## Vine Church Wynyard Charity Report 2022 

## Aim and Purposes 

Vine Church Board of Trustees (BOT) has the responsibility of co-operating with the church leaders, the Reverends Mark and Emily Hudghton, in promoting in the area of Wynyard the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. 

## Objectives and Activities 

The BOT is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our community at Vine Church. 

Prior to the establishing of Vine Church, there was no church of any denomination present in Wynyard, and with the huge growth of population over the last 20 years a church was sorely needed. The church officially launched with in person services and meetings in September 2021, so the church has been running now for approximately one year. 

The church leadership team maintains an overview of worship throughout the BMO area and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our area. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, and sacrament. 

When planning our activities for the year, the church leaders and the BOT have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our community through: 

- Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus 

- Provision of pastoral care for people living in the area 

- Missionary and outreach work 

## Structure, Governance and Management 

Vine Church Wynyard has existed legally since August 2020. It is a Bishop’s Mission Order church which is located within Stockton Country Parish, according to the House of Bishops' Code of Practice on Part 7 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 dealing with BMOs (GS 2109). An official Bishop’s Visitor was appointed by the Bishop of Durham in accordance with this measure, to provide Diocesan oversight to the church. 

In place of a PCC, the church has a Board of Trustees (BOT) which provides governance and is answerable to the Charity Commission. Much of the day-to-day running of the church and some decisions are delegated by the BOT to the church’s leadership team, including the church leaders Reverends Emily and Mark Hudghton. For the first year, the BOT met every other month, but now meets three times a year. Each new BOT member is invited to join by the church leaders, and safely recruited. 

The initial funding for Vine Church comes from the Church of England’s central Strategic Development Fund. They have provided funding for staff members for the first five years, plus some set up costs, although the staff funding decreases year on year as the church itself moves towards sustainability. This is restricted funding. 

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## Achievements and Performance 

## Worship and Prayer 

The church is keen to offer a range of services over the course of the year that our community find both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling. The area has a large population of young families, which is a demographic not often well served by the Church of England. For this reason, as well as considering that the church meets in the school, much of the church’s activity is centred around engaging the young families in Wynyard. However, all are welcome to attend our regular services and we do have a number of church members who represent other demographics. 

Not being a parish, the church does not have an electoral roll. However, the church community numbers around 50-60, with Sunday attendance around 30-40 each week, including a high proportion of children. 

As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life, in marriage public vows are exchanged with God’s blessing and through funeral services friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life which is now complete in this world and to commend the person into God's keeping. As a new church which does not have a building the clergy conduct only a few marriages and funerals, but have baptised the children of three new families this year. 

## Mission and Evangelism 

Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and the love of God with others is a demonstration of our faith. Over the last year, the church has done this in a number of ways, and several new people and families have joined the church as a result. 

We hold community events and services for the major Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas, as well as at other times, such as the beginning of the school year. Wynyard is a place where many people experience significant isolation - there are few ways to meet neighbours and friends due to lack of community meeting spaces. The church therefore aims to provide events where people and families can connect and make friends, in order to tackle some of the isolation people feel. These community events and services are very well attended, with 116 attending at Easter and 148 the services of Christmas. 

Alpha, an ‘introduction to Christianity’ course, runs several times a year at the church with around 10 participants each time. This has been pivotal for a number of people in the church, as they have either discovered or rediscovered their faith, and become more connected to the church community. 

## Engagement with Children & Young People 

The church supports and engages with children and young people in a variety of ways. Investment in a full-time Children and Families Pastor provided by Tees Valley Youth for Christ via a service level agreement has significantly aided this area of church life. 

The church has an extremely strong link with the Church of England School in which its Sunday services are held - Wynyard Primary School. Revd Emily Hudghton is the Deputy Chair of Governors for the school, and the clergy and Children & Families Pastor lead weekly Collective Worship, as well as seasonal school services at the end of each term, and contribute to the RE curriculum through leading lessons. A church lunchtime club in the school is due to begin soon. 

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There is no Secondary School in Wynyard, and no community meeting space for young people, which sometimes leads to young people in the area not knowing one another as they all disperse across the region to different schools and extracurricular activities. To encourage the community of young people to get to know one another, the church has partnered with another Church of England church in the Diocese in bringing their mobile youth centre - a converted double decker bus - to Wynyard on a monthly basis. This has been a huge success with many young people engaging with the event each month. In the near future, the church aims to establish a weekly youth group alongside this. 

