Abergavenny Baptist Church
Accounts
31 December 2024
## **Abergavenny Baptist Church**
## **Independent Examiners Report to The Trustees and Members of Abergavenny Baptist Church**
We report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31st December 2024 which which are set out on pages 2 to 8
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiners**
The church's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the church accounts. the church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under 144 (2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is our responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 act;
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
to state whether particular matters have come to our attention.
## **Basis of independent examiners' report**
Our 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 you as 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 Examiners' statement**
In connection with our examination no matter has come to our attention:
(1) which gives us reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or (2) to which, in our opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached
I Morris
C Lines
1
## **Abergavenny Baptist Church Trustees Report For The Year Ended 31 December 2024**
The Trustees present their report with the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
|**Charity Number**|**1194889**||
|---|---|---|
|Address|Frogmore Street||
||Abergavenny||
||Monmouthshire||
||NP7 7AL||
|**Trustees**|||
||Rev M Orsmond|Minister|
||B Watkins|Children's Worker|
||A O'Gorman|Youth and Family Worker|
||M Anderson|Treasurer|
||L W Anderson||
||M Morgan||
||A I Wilde|Secretary|
||I Gilbertson||
||K Kippax||
||A Lewis|resigned 17 September 2024|
|**Trustees for a Charity**|Baptist|Union Corporation|
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
Abergavenny Baptist Church is an unincorporated charitable association. It is governed by constitution. Charity Trustees are appointed by church members. Any person qualified to be a member of the church is eligible for election as a Charity Trustee (unless disqualified by statute), provided that they have been a member for at least 6 months and provided that, at all times at least 66% of the elected Charity Trustees shall be persons who have been baptised in accordance with the beliefs of the Baptist Union.
## **Objectives and Activities**
The principal purpose of the church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.
The Activities may include but are not restricted to:
- regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching;
- baptism, as defined in the Union’s Declaration of Principle;
- the Communion of the Lord’s Supper which shall normally be observed at least once a month;
- evangelism and mission, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally;
- the teaching, encouragement, welcome and inclusion of young people;
- nurture and growth of Christian disciples;
- education and training for Christian and community service;
- giving and encouraging pastoral care;
- supporting and encouraging charitable social action in the United Kingdom and abroad;
- encouraging relationships with and supporting Baptists and other Christians.
2
Our weekly Sunday morning service has been well attended with many people of all age groups. Most people attend inperson but some attend via Zoom. As a result, our membership has grown by six. The church also continues to hold a monthly prayer meeting on a Wednesday evening and a weekly women's fellowship meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The church has five Life Groups (small groups ) that meet fortnightly in members' homes, either in person or a hybrid of both online and in-person, for Bible study and prayer. During the year, we had three funerals, four baptismal services (where nine people in total were baptised) and three dedication services ( where six children were dedicated).
This year the youth group has successfully maintained contact with an average of 16 young people attending in person, and two via zoom. We had a handful of year 6 pupils joining us after Easter. We also moved our meeting time from Friday evening to Sunday which has proved to be very successful. The sessions are now livelier with more energy. This year we have completed the Fruitfulness on the Frontline course, the 24/7 Origins Prayer course, The Way Uk study on Colossians, and the Christians in Sport study of James. We are currently studying, The Gospel of mark using Tom Wright study guide and scripture union Grid notes on Genesis. The youth assisted the foodbank on 3 occasions, sorting, weighing, and dating stock. In May, a group from the church attended The big Church festival, five people were from the youth group. It was a huge success so this is something we will encourage every year. We held our annual youth camp weekend in mid-July and included a Kayaking activity for the first time which was a huge success. We continue to promote the Urban Saints House Camp, Bethany House Party and supported 5 young people from the church to attend this week away. We held a fundraising event in October to help assist families financially to attend camp. At Christmas the youth helped to decorate the church, lead the worship in the nativity service and joined in the choir at the Carol service
ABC Toddlers continues to run as a Faith based Toddler group and has grown continually throughout the year. We now average 30 people, mums and toddlers each week. We have seen numbers around 34 – 36 on occasions towards the summer of 2024. Half of the people who attend are not connected to any church. Relationships are growing within the group we have been able to pray into situations or with mums many times. We continue to receive many positive comments about the group, from past and present members with regular attendees inviting friends.
In November of 2024 we ran a Parenting for Faith course for parents of Toddlers. 5 parents from the church attended and all gave positive feedback on the helpful nature of the course. We continue to make contact with and support families individually on a weekly basis.
2024 has been another good year for Abergavenny Baptist Church with regards to its children’s ministry. We have 35 children in total coming along either to our Sunday mornings or after school club, Dodgeball and Donuts. Throughout the year we also hold Easter events, holiday clubs, light parties and multiple Christmas activities with well over that number coming along.
