs included:

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Key Statistics

Groups

2023 net increase of 5 Lightwave Groups, including 2 in Ipswich and 1 (Bridge Communities) with activities in Ipswich and outside. Groups in Needham Market and Bredfield are in progress. Some Lightwave Groups are still developing, others are Fresh Expressions in their own right and others are supporting multiple fresh expressions.

People

New Disciples

121 New Disciples (rural and Ipswich), 79 behind project 2023 target of 200 new Disciples. We will revise forecast for future years in the light of that and work to achieve our stretch target of 1500 new disciples by end 2026.

Financial Highlights

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Stories from our Groups and Hubs

Bungay and Beyond Hub

The Lightwave Rural Hub in Bungay has a vision of bringing Light, Life and Hope to children and young people in the Waveney Valley area. Since the last annual report…

We shared Jesus’ light in our communities through…

Raising up confidence and faith in Jesus in children through choir and music projects in schools.

We made new disciples by…

We helped disciples to become leaders:

Financial Giving and Funding

the young generations that we are sowing seeds of faith to at present.

Find out more about the vision here- bit.ly/bungay vision

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Emerge Hub

Worship at Emerge on Sundays has steadily grown from an average attendance of 18 to 24 during 2023. New families with young children have joined our community.

Partnerships & Projects

Emerge works in partnership with churches in the Fynn Valley and with a local charity, ‘Just 42’, to lead a CU at the local High School and Grundisburgh village youth club. We have Sunday worship at Playford Village Hall with a more families joining us and last summer we had our first service of ‘Thanksgiving for the gift of a child’ with a packed hall celebrating together. Our weekly churchyard wildlife group improves biodiversity through family activities and we reflect on the beauty of nature, God the creator and his creation.

Community outreach events at Playford Village Hall (such as Pancake Party, Seed and plant swaps and Good Friday) have seen 40-50 people attending and lots of families. Two adults from the village, with no church connections, have also joined the team because they have seen how we have been shining God’s light on our community. One of them, Glen, said after our community Plant Swap event, “You are like the community Good Samaritans”. We hope that others in the village will support the youth group with individual or business sponsorship.

New Disciples

Our Bible Book Club on Friday mornings has an even mix of mature disciples and those who are exploring faith. Two of our new disciples are growing into leaders. One girl, who is from a Hindu background, joined us after finishing university and is experiencing the Holy Spirit during intercessory and contemplative prayer. She doesn’t want prayer times to end and is eager to learn more about the Bible. The Bible’s Society’s Romans Course is helping to carry God’s Word from her head to her heart and she studies the Bible at home now. On Sundays she contributes with cake or biscuits and has shared her testimony. Now she is part of our new team launching the Playford pop up youth group, along with another new disciple. This helps to take some load off the core team who cannot take on further commitments within Emerge Hub.

Funding and finance

We are building good relationships with local funders for our outreach projects. Funding from East Suffolk Community Partnership council enabled a field to fork project. Projects funded from grants in 2022 have continued, such as Singing Ducklings toddler singing group at Grundisburgh Village Hall.

For ministry costs we are reliant on donations and funding from the Growing in God in the Countryside Project which ceases in 2024. Income from giving and donations totalled £15,180 in 2023 including gift aid. We have new givers and regular giving increased from £800 to over £1200 per month including Gift Aid. Central Church of England funding ceases at the end of 2024 which funds Ben Wale as leader. We have accumulated funds through giving over the past few years of £43,500 and we are looking to increase giving to reach financial sustainability before accumulated funds are exhausted based on current cost levels in mid 2026. We are also exploring additional grant funding.

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Red Lodge Hub

The Lightwave Hub Red Lodge 2022 annual report set four goals for 2023. These focused on being light in our community, growing younger, discipleship and sustainability .

Light in our communities

HOSPITALITY: The kitchen table at Russet Drive has become a family space hosting many meals where we talk about Jesus with those in our community who are exploring faith or simply just need a family at Christmas or Easter. James the first and James the second have cooked (and cleaned 😊) hosting young adults, Alison is more generous giving others an opportunity to cook and of course does some cooking as well for older youth Alpha and young mums exploring faith. Di is less generous and does the cooking for middle aged sisters in Christ.

HELPING HANDS: It is a challenge to see many families and vulnerable men and women struggle with the cost of living, mental health, social services, isolation, debt, and unemployment. Yet we have experienced blessings through listening and being able to provide through grant funding and donations. This ministry is run entirely by our amazing volunteer team who work tirelessly to not only meet the needs but also offer friendship. Many people have come to the Sunday Breakfast Chat, and some are beginning to wonder and ask about faith. David is central to leading our volunteers and helping people with many practical needs such as budgeting, getting back to work, finding information etc.

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300 People Served 2023
250
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Adults Children Babies
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NETWORKING: partnerships are key to being an influence in our community. We continue to partner with the doctor’s surgery, the local schools, parish council, other churches, and charities. David takes the lead in attending networking meetings in person or online.

SUFFOLK COMMUNITY FAITH AWARD: The awards celebrate and recognise the huge contribution that groups, individuals, town and parish councils make on the overall quality of life in our communities across the length and breadth of Suffolk County.

Red Lodge Lightwave won one of 16 awards ranging from youth participation and young person of the year to community building, contribution to volunteering, most active communities and village and town of the year.

This year, for the first time, there was a ‘Faith Award’, this award provides recognition to a faith group that has worked for the benefit of the community, the nomination criteria was:

Growing younger

We are thrilled to have secured 18 months funding for a youth worker. James Beckett known as James the second, partners with Youth for Christ in the MCA secondary school lunchtime club, alongside Janice. He is also working in three primary schools and leads the youth café, Lego club and bonfire group, as well as supporting Alison with the Ignite and toddler café. We continue to work with Beck Row’s primary school and Saturday Blast for primary aged children alongside our Josh.

faithful volunteer Josh. Superhero summer holiday club lead by Alison and twenty volunteers saw over ninety primary school children attend.

Red Lodge committed to helping children and young people move into the next step of their journey towards faith and to lead two Alpha Groups to include youth and young adults.

IGNITE: We have seen a significant move toward faith in the Ignite KS2 group of children. They have moved from meeting weekly on a Thursday, where they did craft and baking with a light touch talk about Jesus and are now learning bible verses, doing a fundraiser and raised £140 for the children in Kagera. We see potential for this group to start a gospel choir as part of their faith journey. There are currently seventeen children that attend regularly; however, this group can see over twenty people attend. Some of these children also attend Kingdom Kids on a Sunday.

BLAZE is the KS1 group that have an average of 10 children attending. Being a younger age group makes it easier to deliver a faith programme, so rather than a gradual approach in our teaching as we do with the older children, the younger group are taught as they would be in a Sunday school. These children attend Messy Church once a month.

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We have found that the numbers are not increasing in this group. There was a better attendance when the group was held in the local school. Our team are prayerfully considering changing the venue to engage with a larger group of children in this age group. The initial idea was to host the group in a neutral space, so that it is accessible to children in the village who do not attend St Christopher’s church school.