## Pastoral Care 

Pastoral care is a significant aspect of church life, with both clergy and lay people caring for those in need of support, whether it be through mental ill health, big life events such as the birth of a baby or the death of a loved one, or other circumstances. 

A monthly midweek service has recently been established in Wynyard Woods Care Home, to support the residents and staff there, which has been both well received and well attended. 

## Encouraging New Leaders 

The Church of England has long neglected the ministry of lay people, and it is becoming increasingly aware of the need to encourage their leadership of more aspects of church life. Therefore, it is a key aim of the church to encourage, release and equip lay people to lead in ways they may not have previously, building their confidence and skills. 

The church has done this through training and recruiting volunteers for the youth bus, for prayer ministry, as well as serving roles such as hospitality and welcome – all of which builds community, skills, self-esteem and confidence. 

We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. 

Revds Mark and Emily Hudghton have also been responsible for training four ordinands (trainee Church of England clergy) whilst they have been on placement at Vine Church Wynyard, with another ordinand due to begin a two year placement in the new year. They have strong ongoing links with the Anglican training college Cranmer Hall at Durham University and have contributed to some of the teaching modules the ordinands undertake there. 

## Deanery Synod 

Both clergy currently sit on both Deanery Synod and Diocesan Synod. This provides the BOT with an important link between the church and the wider structures of the church. This year they have been part of conversations around the questions posed to parishes in the deanery about the most effective deployment of stipendiary and non-stipendiary clergy, in order to further the wider mission of the church in the local area. 

## Ecumenical Relationships 

The church is committed to building positive ecumenical relationships in the area, and is part of the large ecumenical Transforming Teesside Together movement, with church members attending ecumenical worship services, and the clergy regularly meeting to collaborate and pray with other church leaders in the area. 

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## Financial Review 

2022 was the first full operational year of the church after the launch of regular in-person Sunday services in September 2021. The church appointed a Children and Families Pastor (Feb 22 start) who is provided by Tees Valley Youth For Christ via a Service Level Agreement, and employed a Communications & Operations Lead who worked Feb 22 – June 22, as well as a part time Discipleship Pastor (Dec 22 start), which accounts for the increased financial turnover compared to 2021. These employment expenses, as well as church running costs, totalled £34,763 during 2022, all of which were funded in the main by the Strategic Development Fund (SDF) grant received from the Church of England. A small amount of expenses not covered by SDF budgets was met by church funds, as was a small proportion of day-to-day running costs. 

The church’s income totalled £23,668. supplemented by donations to the church and associated Gift Aid claims. This may be a higher than typical figure, as this includes the previous year’s Gift Aid claim, and a number of one-off gifts. 

It is BOT policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to at least three months payments (currently equivalent to £15,000) to cover unexpected situations that may arise from time to time. At the end of 2022 the church bank balance was £30,272, which is double the amount required in reserve. However, the church is mindful that from 1 January 2024 however the proportion of expenses that the SDF funding will cover will begin to reduce proportionately, so some of this extra will likely be used as part of the church’s sustainability plan for future years. 

## Administrative Information 

Vine Church Wynyard is a Bishop’s Mission Order church in the Diocese of Durham, part of the Church of England. It meets in Wynyard Primary School. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 14 Saville Close, Wynyard, TS22 5GL. 

The Board of Trustees members who have served from 1st January 2022 until the date this report was approved are: 

Revd Emily Hudghton (Chair) Revd Mark Hudghton (Vice Chair) Revd Frances Cooper (Treasurer - until March 2022) Mr Alistair Bianchi Mrs Beth Miller Dr Lucy Falcus Mr Martin Waller (Since February 2022) 

**Approved by the Board of Trustees on 12.06.2023 and signed on their behalf by the Reverend Emily Hudghton (Chair of Board of Trustees).** 


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## **Financial Statements for the year ending 31.12.2022** 