We have a fantastic team of volunteers, who help with all these events and without whom, many of these activities just would not happen. It is an exciting time to be involved in church with 2025 looking even more promising than the last.
2024 was another busy year at the Foodbank in Abergavenny but the data shows a 5.2% decrease in the number of referrals made when compared to last year. 1056 parcels were given out to our clients, helping to feed 1562 adults and 743 children. The number of total people fed shows a decrease of 11% in total (6.7 % for adults and a 19.4% decrease for children, indicating fewer families coming into the foodbank during 2024.)
Despite this decrease, the current cost of living is high and many people still find themselves struggling with debt, benefit delays /sanctions, long term health issues affecting employability, insecure housing, rising costs and having no savings or support to fall back on. The number of people needing help often outstrips donations, and we continue to purchase a great deal more than previously at a higher price. In 2023, we purchased 50% of our total stock, whereas in 2024 that percentage increased to 60%. Thankfully we continue to cope with this increase at the present time because of a healthy bank balance and the financial support of the local community, but we remain mindful of the need to monitor the situation carefully, given a highly challenging and rapidly changing environment where inflation rates remain higher than anticipated and social security payments fall short of the cost of the essentials we all rely on. Where possible, we take advantage of sites that offer essential items at low cost. An example of this is ‘In Kind Direct,’ a charity that connects companies with charitable organisations to provide access to life's essentials.
3
In March 2024, Abergavenny Foodbank was awarded a further two years grant of Financial Inclusion funding from Trussell. Therefore, we continue to retain on site an excellent advisor from Citizens Advice who advises clients on a whole range of issues such as benefits, charitable support, debt, employment, housing, tax and utilities. This vital service continues to help clients access the support they need by unlocking grants and money they may be eligible for, thus enabling them to resolve the crisis that brought them to the foodbank in the first place.
With a donation of £650 from Waitrose, we were able to support each family who came into the foodbank over the summer holidays with a £20 food gift voucher in addition to their normal food parcel.
As a result of the generosity of the local community, we continue to offer our clients a range of fresh food, including fruit and vegetables, cheese and eggs. During December, we were able to give out Christmas treat bags as well as food gift vouchers all through December. In addition to the treat bags, one donor raised money to buy books to support parents in giving their children a Christmas gift.
In 2025 the church will endeavour to set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to operate the Foodbank going forward.
Whatever the future holds, with the help of the local community, we will do our best to support individuals and families who turn to us for assistance.
## **Policy on reserves**
The Church endeavours to keep reserves sufficient to meeting 12 months running costs and also complete any repairs recommended in the quinquennial architects report.
The Foodbank endeavours to keep a minimum of 6m running costs plus a contingency for other potential costs that may arise.
M Orsmond
4
**Abergavenny Baptist Church Income and Expenditure account for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|Offering:Gift Aid
General Envelopes
Cash
Stewardship
**Other income**
Gift Aid tax refund
Interest: bank accounts
trust funds
Rent
Easyfundraising
Donations for Hm/BMS
Donations
Foodbank donations
Hire of Church hall
Grants
Donation Spurgeons etc
Womens fellowship
**Expenses**
Gross Stipend
Children and Youth workers wages
Employer's NI
Pension
Pension shortfall
Pension childrens worker
Ministers expenses
Childrens ministry
Manse costs including ins
Visiting ministers & speakers
Insurance
Light, heat and telephone
Cleaning
Major repairs (project costs)
Minor repairs
IT equipment
Deoreciation
Donations to HM/BMS
Donations spurgeons etc
Donations miscellaneous
General administrative expenses
Advertising, books and cards
Courses
Office equipment