YOUTH ALPHA: Youth Alpha in March 23 saw seven older youth attend and found the content difficult and realised that it was not relatable for this group. Although there were some great discussions and two of the group attended the YFC Alive weekend. We are still in contact with two of the original group. A more difficult age to engage. Prayer needed.

Sustainability

We have seen growth in many areas of the ministries we serve in. Because we are a young and growing church plant, we have been fruitful in the sustainability of mission through volunteering and new disciples but less fruitful in financial sustainability. With a focus on Growing Younger, we continue to seek external funding for core costs. Red Lodge has been successful in generating some funds through the Lightwave Café, tithe and grant funding.

The Red Lodge Northern Land Development has published the outline planning, which includes a space for a community hub. The Parish Council have submitted a response in favour of Lightwave having a building as part of this development. There are however other bids for this space. We continue to pray and seek the Lord for his favour. Red Lodge are currently working on a proposal for synergies in integration and collaboration with the Forest Heath team, as part of our sustainability strategy.

How we spend our time (people contact)

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Social media impact

Red Lodge Hub Targets for 2024

Growing Deeper

Sustainability

Our government kickstart programme employee in 2022, successful in finding employment after six months work in the Lightwave Cafe. Attends the games evening, joined ALPHA and now BETA group on Tuesday to continue exploring faith. He will be joining us at Spring harvest in April.

James Aggett (yellow jumper) our café manager has led the monthly Thursday games evening and has encouraged this group to do ALPHA.

James Beckett is our youth worker seen here reading to the toddlers at the Lightwave toddler café.

Duke of Edinburgh volunteering in the Lightwave Café.

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Big 4 Hessett – Believing in God for Hessett

This group is at the heart of events to reach the non-church community based in Hessett.

Bridge Communities

Bridge Communities began life as Bridge Church in January 2020, a church plant under Inspiring Ipswich, led by Rev’d Andy Buttress. During that time their vision has developed such as the Lightwave network provides a great place for them to thrive. The vision is to establish small micro communities and micro churches to reach people in differing locations and contexts with the good news of Jesus. These include:

Micro-church

Micro-communities

Bridge has funding from Inspiring Ipswich until mid 2024 and then will be entirely dependent on donations, they have built up a fund of over £100,000 which is being transferred to the Lightwave CIO in January 2024. Giving including gift aid is £3,650 a month. Bridge also employs a Youth Worker and Administrator, and they transfer across to Lightwave CIO on 1[st] January 2024

For further information, go to www.bridgecommunties.org.uk

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Chadbrook

The Chadbrook Benefice contains the villages of Long Melford, Alpheton, Shimpling and Lawshall. There have been great benefits in the interplay between the Lightwave group activities and the parish churches leading to discipleship pathways which work well for younger families.

The 4 o'clock Community

Highlights and Struggles

We felt this year would be a time of consolidation for the 4 o’clock Community and it has proved to be so. It has been a time of struggles for several core members, but also of putting down deeper roots. There has been a wider hunger for faith with ‘Alpha' attendances and our first Confirmation during a ‘Shine’ informal worship service. The weather has not been kind to our ‘Wild church’, but we have learnt to have better contingency plans. There has been a successful ‘Men’s breakfast’ group start this year and we hope to nurture further leaders and small groups through ‘Growing New’.

Main Impact We are looking forward to more Baptisms and Confirmations of 7 youths and 1 adult this Easter Sunday 2024. These have arisen from both our 4 o’clock and our traditional contexts and even from the wider community without any apparent input from us at all! We’ve been humbled by our God who is the One who makes seeds grow …

(Wild Church ‘Apple Day’ … sunny and still … for once!)

Connect Toddler group

Connect Baby and Toddler Group has continued to thrive throughout 2023, growing in the main through word of mouth. We have lots of regulars and welcome newcomers most weeks. Although the structure is not overtly Christian, we do pride ourselves on our warm welcome and everyone is asked to join in our child friendly prayer with its resounding Amen at the end. We welcome our families to several events such as Messy Church, Family services, Wild Church etc.

2023 was a difficult time for a few of our families so we now offer private prayer more openly to all the group if they wish to take it up. This has been gratefully received by many people and for the first time we were recently asked if the whole group could pray for a family going through a traumatic experience. Luckily in many cases, our prayers have been answered and we have been thanked for those prayers.

Like many places, a few of our volunteers are elderly but we are lucky enough to have some of our disciples from last year who will turn up early to help and stay behind at the end to clear up. These lovely people can also be relied upon to accompany nervous new mums for their first visit. We are truly blessed.

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

cook@church

cook@church is a cooking club for young teens in the Sancroft Benefice (Years 6 to 9). It meets monthly to enjoy preparing and eating a two-course meal, with older members of their community, who share their interest and offer their cooking skills. Members are invited to give thanks for the meal and through discussion bring anything they would like to put in a ‘prayer bowl.’

Some sixteen children have attended a cook@church session in 2023, of which nine were newcomers, giving an average attendance per session of seven. A change of leadership from an ordinand, who was starting their curacy, to a layperson took place in 2023. cook@church became formally associated with Lightwave in the autumn. The new leader has been able to recruit a team of six volunteers who commit time to the group on a rota basis.

The key goals for 2024 are to establish good relationships between the young people and the new volunteers; support and encourage the new volunteers to confidently lead aspects of the regular meeting activities; identify at least one young leader; enable the young people to make the decisions about the group; introduce different forms of prayer and host a community afternoon tea event to strengthen intergenerational relationships within the village and church communities.

Four Rivers “The Bridge”

The Four Rivers Lightwave Group has continued to develop under the able Leadership of Rev’s Chrissie Smart. They are currently engaging in Messy Church type ministry in three local schools and developing a heathy mixed economy of different styles of church and ways into church in the Four Rivers Benefice.

The group is engaging together in the diocese’s “Growing New” Learning Community for teams developing fresh expressions of Church. From this they have grown a vision of seeing themselves as a Bridge - bridging gaps in the community and church.

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Place by the Water

The Place by the Water is now in its second year in Shottisham and has enjoyed the new and deepening relationships built here in the village and wider across Suffolk. The worshipping community at Place by the Water was almost 40 at the end of 2023, including 10 children and young people and we saw 6 new disciples (people attending regularly who were not previously attending any form of church). The Leadership Team is established and developing, supported by involvement in the diocesan “Growing New” Learning Community.

We have 2 pop-up cafes a month to bring people together for company, some craft and to be welcomed into our community. The local villages have few locations where people can meet, chat, and socialise, we also have several new families in Shottisham who like to meet with each other and create community. Our service on a Sunday based around a meal, fellowship and worship is growing and this has increased from once to twice a month, to accommodate the additional people. We had a road trip in the Summer and had a service on Bawdsey Beach, it was great to worship outside and witness to those looking on.

We look forward to our home group called ‘The Well’ starting in April, a chance for people to meet and pray and read the bible together. The regular retreats hosted here enable people to put time aside to be quiet, rest, and focus on scripture and prayer. We also run regular courses to encourage people on their faith and

discipleship journey. These include The Identity Course (Thea Muir) teaching on leadership, Change Management, plus studies in scripture, The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and Prophecy.