Receipts and Payments account 

**Receipts** _Regular giving SDF Funding_ Gift for Richard and Jasmin 

## **Payments** 

Gift for Richard and Jasmin _SDF funded payments Church payments_ 

## _**Excess Receipts over Payments**_ 

Balance b/f 01.01.2022 Balance c/f 31.12.2022 

## **Receipts** 

_**Planned giving SDF Claims**_ 

## **Payments** 

_Misc expenses for missional activities etc funded through grant Church misc expenses and mileage/water rates_ 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2022<br>Notes Unrestricted Receipts Restricted Receipts Total 2021<br>1 23668.86 23668.86 8999<br>2 34763.05 34763.05 17203<br>237.92<br>23668.86 35000.97 58669.83 26202<br>Unrestricted Payments Restricted Payments Total<br>237.92 237.92<br>3 39314.68 39314.68 17330<br>4 1516.51 1516.51 1776<br>1516.51 39552.6 41069.11 19106<br>17600.72 7096<br>12672.10 5576.78<br>30272.82 12672.10<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>



**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Notes Unrestricted Receipts Restricted Receipts Total 2021<br>1 23668.86 23668.86 8999<br>2 34763.05 17203<br>23668.86 34763.05 58431.91 26202<br>Unrestricted Payments Restricted Payments Total Total<br>3 39314.68 39314.68 17330<br>4 1516.51 1516.51 1776<br>1516.51 39314.68 40831.19 19106<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>




## **Analysis From Cash Book** 

|**Restricted Giving**<br>SDF Funding<br>34763.05<br>Gift for Richard and Jasmin<br>237.92<br>**Unrestricted Giving**<br>Gift aid planned giving<br>8004.00<br>Other planned giving<br>9105.08<br>Other receipts<br>5.00<br>Gift aid<br>6554.78<br>**Total Receipts**<br>**Unrestricted Expenditure**<br>Church running costs<br>221.26<br>Clergy & Staffing<br>1295.25<br>**Restricted expenditure**<br>SDF Funding<br>39314.68<br>Gift for Richard and Jasmin<br>237.92<br>**Total Expenditure**<br>_Excess receipts over payments_<br>Balance b/f 01.01.2021<br>Excess receipts over payments<br>Total<br>Bank Statement as at 31.12.2022|35000.97<br>23668.86<br>**58669.83**<br>1516.51<br>39552.60<br>**41069.11**<br>**_17600.72_**<br>12672.10<br>17600.72<br>**30272.82**<br>**30272.82**|
|---|---|





## **Notes** 

2020 had little movement on the account due to a delayed start in the project because of the COVID pandemic. The project officially launched in September 2021 when we held our first service in Wynyard School .  2022 therefore represents our first operational year. There are now regular donations through either the Parish Giving Scheme, direct debits or stripe payments with gift aid being reclaimed as appropriate.  The majority of the expenditure for 2022 was funded by the SDF (Strategic Development Fund) with a small amount for clergy expenses etc from church funds.  We did organise a collection for Richard and Jasmin who were ordinands attached to the church. Increased financial turnover resulted from the February 2022 appointment of a Families and childrens pastor as well as a communications and operations lead. Childrens work is run in the school as well We have also started a youth club and are about to run a youth alpha course. This all required funding. I stood down from the communications and operations leads post in June 2022 but continue to input on an unpaid basis. A Discipleship pastor was appointed in Dec 2022. Large outreach events were organised for Easter, September "harvest festival" and Christmas and an alpha course was run in the autumn of 2022. Again this all needed funding. We hire the school for our Sunday service and youth club. We are insured.  As this is a new church plant into an established building (school) the church has no significant tangible assets or investments. 




## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts** 

## **Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report** 

**Report to the trustees/** Charity Name **members of** Vine Church, Wynyard **On accounts for the year** 2022 **Charity no** 1193706 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** (remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets) 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 **/12 / 2022** . 

**Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). 

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 

- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 

- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ 

**Signed:** Frances Cooper **Date:** 22.03.2023 **Name:** Frances Cooper **Relevant professional** Member of Association of Accounting Technicians.  AAT. **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** 4 Riverside, South Church, Bishop Auckland DL14 6XT 

**Oct 2018** 

1 

**IER** 



## **Section B                           Disclosure** 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 

**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** . 

**Oct 2018** 

2 

**IER**