Other expenses
Womens Fellowship Expenses
Foodbank Costs
**Excess of receipts over payments**
Trust fund income
Transfers between funds
**Excess of receipts over payments**
Balance brought forward
Balance carried forward|**2024**
**2024**
**General**
**fund**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
58,738
58,738
6,305
6,305
5,303
5,303
7,201
360
7,561
**77,547**
**360**
**77,907**
15,501
1,198
16,699
7,566
7,566
725
725
50
50
15
15
1,798
1,798
650
650
50,361
50,361
95
95
24,996
24,996
-
1,126
1,126
498
498
**102,647**
**79,839**
**182,486**
28,600
28,600
25,317
360
25,677
25
25
3,621
3,621
10
10
2,568
2,568
410
410
1,595
925
2,520
4,500
4,500
400
400
3,433
3,433
3,824
3,824
2,039
2,039
-
-
3,331
3,331
71
71
355
355
2,040
1,828
3,868
191
191
2,868
2,868
2,887
2,887
-
-
139
139
-
-
2,576
2,576
164
164
87,807
87,807
**90,773**
**91,111**
**181,884**
**11,874**
**(11,272)**
**602**
-
-
4,800
(4,800)
-
**16,674**
**(16,072)**
**602**
183,605
158,537
342,142
**200,279**
**142,465**
**342,744**|**2023**
**£**
57,004
5,159
4,400
3,430|
|---|---|---|
|||**69,993**|
|||17,369
5,910
1,043
50
16
1,560
495
54,746
175
25,318
1,016
392|
|||**178,083**|
|||26,500
24,747
27
3,363
12
2,475
413
2,458
5,341
400
3,411
3,364
1,545
9,560
1,416
1,271
-
3,675
866
2,330
2,599
-
325
-
2,000
668
78,531|
|||**177,297**|
|||**786**
3,811
-|
|||**4,597**|
|||337,545|
|||**342,142**|
5
## **Abergavenny Baptist Church Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024**
|**Notes**
**Fixed assets**
Equipment
1
**Current assets**
Baptist Union 1yr Fixed
136,725
Baptist Union 7 day notice
31,392
Current a/c
4,343
Deposit a/c
28,000
Foodbank Current account and cash
139,134
Foodbank Vouchers
1,785
Womens Fellowship bank & cash
414
Childrens and youth petty cash
64
Cash in hand
177
342,034
**Net current assets**
**Net assets**
**Representing Balances on the following:**
**General Fund**
Balance at start of period
Net surplus/(deficit)
Transfers
**Restricted Funds:**
Youth Fund
Spurgeons/Christian aid
Foodbank
HM/BMS
**Total Funds**
**Other Monetary Assets**
**HELD BY Baptist Union**
Bethany Chapel Trust Fund
**Non Monetary Assets Held for Own Use**
Church at Insurance value
3,876,156
Pipe Organ at Insurance value
233,847
Manse at Insurance Value|136,725
31,392
4,343
28,000
139,134
1,785
414
64
177|**2024**
**£**
710
342,034
342,744
183,605
11,874
4,800
200,279
1,049
257
140,919
240
142,465
342,744
30,058.26
30,058.26
4,110,003
528,841|130,197
30,693
4,130
20,044
154,107
2,625
80
74
192|**2023**
**£**
-
342,142|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||342,034||342,142||
||||||
|||||342,142|
|||||178,321
(2,127)
7,411|
|||||183,605|
|||||1,131
141
157,014
251|
|||||158,537|
||||||
|||||342,142|
|||||30,107.33|
|||||30,107.33|
|||||3,771,990
233,847
412,352|
||||||
6
## **Abergavenny Baptist Church Notes to the Accounts**
**for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**1**
**Plant, machinery and motor vehicles**
**Cost**
Additions
At 31 December 2024
**Depreciation**
Charge for the year
At 31 December 2024
**Net book value**
At 31 December 2024|**Equipment**
**£**
1,065|
|---|---|
||1,065|
||355|
||355|
||710|
7
## **Abergavenny Baptist Church Abergavenny Foodbank Profit And Loss Account For the year ended 31 December 2024 Included in Restricted Funds**
|Income
Donations
45,613
Donations Gift aided
5,030
Gift Aid Tax Refunds
1,154
Grants
24,996
Reimbursed expenses
-
Cost of sales
Purchases
41,732
Vouchers
10,095
**Gross surplus**
Expenses
Bank charges
110
Financial Inclusion Officer
21,876
Grant repaid
-
Legal and professional
35
Pensions
-
Postage
-
Contribution to church overheads
4,800
Staff training & welfare
300
Stationery and printing
102
Sundry expenses
59
Telephone and fax
144
Travel and subsistence
Wages and salaries
13,354
**Net (deficit) / surplus**
Balance b/fwd
Balance c/fwd|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
49,295
5,441
1,396
25,318
0
76,793
81,450
36,835
9,060
51,827
45,895
**24,966**
**35,555**
113
11008
7688
35
650
0
3,600
77
0
144
12,921
**40,780**
**36,236**
(15,814)
(681)
156,732
157,413
**140,918**
**156,732**|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
49,295
5,441
1,396
25,318
0
76,793
81,450
36,835
9,060
51,827
45,895
**24,966**
**35,555**
113
11008
7688
35
650
0
3,600
77
0
144
12,921
**40,780**
**36,236**
(15,814)
(681)
156,732
157,413
**140,918**
**156,732**|
|---|---|---|
|||**36,236**|
|||(681)
157,413|
|||**156,732**|
8