We host groups from other churches and Christian Organisations for meetings, courses, retreat days, and fellowship. The money from these events, and financial donations and tithes goes towards the sustainability plan for The Place by the Water. We are looking to up events and courses to support this.

‘The Place by the Water gives space for people to encounter Jesus at whatever stage of their journey of faith they are on and allows them to rest, renew and refocus.’

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Pilgrims Together

Making Disciples

Pilgrims continue to welcome newcomers to all our groups. The dual attraction of Pilgrims Together to both those who do not attend church and those who do, remains excitingly constant. The diversity of focus and of reach through different planned Pilgrim groups and activities allows all to be welcomed and ‘touched’ by the experiences. This may be a lighter touch through simple prayer at the end of a community based activity, such

as the monthly pub breakfast and rambles; or further exploration through topical discussion at the Good News Faith Cafe at the local pub; or deeper still through worship, prayer and reflection offered mid-week on zoom and across the year in person, in both indoor and outdoor locations - where people gather, for example by the Meare in Thorpeness, throughout the summer, on the beach at Easter time and in the local care home.

For those who already have faith, Pilgrims Together deepens understanding, commitment and confidence in how to live missionally and true to Jesus’ call to proclaim the Good News in our local community. Quite a diverse range of church traditions are now represented within Pilgrims Together, we are ecumenical, alongside those new to faith and those for whom Pilgrims holds the expression of their faith.

Light in our Communities

Seed sowing continues to be a strength of Pilgrims Together. Much door knocking, welcoming, and delivering spider plants, Christmas and Easter cards, on behalf of the churches in both the Alde Sandlings Benefice and Leiston has taken place. The free giving of Pilgrim stars and angels with messages of hope and love were given across community events at Christmas time. Much Carol singing across the community also took place outside at different venues and in the local care home. We are aware that people from our community have entered local churches to take part in services, as well as joining the Pilgrim events, because of our seed sowing activities. We support other church initiatives and community events bringing the Christian message of love and hope to where the community is gathering, for example village fetes and fayres and our local town Christmas extravaganza.

A new initiative for Pilgrims is ‘Pop-up’. We have explored this concept through pop-up carols and have seen it to be very successful in engaging people going about their everyday life.

Growing leaders and sustainability

Pilgrims continues to promote its core ethos of encouraging all to be both practically and prayerfully involved. A broad group of individuals now lead in many ways across events. Pilgrims remains sustainable both financially, by keeping costs low and through our ethos of involving many individuals in all our activities.

We are delighted that one of our leaders, Gail Southgate, became the Lead Evangelist at the Church Army Suffolk Centre of Mission this year. Her ministry with Pilgrims remains foundational to her wider role and she can share the missional practices which we cherish across the diocese through the Envoy Course.

Pilgrims remains sustainable both financially, by keeping costs low, and through our ethos of involving many individuals in all our activities.

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Rising Hope – Little Cornard

Rising Hope is a small informal community working on permaculture and Christian spirituality. Our Forest Church (Emmanuel Fire) continues to meet monthly and offer a chance for deep talk about God and life under the trees.

Those friends are the church, a motley crew, mostly with no other Christian connections, who have gathered around Rising Hope.

All I did was make soup and pray over it. All I did was invite people to the farm and offer them grace.

They may not quite be ready to say, "Jesus is Lord", but they are becoming gentle souls and I believe that is God's work, the fruit of the Spirit. They are turning their faces to Him and starting to shine.

Rural & Agricultural Chaplaincy

Lightwave Rural and Agricultural Chaplaincy aims to reach out with God's love to those working on the land and in rural industries. Their ministry includes a 24-hour help line, supporting agricultural shows, educational chaplaincy at Suffolk Rural and promoting the celebration of agricultural festivals. Graham Miles is chaplain to the East Anglia country and game fair on the Euston Estate, South Suffolk Show , Hadleigh Show , Assistant Chaplain for the Suffolk Show , Chaplain to the Suffolk Horse Society, Chaplain to the Hamilton Blood Hounds. He is also the Royal Countryside Fund representative for Suffolk. Linda Preston also has been busy with organising zoom meetings, attending events and staffing the chaplaincy stand at shows and events, as well as farm visits and pastoral care. The team has grown to 8, all offering different services.

The chaplaincy Lightwave group meets on zoom every month to share, pray and plan activities. Graham Miles is the lead chaplain and Linda Preston leads the zoom meeting. Together the team build relationships and support the farming community. The team are available on the phone or for visits, especially for members of the rural community suffering with depression, anxiety or just to give a little encouragement. They also help at agricultural shows and events and help local churches and others to understand and connect with rural issues.

They made a video about reaching out at Agricultural Shows which has been used by Hope - Together in their LoveRural Series on rural evangelism. You can watch it at www.bit.ly/loverural chaplaincy

Graham presents a Faith Matters show every Sunday morning 6-8am on Suffolk Sound, with studio guests talking about their faith etc. We had a busy November and December going out recording Suffolk Carols across Suffolk.

In everything the chaplaincy team does they seek to share God’s love and sowing seeds of faith.

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Safe Harbour

In 2023 Safe Harbour had lots of changes, including a new Top Up Shop manager, Becky, welcoming some new volunteers and combining our Tuesday Gathering and Thursday Top Up Shop into one single day, to increase the time we spend with our customers and to have more opportunities for conversation and discipleship.

Our customers and volunteers now join us on a Thursday for a free lunch and a short service and prayer time before doing their shop. We’ve seen a large increase in the number of people joining us for lunch from 20 in 2022, to 50 in 2023 and staying for prayers and we’ve noticed many customers submitting prayer requests on slips of paper we lay out during the lunchtime, which is fantastic. We’re beginning to trial Alpha too which is exciting. We hope that by restructuring and extending the time we spend together, we can be light in St Helen’s Church and the surrounding areas, through our welcome, conversation and the way we serve those who visit us. We’re quick to offer prayer to anyone who needs it and encourage them in their journeys of faith. The number of people making use of the Top-up Shop has increased from approx. 50 people a week in 2022, to 60-70 in 2023.

A few members of our team have been part of Growing New, which has encouraged new ideas for development and we’re looking to set up a help desk on Thursdays to offer help with CV writing and job applications which we’re very pleased about.

With a slight change in the structure of our teams, we’re currently training new people to set up our shop and this we hope will increase our community and reach as we welcome more people into the Safe Harbour family.

Once a month on a Thursday evening we host our Table Meal, which has consistently hosted 3040 people and as part of this we have a short talk. We’ve been thinking and praying about asking some of our new Christians to share their stories of testimony via video as part of that evening, and we’d love to turn these into a campaign on social media, to spread the news about what we’re doing and hopefully encourage people to give both time and finances to Safe Harbour, to enable us to be sustainable. We’re also currently advertising for more volunteers and more donations of food and household items to keep things on track.

Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in numbers at our Top Up shop which is a clear indication of the financial struggles our town is in, but although it’s nice to see and get to know our regular people, it’s also fantastic to hear of customers and volunteers unable to join us as they have found jobs. Towards the end of 2023 we took part in a survey for Ipswich Top Up Shops, and the feedback we received was fantastic, highlighting the sense of community and friendship.

