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Gracemass Church Planting Ministries CIO

Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2023

NAME AND REGISTERED OFFICE –

The name of the charity is Gracemass Church Planting Ministries CIO
Registered address: The Vicarage, Raglan Way Northolt UB5 4SX
Gracemass Church Planting Ministries became a registered Charity on 10 February 2021 ( no. 1193488 )
Gracemass Church Planting Ministries is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with a constitution dated 25 January 2021
The financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December

OBJECTS

To advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Faith, in London and throughout England & Wales, for the benefit of the public mainly but not exclusively through the provision of sacraments, the holding of prayer meetings, religious study and education, public celebration of religious festivals and to provide outreach and pastoral care for the community.

TRUSTEES

Revd Edmund Alwyn James Cargill Thompson MA Oxon MA (Chair)

Mr Jason Spyridon Plessas

Raymond Edmund Antieul BA ACCA

Mr Jason (known as “Jay”) Pelp (until 26 October 2023)

Rev Richard Andrew Collins Bd Ma AKC (until 31 October 2023)

The governing document provides for the appointment of trustees. - There must be at least three trustees. There are appointed trustees and ex officio trustees. There must always be more appointed trustees than ex-officio trustees.

In selecting individuals for appointment as trustees, the trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity. Apart from the first trustees, every appointed trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution of the trustees passed at a special meeting. Any eligible trustee may be re-appointed, subject to them still having skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the charity.

Any clergy person licensed to “Gracemass Church” shall be an ex-officio trustee for as long as they hold that office.

Trustee training is undertaken on a regular basis.

BANKERS Lloyds Bank 25 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7HN

STATEMENT OF FAITH

We are a Christian organisation in the Catholic Charismatic Tradition

We are Christian in that we adhere to the Nicene Creed –

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

We are “Catholic” - by which we mean holding a set of beliefs held by many within the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox and certain other denominations, which include but are not limited to:

(i) That the risen Lord Jesus Christ is really present in the bread and wine of Communion.
(ii) That baptism is not primarily an act by the person being baptised in which they express their faith in God but rather primarily a sacrament in which God acts within the person being baptised.
(iii) That there are other rites or ceremonies sometimes called sacraments in which through an outward and visible sign God ministers an inward and Spiritual grace.
(iv) That God was at work in the lives of the saints, that we can learn from both their teaching and example, and that they continue surround us as a great cloud of witnesses praying for us before the throne of God in heaven.

We are “Charismatic” meaning holding to a set of beliefs including but not limited to

(i) That the Holy Spirit did not cease to be active at the close of the bible but continues to be active today.
(ii) That people can have an experiential encounter with the Holy Spirit (sometimes referred to as “being filled with the Holy Spirit”).
(iii) That the Holy Spirit gives differing gifts to believers including for example the gift of tongues.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

In accordance with their statutory duty, the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. During 2023 the church (“Gracemass Church”) planted by Gracemass Church Planting ministries offered (among other things) the following public benefit.

Religious Activities - At the heart of the charity’s work were the religious services provided by the first church we have planted, Gracemass Church. We advance the Christian religion sharing our faith with a variety of people across London. We provide pastoral care to those within the church; those within the wider family connected to the church; and those we encounter, particularly for example through our presence in the George Pub.
Community Development – Gracemass Church gathered a community around itself consisting both of the worshippers at the church and a wider group gathered around them including several immigrants new to this country and young adults new to London including people of all faiths and none. This has helped those new either to England or London to integrate more fully within the wider community, as well as giving them opportunities to practise their English. Members of the community have been able to provide peer support with mental health issues, job searches and personal development.

Gracemass Church Planting Ministries will continue to provide public benefit by making grants in the future to other Catholic Charismatic Church Plants who then provide public benefit through religious activities and through community development. The trustees believe that the public benefit is best served by prayerfully waiting until the right project comes along rather than rushing to make grants to charities that only partially match the charity’s criteria.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year to 31 December 2023

2023 was a difficult year for Gracemass church – the one church planted by Gracemass Church Planting Ministries so far. From October 2022 Gracemass Church had worshipped at St Matthews Church Great Peter Street, meeting weekly in their building on Sunday afternoons. However in April 2023 we had to move out of that venue. We found a number of temporary venues over the next few months but none of them were truly suitable for a gathered church drawing people from all over the M25 area. As a result in November 2023 the trustees took the difficult decision to close Gracemass Church. The charity remains open as a charity and the trustees are taking a prayerful pause whilst we discern how best to use our funds to advance church planting and in particular church planting within the Catholic Charismatic tradition.

There are 20-30 people within the wider Gracemass community. The number of people attending on an average fell once we left St Matthews Westminster and were unable to provide a regular convenient location.

Gracemass Church used a number of Social Media, in particular a thriving WhatsApp group as a way of holding the community together midweek. This group is used for people to share prayer requests, provide mutual pastoral care when going through difficult situations, and to give people an opportunity to get to know one another better. Various social meetups have also been organised. These have included not just the active members of the church but a wider social community including those new to England and new to London. Our Church members have helped them to integrate more fully into wider society. The WhatsApp group has enabled some pastoral care to

continue for those who had been members of the church as they have adjusted to the closure of Gracemass.