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South Hartismere Connect

South Hartismere Benefice consists of 8 churches, 11 communities and 4 Church of England Primary Schools and is close to the Norfolk town of Diss. It partners with Lightwave in particular activities across six communities.

CONNECT at Thorndon and Wetheringsett Church

CONNECT Club at Wetheringsett Primary

GBT (Gislingham baby and toddler group)

Thornham Magna (Bible reading at the Four Horseshoes Pub) discussion for people starting to explore Christian faith.

Mellis/Yaxley: A new opportunity for care home visits from the Lightwave Team.

Spirit – Samford Deanery

Nature, nurture and network are three words that help describe Spirit Lightwave’s work during 2023. We have worshipped in nature, nurtured our seedlings and have begun to make connections both in and outside of Lightwave. Our highlights include reaching new

people and helping them become part of our worshipping community. Our meetings are an opportunity for people to explore and develop their faith.

Out of these activities, we are now hosting a dynamic confirmation group who age from 13 to 76.

We pray for new leaders to emerge and help take Spirit Lightwave forward in 2024.

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Youth Network Church

Youth Community Network (YCN) is based in Southwest Ipswich and Beyond, as part of the Suffolk Centre of Mission. It is led by Church Army Evangelist, James Hawksworth and became part of the Lightwave Community to facilitate good governance and for the support and opportunities to share good practice which the network brings.

This is a relatively new community with a mix of churched and non-churched adults, all with the same shared vision to meet, pray, plan mission, study the Bible and worship together.

We do this in several ways:

All the groups developed, will be developed with the young people to give ownership to them. This will be done with each developmental stage so that discipleship happens, quite naturally and intentionally, every step of the way. As this initiative develops, it will seek to encourage and enable the young people to do gap years and experiential encounters that will aid in their discipleship and for those who are called, discerning their vocation for the future.

Lightwave groups in development in 2023

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Lightwave Priorities 2023-5 and Progress so far

The ongoing Lightwave Community was begun as part of the Growing in God in the Countryside Project, funded by the Church Commissioners for 6 years. The vision of this Project is:

The main carrier of this vision is the Lightwave Community, which shines God's light through small groups. The Project stream of seed funding for the Lightwave Community begins to be reduced from the end of 2024 and is completed by 2026. This section of the report both reports on activities last year and indicates the changes which are planned to enable the Lightwave Community to continue to flourish, beyond the project end.

Priority 1: Prayer and growing as disciples

For 2023, our foremost goal was to keep prioritising prayer and helping people to become disciples and grow as disciples in everything we do. God first. Most important is the way each small group prioritised prayer and discipleship. Central activities which contributed to the achievement of this throughout the year were:

Going forward in 2024:

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Priority 2: Growing disciple-making leaders

For 2023, our second priority was to grow disciple-making leaders. Evidence of growth in this area includes:

One of the distinctive aspects observed of the most fruitful Lightwave groups have leaders who are learning and are supported with all four of the following ways/approaches:

Going forward in 2024

The new Church Army Centre of Mission shares goals to develop disciple-making leaders and we are working towards a significant partnership in this area in 2024 including:

Work began in partnership with the diocesan Ministry and Mission department on a new Mission Accompaniers scheme and it is hoped that this can be implemented further in 2024.

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Priority 3: Financial Sustainability

The Model

As a form of Church, the Lightwave Community is seeking to be self-sustaining primarily through the giving of its members. Most of the ministry in the Lightwave Community is the ministry of volunteers with minimal costs.

The finances are centrally administered through the Lightwave Community Council. Each Lightwave group and ministry is a cost centre, seeking to cover its own costs of ministry through local giving, grants and social enterprise. The Lightwave central functions also raise their own funds with committed donors, a proportionate contribution from each group and grants.

Each Lightwave group will either contribute towards the benefice share of a local benefice, or towards the central costs of the Lightwave BMO. Lightwave groups and ministries are eligible to be considered for diocesan grants and subsidies – each application to be considered on its own merits.

Lightwave will pay “parish-share-type payments” to the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is anticipated that these will move from being a partial contribution to covering the immediate cost of Lightwave ministers, to contributing also towards the wider costs of ministry in the diocese. In 2023, the third priority was to enable the Lightwave hubs and current ministries to be financially sustainable and independent of Strategic Development Unit (SDU), as this funding tapers off from end 2024.

We undertook the following during the year:

£68K in planned and other financial giving up from £58K in 2022 an increase of 18%. 43 people/families giving an average monthly donation of £105 regularly to Lightwave. up from 37 people/families in 2022.

£72k in grants up from £57k in 2022 an increase of 26%, to support work alleviating poverty and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, including the first instalment of a £25k grant from the Diocese Growing in God Fund for youth work in Red Lodge.

Going forward in 2024

To achieve sufficient financial sustainability for the various constituent parts of Lightwave Community by the end of 2024, we will:

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

Priority 4: Integrated and Enabling Structures

A Distinctive Calling within the Diocese

The Lightwave Community is a Bishop’s Mission order in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. In addition to the call to glorify God, shared by every form of church, it has a distinctive calling and areas of focus within the wider vision of the diocese of “Growing in God”:

  1. To be a pioneering ecclesial community intentionally focussed on following Christ among those who are not yet part of any church.

  2. To be intentionally focussed on making and becoming disciples of Christ who make disciples.

  3. To particularly support, catalyse and facilitate wholistic mission in rural benefices, by creating critical mass, networking, tailor-made training and support for innovation.

  4. To be a community of experimentation and innovation identifying ways of being church for under-reached demographics, which the diocese can refer to and learn from, especially in rural areas.

  5. To be an ecclesial community which strongly models the unity of God’s people in mission.

This calling gives rise to the following shaping of the community:

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In 2023 , we committed to trial and develop oversight and enabling structures for the whole Lightwave Community beyond 2024 . We will complete a transition plan in the first half of 2024 to be implemented in 2024/5. The following is indicative of our progress in each area to be covered:

Governance Structures

The Lightwave Community is a Bishop's Mission Order under the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich in the Church of England. Lightwave is also a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity No 1193242). We have a Board of Trustees known as the Lightwave Community Council which works in a similar way to a PCC in the Church of England and is accountable to the Bishop. Bishop’s visitor and chair make sure that there is expertise on the Lightwave Community Council in key areas – finance, fundraising, digital communications and safeguarding. We are in the process of setting up expert working teams in the following centralised functions: financial services, safeguarding services, operations (including governance and HR), coaching and support, communications, fundraising.

Leadership

The Leader of the Lightwave Community is currently Archdeacon Sally Gaze who chairs the Lightwave Community Council. Rev Diane Grano has become the Associate Leader of the Lightwave Community and is working closely with Sally to ensure a smooth handover of leadership when Sally’s term ends, at the end of 2025. Diane’s central role is 0.5 and she will be supported by a second associate lead who will be recruited in 2024. (Diane will remain the leader of the Lightwave Hub in Forest Heath alongside this role). These posts are funded by SDF and/or Strategic Ministry and Mission Investment Board Funding, until mid-to-end 2026.