We have also made extensive use of the “MeetUp” App to reach out to new people and draw them to the church.

While Gracemass church was operating, priestly ministrations have been provided for Gracemass Church by Fr ‘Mund Cargill Thompson. Gracemass Church worshiped as a Church of England congregation under the provisions of Canon C8 whereby an incumbent may invite a clergy person in good standing to conduct services within his parish. We are extremely grateful to Fr Philip Chester, Vicar of St Matthews Westminster for giving our priest, Fr ‘Mund Cargill Thompson permission to conduct Gracemass’s services within the bounds of his parish. Unfortunately London Diocese was resistant to any other form of licensing arrangement for a priest (eg a Bishops Mission Order), and when it ceased to be possible to meet at St Matthews it became increasingly difficult to find venues that were both suitable for our congregation and at the same time complied with Canon C8. It was this that led to the decision to close Gracemass Church

Music at Gracemass Church’s masses was provided by Yu Hng Ng. Yu Hng is a classically trained composer, pianist and professional musician who also has a wide experience of contemporary worship music. Yu Hng composed for our us our own Gloria and also “Make me worthy to approach your gifts in awe” a worship song based on one of the hymns of St Ephrem the Syrian. Both of these were used regularly in our masses.

Income for the year to 31 December 2023 was £9,783.15. Expenditure was £5,683.65. Our biggest expense at £2,060.32 was for the costs of pastoral care. Our next biggest expense at £2,021.00 was the cost of musicians to play for Sunday mass.

We are fortunate that we have been provided with both our priestly ministrations and our venues for free. Whilst Gracemass Church was never expecting to be able to pay the full costs of a priest, had it been doing so, the Diocese of London estimated these to be £87,000 in 2023. Had we had to pay for weekly venue hire in 2023, we estimate that it would have increased our expenditure by around £6,000.

Given that our income is now likely to lower for the immediate future, the Charity has decided to take advantage of the filing advantages open to charities with income below £10,000 including not using an independent examiner.

POLICIES

Gracemass Church Planting Ministries has the following policies in place: -

a. Risk assessment
b. Conflict of Interest Policy
c. Safeguarding
d. Complaints Procedure
e. Fund Raising Policy
f. Data Protection Policy

CHARITY GOVERNANCE CODE

Gracemass Church Planting Ministries aspires to following the Charity Governance Code. On a regular basis, as part of Gracemass Church Planting Ministries trustee training, the different principles of the Code are discussed at trustee meetings, and in particular their application to the prevailing and developing circumstances of Gracemass Church Planting Ministries .

DECLARATION

Gracemass Church Planting Ministries Trustees declare that they approved the Trustees’ Report above at the meeting of the Trustees held on 25[th] October 2024

Signed on behalf of the Gracemass Church Planting Ministries Trustees

Full name: Revd Edmund Alwyn James Cargill Thompson

Chair of Trustees

Gr•cemass Flnanaal Summa 2023 UnrÈsincted Resintted Funds Funds 2022 UnrestrKted Aestncted Fund5 Funds Toial Totsl omt GIft5- Gth AKI Gift5- Non Gift Ctsllè(tx)ns 3.645.117 3,645.87 3.3LIJ.(L) 3,3Lk).Cil 270.05 270.C6 12.231.th 12.231.(K) 1.372.75 1.372.75 Fund R315ini HMRC Designated IniÈre51 Receryed Total 24.81 2.401.94 24.81 2,401.94 12.56 12.56 140.4A 9,383.15 140.48 9,783.15 11.616.31 13,616.31 èndbtwe Mus£Lan Wofship Pastoral Carè thErt151 Congregatson & evangel1 socul Equipment repairs & maintenaKe Tra¥el Bank charyes Total 2.021.IX) 474.(L) 2,021.CKJ 474.C(J 1.762. 978.Li) 1,762.00 978.CL) 2.LYO.32 303.73 2,C60.32 303.73 25.LX) 459.Li) 1.187.LX) 18.L)) 4S9.CL) 1,187.C 18.00 Il.( 659. 4.51 5,683.55 IL.() 659.99 4.51 5,683.SS 4.SO8.LXI 4,508.(K) rplusltwthe ye•r 4,LV)9.&) 4,Cp)9.60 9.108.31 9,108.31 Balance Sheel CL¥Tent As5et5 Cash at bank 18.279.89 18.279.89 12.614.31 12.614.31 CL¥Yent LlablNtks Pastoral Support •4nowt due to HMRC 3,356.92 955.C6 I,3.92 955 (6 2.745.65 2,745.65 4.311.98 4,311.98 2.745.65 2,745.6S NÉT ASSÉTS 13,967.91 13,967.91 9,868.É 9.868.66 Financed ty:_ Aeserye5 8alance as at 1st January 2023 Surplus for the year 8ance as at 31st December 2023 9.868.31 9.868.31 a,(fr>3. 4.1x9.60 L3,967.9l 13.963.91 760.0) 9.108.31 9.868.31 7EQ.Ch) 9.108.31 9.868.31

2023-12-31-accounts