Operations

Many of the central functions of the Lightwave community are currently largely undertaken by staff of the Growing in God in the Countryside Project. This includes administration, financial management, event-planning, overseeing safe-guarding, recruitment, and communications. The 2024 transition plan will detail which aspects of these activities will cease, which will be taken on as part of the work of the DBF, which will be absorbed into the hubs and which may need specialised employed people , for which funding needs to be applied. We will consider using sustainability focused mission-enablers to help the hubs to take on their part of this work and to help Project team members to transition it.

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Lightwave Hubs

There are three Lightwave hubs: Forest Heath (Red Lodge), the Waveney Valley (Bungay) and Lark and Fynn Valley (Emerge). Hubs have responsibility of overseeing mission and development of Lightwave groups in a specified geographic area (e.g. Forest Heath). Each hub has local incumbent-level leadership to deliver activities, develop vision and plans for delivery to meet the needs identified in the area of benefit. The Hubs have synergy with each other, but they will be based on the distinctive needs of their own areas and therefore there will be some elements of difference.

As part of deeper integration in 2023, two ordained hub leaders (Diane Grano and Edward Land) have been identified to support the Archdeacon and Rural Deans in pioneering-type mission, one across each of the rural Archdeaconeries. As part of this, they will usually attend Rural Deans Meeting and Archdeaconery Mission and Pastoral Committee, as well as their local Deanery Chapter and Synod. They will also support deaneries to find local Lightwave representation on deanery synod where more is needed.

We will consider using sustainability-focussed mission-accompaniers to enable hubs to transition taking on higher levels of responsibility especially for finance. More in depth planning has already begun in Red Lodge, with detailed conversations taking place with the Archdeacon and Rural Dean about the Red Lodge Hub being integrated into the Forest Heah Team.

Communications

The guiding purposes for our communications work are that:

  1. people outside the church will hear and see the activities of God’s people in a way which draws them to Jesus.

  2. Christian disciples will hear and see information and stories which inform, encourage and resource them in their following of Jesus and/or involvement with the Lightwave community.

  3. Communications will be developed in a way which models good practice in a way that is replicable, so that Lightwave hubs, groups and the CIO can take on this function, relating directly to Diocesan Comms at the end of 2024.

Over the year, we saw slow but steady growth in followers on each platform and increasing interactions with our website, Facebook and Instagram feeds and YouTube channel. Twitter has been used less, but we have explored the idea of TikTok this year, sharing some of our popular YouTube videos there to see how they are received.

We have started releasing YouTube videos each month as part of the ‘good news’ section of our newsletter, we’re hoping to increase our engagement and following on YouTube over the next few months. Metrics for our social media feeds are as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
@lightwavesuffolk facebook 462 followers, 19 new, 504 reach (lower reach than last
year)
@lightwavesuffolk instagram 813 followers, 43 new followers, reach of 22.7k people
@lightwavesuffolk/about YouTube 87 subscribers and 225 videos 4.1k views (+65%), 95.4
hours of watch time (+99%)
@lightwave_fxc Twitter/X 121 followers
----- End of picture text -----

Much of this work is currently undertaken by or supported by Becky, our communications Missioner. There is a need for communications to be undertaken more widely, especially since the funding for this specific paid communications role comes to an end in Dec 2024. Becky has made a video to show how she can train volunteers in story-telling, branding, social-media and website: https://youtu.be/tuUIvnhf3ew

The Lightwave Rural Chaplaincy team is county wide and increases the visibility of Lightwave especially through Graham’s radio work, article-writing and Facebook presence as well as through

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the various County Shows. The connection of the Chaplaincy team with their constituency could serve as a model for other groups as well as creating opportunities.

An initial meeting has been held about starting a Communications team. In 2024, next steps are to

Partner Benefices

“Partner Benefices” is shorthand for benefices who partner with Lightwave’s vision on a day-to-day basis, in a specific local geographical context. These partnerships help to grow Lightwave groups in the local context and the learning from their experience feeds into the whole Lightwave community network.

Active partner benefices include Chadbrook and South Hartismere, Four Rivers, Forest Heath and Bungay. Four Rivers received Growing in God in the Countryside funding to develop Lightwave ministry, which enabled them to recruit a new full time incumbent, Rev Enid Pow, who was licensed in February 2023.

Rougham, Beyton and Hessett is developing as a partnership benefice.

The benefices of Needham Market and the Hollesley Cluster in the Wilford Peninsula also received funding from the “Growing in God in the Countryside” Project to develop Lightwave ministry and these funds were used to enable them to recruit mission-focussed incumbents – Rev Tracey James (Needham Market - Sept 2023) and Rev Cpt Simon Cake (Hollesley 2022). We are working with these benefices to develop their first Lightwave groups.

Integrating and sharing learning

Lightwave is intentionally a community of experimentation and innovation identifying ways of being church for under-reached demographics which the diocese can refer to and learn from, especially in rural areas.

This learning is shared from practitioner to practitioner through courses and learning communities – including Envoy, Lightwave Leader training, “Formational Community for Pioneers” and “Growing New”. We are excited that Lauren Moore has become part of the team for training and support and will especially be helping both parish churches and Lightwave groups to learn about the Suffolk Discipleship Pathway.

At a strategic level, learning is currently shared through the Growing in God in the Countryside Project Board, the Project Learning Log and by Archdeacon Sally on Bishop’s Staff. The Growing in God in the Countryside Project is planning a conference in September 2025 to share learning for Rural Mission and much learning from the Lightwave Community will be shared here.

During 2024, ways will be identified for learning to continue to be shared strategically. These are likely to include the leader or deputy leader attending the Programme Board and the selection of appropriate DBF representatives to be the bishop’s appointees to the Lightwave Community Council.

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Safeguarding

The care and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in church activities is the responsibility of the whole church. Everyone who participates in the life of the church has a role to play in promoting a Safer Church for all.

Safeguarding is an integral part of the mission and ministry of Lightwave and is everyone’s responsibility.

It is our policy to:

To fulfil the above policy, we will work with the Diocese to ensure that facilities are available to complete online DBS applications and to provide appropriate levels of safeguarding training to raise awareness and create an atmosphere of ‘informed vigilance’.

Each Lightwave Group has an appointed safeguarding lead and all leaders are DBS checked and trained in accordance with the Lightwave Safeguarding policy.

There is a Lightwave Safeguarding group which regularly reviews the Safeguarding policy in line with the most recent diocesan guidance.

Throughout the year we have completed DBS checks as necessary and sought to ensure that that safeguarding training was up to date.

We have had a small number of safeguarding questions and concerns in the last year, these have been dealt with appropriately, often with the guidance of Karen Galloway, Diocesan Safeguarding Officer.

Our latest safeguarding policy is displayed on the website along with other resources and contact details for reporting concerns. https://www.lightwave.community/safeguarding

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Financial Review

Growing in God in the Countryside

The Growing in God in the Countryside (GiGitC) project (supported by the Strategic Development Unit of the Church of England and the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Board of Finance), has funds of around £6m for 6 years from 2019 (extended in some areas for a further 1 ½ years to mid 2026). This funds most of the day-to-day operational expenditure and people and this is not included in these accounts.

Lightwave Community Financial Review

The financial objectives of the Lightwave Community at this stage in development are:

  1. To support Lightwave Hubs in day-to-day operations outside the scope of the GiGitC project, e.g. operation of a café at Red Lodge.

  2. To support the operation of Lightwave Groups, e.g. the Safe Harbour Lightwave Group pop-up shop.

  3. To encourage giving and grants for the above objectives.

  4. To develop with the GiGitC project a plan, including grants and giving for sustainability of the work when GiGitC funding winds down, largely at the end of 2024, with some funding extending to the middle of 2026.

  5. To build up reserves to cover future spending as GiGitC funding winds down.

As GiGitC funding is withdrawn there will be a need to raise additional funding of £100,000 in 2025, rising to £275,000 in 2027. We have employed a fundraiser to work with the hubs on this.

Funds for the Lightwave Community CIO (“CIO”) are largely held in several restricted funds for each Hub (sometimes for a specific aspect of Hub work) and any Lightwave Group that requests it.

Income

Total receipts were £179k up from £156k in 2022, an increase of 14%. Of this £68k was from voluntary donations and a further £12.5k from gift aid. This represents an increase of almost 21% on 2021.

Planned giving has grown by 16% from £41.5k in 2022 to £48k, and at end of 2023 stood at £4,525 per month, the majority eligible for gift aid.

Overall income for Red Lodge Hub represented 49% of the total, including a Diocesan grant of £25k for the employment of a youth worker. A

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second instalment of £25k is due in 2024. We continue to benefit hugely from all our regular givers, those who give at events and those who have given larger one-off sums during the year. Every donation makes a difference and we are so grateful.

Grant Funding

The work of Lightwave, especially in Red Lodge and with Safe Harbour in Ipswich continues to attract external funding, reflecting the confidence of those bodies in the work Lightwave is doing and our ability to help those directly in need in their communities. Excluding the Diocesan youth worker grant, Red Lodge received c. £23k in grants and the Safe Harbour Lightwave Group in Ipswich received £13k in grants. Both Bungay and the Agricultural Chaplaincy received substantial individual grants of around £5k each.

We are very grateful to our grant funders this year, including the Royal Countryside Fund, Suffolk County Council, Bungay Town Charities. Suffolk Community Foundation, Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, Ipswich Borough Council, Elizabeth Walters Trust, East and West Suffolk Councils, and Red Lodge Parish Council.

Expenditure

Major areas of expenditure are shown below to support the work of the different areas – through mission and through grant funded relief work and payments. Grants to individuals are funded by grants received (e.g. from Suffolk Community Foundation) and are typically for food, utilities and other payments to offset the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

We are continuing to contribute, through a Diocesan Parish Contribution, to the cost of Diocesan Employees who are part paid through the GiGitC project. The 2023 payment included a catch-up payment of £11,400.

Grants to individuals include payments to Rev’d Kathy Wilson, to support her work leading the Place by the Water retreat and Lightwave Group – this is funded entirely by donations given specifically for that purpose.

Funds

The accounts show the breakdown of funds held between different funds and Lightwave Groups and Hubs. Fund reserves in total are £138,116. Of this £45,718 is against grants yet not fully spent, £17,625 surplus from café and top-up shop income, £67,367 is from restricted giving for different groups and £6,133 is fully unrestricted.

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of the CIO to maintain a balance across all funds equivalent to 2 months operating costs of individual Hubs/Groups, plus an additional one month’s direct salary costs and the amounts of any external commitments. This excludes funded items from the GiGitC project.

In 2024 we will be moving reserves to a CAF Gold account (for instant access) and a CCLA deposit account, which allow us to obtain a better return on reserves.

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Governance, Structures and Management

The Lightwave Community CIO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales. Charity no. 1193242. Registered Office St Nicholas Centre, 4 Cutler Street, Ipswich IP1 1UQ.

The Lightwave Community Council

The Lightwave Community, (formerly the Suffolk Fresh Expressions Community) was started through a nationally funded project called “Growing in God in the Countryside” (GiGitC). £2.3m of Church Commissioner’s Strategic Development Funding [SDF] and c.£700k of Diocesan funding was allocated to support the 6-year project (2019-2024).

The CIO was established in January 2021 and operates in association with a Bishops Mission Order across the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, which was established in December 2018. Much of the operation of the CIO is like that of a PCC. There are currently 189 people on the electoral roll.

The CIO is supported by a Community Council of Trustees. Those who have served on the CIO during 2023 as shown below, including their date of appointment or resignation where relevant.

Name Location Position/Appointment Dates Appointed Left
/Lightwave Group as CIO
where applicable Trustee*
Rt Rev’d Dr Bishop of Dunwich Bishop’s Visitor 25-Jan-21
Michael Robert Harrison
Ven Canon Sally Ann Archdeacon for Leader of Lightwave and 25-Jan-21
Gaze Rural Mission Chair
Rev’d Colin William Superintendent Bishops Appointee - 25-Jan-21 16-May-23
Watkins Minister of the Ely Ecumenical Representative
& Newmarket
Methodist circuit
Trevor Reeve Bishops Appointee - 16-May-23
Ecumenical Representative
Rev’d Canon Christopher
Bury St Edmunds		 Bishop's Appointee until May 25-Jan-21
Robinson 2023, thereafter Elected
Representative
Mr Graham Reardon Eye Bishop's Appointee 11-Jun-21 16-May-23
Rev’d Canon Julia Lall S. Hartismere, Elected Representative 05-Oct-20 01-Apr-23
Connect
Mr David Theobald Red Lodge Elected Representative 05-Oct-20 16-May-23
Mr Robert James Ipswich, Safe Elected Representative 25-May-21
Hamilton Harbour
Mrs Emma Morris South Hartismere Co-opted Oct 2022, Elected 18-Oct-22
May 2023
Rev’’d Diane Grano Red Lodge Co-opted Oct 2022, Elected 18-Oct-22
May 2023
Rev’d Danny Doran- Co-opted 24-Jan-23 16-May-23
Smith
Rev’d Gemma Fraser Oulton Broad Bishop's Appointee 16-May-23
Tony Ciorra Elected Representative 16-May-23

*NOTE: Those appointed at 25-Jan-2021 were previously BMO Council members and became CIO Trustees on the creation of the CIO on 25-Jan-2021

In attendance as non-voting members are: Nina Seaman – Acting Secretary Andrew Gosden – Treasurer and Stewardship officer.

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At the end of 2023 there were two casual vacancies.

Staff and volunteers

At 31 December 2023 the Lightwave Community employed: James Beckett (Red Lodge Youth Leader) Becky Luetchford (Safe Harbour Café Manager)

The “Growing in God in the Countryside” Project Core Team includes staff and volunteers who are serving the set-up of the Lightwave Community. Staff paid by the SDU funding are Andrew Gosden (Project Manager), Nina Seaman (Administrator and Prayer Coordinator), Becky Luetchford (Communications Missioner).

In addition, in 2023 the GiGitC project funded:

Other key volunteers are Graham Miles, leading the Rural Chaplaincy Team assisted by Linda Preston. This team, the leaders and curates at the Lightwave Hubs (see below) and the Lightwave Council, report to a Project Board, overseeing the fruitfulness of the Project and its use of the project funding which we were granted. The Project Board is chaired by Bishop Mike.

Trustees Responsibilities Statement

The Trustees are responsible for preparing Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2018 and the provisions of the CIO Constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Annual Report was approved on

Signed on behalf of the trustees by

29[th] April 2024

The Venerable Sally Gaze, Chair of the Lightwave Community Council

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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Lightwave Community CIO

The examiner has reported on the accounts of the Lightwave Community CIO (“the CIO”) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on the following pages.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The CIO’s Trustees (The Lightwave Community Council) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is the Independent Examiner’s responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner's report

The examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view’, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Richard Turner

Richard Turner

(date) 29[th] April 2024

Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA)

Ipswich, Suffolk

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Financial Statements

THE LIGHTWAVE COMMUNITY CIO Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2023

v7

OMMUNITY CIO
ar Ended 31 December 2023
Receipts and Payments Accounts (£)
Note Unrestricted
Funds
Unrestricted
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
TOTAL 2023
TOTAL 2022
£
£
£
£
£
RECEIPTS
Voluntary receipts
Planned Giving
All other giving/voluntary receipts
3a
Grants from external bodies
3b
Gift aid recovered
Activities for generating funds
3c
Investment income
Charitable Activities
3d
TOTAL RECEIPTS
PAYMENTS
Church activities		 5,038 - 43,008 48,046 41,559
270 2,767 17,027 20,064 16,385
- - 72,128 72,128 57,427
(212) 5 12,763 12,556 8,467
5,096 2,772 144,926 152,794 123,837
- 23,388 - 23,388 27,028
142 - 0 142 63
- - 2,806 2,806 5,597
5,238 26,159 147,732 179,129 156,525
Diocesan Parish Contributions
3e		 - 11,400 11,400 22,800 11,400
Staff Costs
3f
Charity Running Expenses
3g
Mission Giving and Donations
3h
Café and Foodbank running costs
3i
Grants to individuals/groups
3j
TOTAL PAYMENTS
EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS
Transfers between funds
Cash at bank and in hand at 1 January 2023
Cash at bank and in handat 31 December 2023		 425 - 13,292 13,718 23,491
3,222 1,052 46,049 50,323 34,524
- - 1,080 1,080 1,105
- 13,871 4,019 17,890 19,528
- - 15,381 15,381 32,755
3,647 26,323 91,221 121,191 122,802
1,591
(164) 56,511 57,938 33,723
(2,455)
2,455- -
(864)
(164) 58,966 57,938 33,723
6,997 17,789 55,393 80,178 46,455
6,132 17,625 114,359 138,116 80,178

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Statement of Assets and Liabilities (£)

Note Unrestricted
Funds
Unrestricted
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
TOTAL 2023
TOTAL 2022
£
£
£
£
£
Funds
Funds held in CAF Bank Lightwave Community CIO Main
Account
6,132 8,017 85,158 99,308 64,702
Funds held in CAF Bank Lightwave Community CIO Red
Lodge Account
9,607 26,561 36,168 13,994
Funds held in CAF Bank Lightwave Community CIO Bridge
Communities Account
180 180 -
Funds held by DBF in Board Trusts for Lightwave
232 232 232
Petty Cash
1,844 1,844 1,250
SUMUP Account
382 382
Assets Retained for Church Use
6,132 17,625 114,358 138,115 80,178
NOTES
1
The financial statements of the Charity have been prepared in accordance with the. Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the
Receipts and Payments basis.		 6,132 8,017 85,158 99,308 64,702
9,607 26,561 36,168 13,994
180 180 -
232 232 232
1,844 1,844 1,250
382 382

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----- Start of picture text -----
Fund (£) Bal B/fwd Receipts Payments Transfers Bal C/fwd
Unrestricted
501G - General 6,997 5,238 3,647 (1,250) 7,337
Designated
502C - Red Lodge - Café 14,199 19,903 24,495 - 9,607
505D - Safe Harbour - SHOP 3,590 6,256 1,829 - 8,017
17,789 26,159 26,323 - 17,625
Restricted
501R - Launchpad 137 - - - 137
501R - New Day 161 210 286 - 85
501R - New Wine (9) - - - (9)
502G - Red Lodge - General 1,933 20,620 16,905 (3,295) 2,353
502G - Red Lodge - Discipleship (7) - 1,072 1,079 -
502G - Red Lodge - Outreach 0 - 2,634 2,634 -
502G - Red Lodge - Youth 7 - 3,113 3,106 -
502R - Red Lodge - Hope Beyond 421 - 421 - -
502R - Red Lodge - New Building 1,920 2,129 - - 4,049
502R - Red Lodge - Suffolk Household Support Fund - 5,000 - - 5,000
502R - Red Lodge - SCF Breakthrough Grant - 5,505 2,123 - 3,382
502R - Red Lodge - Sainsburys 202 - 202 - -
502R - Red Lodge - Warm Space Grant 5,000 22 5,022 - -
502R - Red Lodge - West Suffolk Community Chest - 8,200 4,630 - 3,570
502R - Red Lodge - Winter Response - 3,245 2,245 - 1,000
502R - Red Lodge - WS Covid restart 15 - 15 - -
502R - Red Lodge - Gov Kickstart 3,524 - - (3,524) -
502R - Red Lodge - Helping Hands - 805 805 - -
502R - Red Lodge - Spring Harvest - 741 720 - 21
502R - Red Lodge Youth Leader - 25,000 6,744 - 18,256
503G - Emerge 27,403 15,180 288 1,250 43,545
503R - Emerge - East Suffolk Grant (17) 190 33 - 140
503R - Emerge - Singing Ducklings 909 - 347 - 562
504G - Place by the Water 963 14,288 14,874 - 377
504G - Place by the Water - Covid Grant 2,000 - - - 2,000
505G - Safe Harbour 3,518 8,585 7,410 - 4,693
505R - Safe Harbour - Suffolk Community Foundation 2,158 2,000 3,826 - 332
505R - Safe Harbour - Other Restricted - 2,300 - - 2,300
505R - Safe Harbour - Spring Harvest 2,315 1,811 4,292 - (166)
505R - Safe Harbour - Top-up Shop Manager - 8,750 3,043 - 5,707
506G - Pilgrims Together 408 - - - 408
508G - Bungay 1,299 15,668 5,173 - 11,794
508R - Bungay - Spud Club 967 2,189 2,747 - 409
509G - Agricultural Chaplaincy - 214 145 - 68
509R - Agricultural Chaplaincy PCF 166 5,000 2,105 - 3,061
510G - Bridge Communities - 80 - - 80
55,392 147,732 91,221 1,250 113,153
TOTAL FUND BALANCE 80,178 179,129 121,191 - 138,116
0.4 0.7
----- End of picture text -----

The transfer from the 501G - General fund to 503G - Emerge is a correction because of an error in the 2022 accounts where a donation for Emerge in 2022 was placed in the General Fund in error

The transfer from Red Lodge - WS Covid restart was implemented as a result of an agreement with local DWP office that money unspent need not be returned but could be used for general costs in Red Lodge

PCF - Princes Countryside Fund, now renamed the Royal Countryside Fund

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3 Further analysis of Receipts and Payments Accounts

Accounts Accounts
Unrestricted
Funds
Unrestricted
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
TOTAL 2023
TOTAL 2022
£
£
£
£
£
RECEIPTS
a) All other giving/voluntary receipts
Any other Income
Contactless Giving
Donations - Other
Donations at events
Online Giving
b) Grants from External Bodies
Red Lodge
Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Red Lodge Parish Council
Suffolk Community Foundation
West Suffolk Community Chest
West Suffolk Council
Kickstart DWP funding
Mitchell Fund
Newmarket Festival
Sainsbury's		 - -
59 6
112 2,758
29 3
70-		 1,133 1,133 -
2,300 2,365 916
12,003 14,873 14,507
874 905 -
717 787962
270 2,767 17,027 20,064 16,385
25,000 25,000 -
100 100 200
11,500 11,500 17,500
8,200 8,200 -
3,245 3,245 6,000
- - 3,749
- - 2,000
- - 2,500
- - 677
Emerge
East Suffolk Council 190 190 1,031
Safe Harbour
Elizabeth Walters Trust		 -
1,172 1,172 -
Ipswich Borough Council
Julia and Hans Rausing Trust		 2,300 2,300 -
3,750 3,750 -
Suffolk Community Foundation
Bungay		 6,000 6,000 17,500
-
Bungay United Charities 4,726 4,726 270
Suffolk County Council
Agricultural and Rural Chaplaincy		 945 945 1,000
-
Royal Countryside Fund (was Princes Countryside Fund - PCF) 5,000 5,000 5,000
c) Activities for generating funds
Fundraising Activities - Top-up Shop
Other Trading Activities - Café
d) Charitable Activities		 - 3,484
-19,903		 72,128 72,128 57,427
- 3,484 5,574
-19,903 21,454
- 23,388 - 23,388 27,028
Spring Harvest (Red Lodge and Safe Harbour)
Red Lodge Events
National Events (New Wine, New Day)
Other		 2,412 2,412 3,045
- - 1,850
210 210 522
184 184 180
2,806 2,806 5,597

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Lightwave Community Annual Report 2023

PAYMENTS Unrestricted
Funds
Unrestricted
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
TOTAL 2023
TOTAL 2022
£
£
£
£
£
e) Diocesan Parish Contributions
Contribution to Lightwave Mission Assistants/Café Man
f) Staff Costs
Other Staff Costs - Salaries and Wages
Payments against contracts for services
Other Staff Costs - Pension
Other Staff Costs - National Insurance
Clergy & Staff Expenses
g) Charity Running Expenses
Church - Utilities (Gas and Electric)
Church - Telephone and Internet
Church - Maintenance
Insurance
Hall Rental
Printing, Stationery and Postage
Equipment
Other Church Expenses
Resources and Expenses for Mission and Ministry
Training
Mission incl Events
Bank Charges
IT and Website Expenses
Finance Expenses
Licence Expenses (CCLI etc)
h) Mission Giving and Donations
Giving to Relief and Development Agencies
Giving to Local Charities
i) Café and Foodbank running costs		 ager
11,400 11,400 22,800 11,400
- - 11,871 11,871 1,605
- - - - 16,050
- - 57 57 64
- - 248 248 -
425-1,116 1,541 5,772
425 - 13,292 13,718 23,491
- - 450 450 -
36 - 92 128 -
- - 312 312 -
1,847 - - 1,847 1,788
35 156 17,391 17,582 13,240
3 - 1,403 1,405 822
- 714 5,899 6,613 2,617
- - 3 3 105
89 182 12,290 12,561 8,398
229 - 558 787 -
243 - 6,438 6,681 6,188
60 - 77 137 172
252 - 639 891 566
249 - 253 502 119
180- 246426 509
3,222 1,052 46,049 50,323 34,524
- - - - 250
- - 1,0801,080 855
- - 1,080 1,080 1,105
Café Supplies - 12,498 - 12,498 14,169
Top-up Shop and Foodbank Expenses
j) Grants to Individuals and Groups
Grants to individuals/relief payments - Red Lodge
Grants to individuals/relief payments - Place
by the Water
Grants to individuals/relief payments - Safe Harbour
Grants to individuals/relief payments -
Agricultural Chaplaincy
Payments against contracts for services in 2022 now re-c
Place by the Water in 2023
NOTE: CCLI - Christian Copyright Licensing International.
and organisations around the world, relating to the cop		 - 1,374 4,019 5,393 5,359
- 13,871 4,019 17,890 19,528
- -
202 202 17,412
- - 14,777 14,777 -
- -
(150)
(150) 15,343
- - 552 552 -
- - 15,381 15,381 32,755
lassified as Grants to individuals/relief payments -
Provides licences and services for churches, schools
yright of worship songs and media. https://uk.ccli.com/

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Glossary/Definitions

----- Start of picture text -----
Associate Associate Lightwave Groups are groups which associate with the
Lightwave Lightwave vision and training but come under the governance of a local
Groups PCC.
BMO Bishop’s Mission Order, the order made under which the Lightwave
Community is formed as a formal mission initiative of the Church of
England, under part 7 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011.
CIO The Lightwave Community Charitable Incorporated Organisation
DBF Diocesan Board of Finance of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and
Ipswich, (the charity which administers the work of the Diocese)
Fresh A Fresh Expression of Church is a form of church for our changing
Expression culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet
of Church members of any church, which will come into being through principles of
(fxC) listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples. It will have
the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the
gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context.
–
GiGitC Growing in God in the Countryside the name of the project funded
by the DBF and the SDF which has established Lightwave as a Community.
Lightwave Lightwave groups each have identified the mission to which they are
Groups called locally. They usually come under the governance of the CIO and are
supported by their local Hub and/or partner benefice. They often require
limited financial resource or investment, or have a more localised base of
supporters to make them sustainable. Associate Lightwave groups are
groups which associate with the Lightwave vision and training but come
under the governance of a local PCC.
Lightwave Hubs have responsibility of overseeing mission and development of
Hubs Lightwave groups in a specified geographic location under the CIO. The
Hub has its own bank account and employs a Lead Worker (or workers) to
deliver activities, develop vision and plans for delivery to meet the needs
identified in the area of benefit.
Lightwave Benefices who collaborate with Lightwave’s vision on a day-to-day basis in
Partner a specific local geographical context (e.g. Chadbrook, 4 Rivers, S.
Benefices Hartismere)
SFXC Suffolk Fresh Expressions Community - The alternative name for the
Lightwave Community. May be found in some older documentation but now
largely no longer used.
SDF Strategic Development Fund of the Church of England from which
funds have been granted for the GiGitC project – this has now been
replaced by the SMMI (see below)
–
SDU Strategic Development Unit which administered the SDF this has now
been replaced by the Vision and Strategy Unit
New The term New Disciple is used by the GiGitC as a measurement of the
Disciple fruit of the project. When used in this way it denotes people who have
begun to participate in some form of church at least monthly.
SMMIB The Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board of the Church
Commissioners/Archbishops Council which replaces the Strategic
Development Unit Board which funded the original GiGitC project.
----- End of picture text -----

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THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SUFFOLK Lightwave Community Annual Rewrt 2023 40of40