| Trustees' Annual Report | Trustees' Annual Report | Trustees' Annual Report | Trustees' Annual Report | Trustees' Annual Report | for theperiod | for theperiod | for theperiod | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | Period start date | To | Period end date | |||||
| 1st | April | 2023 | 31st | March | 2024 | |||
| Section A | Reference | and administration details |
Charity name Canterbury Chinese Christian Church Other names charity is known by CCCC Registered charity number (if any) 1194911 Charity's principal address c/o St Andrew’s United Reformed Church Watling Street Canterbury, Kent Postcode CT1 2UA
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for wholeyear |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Liu | Chair (COCM Ordained Minister) |
01/08/22 to date | Ex officio trustee | |
| Frank Hao | COCM missionary | 01/01/23 to date | Ditto | |
| Aimei Hao | COCM missionary | 01/01/23 to date | Ditto | |
| LeipingXu | Treasurer | Ditto | ||
| Chun MingDominic Man | Ditto | |||
| HuiqingLi | Secretary | Board of trustees | ||
| Jacqui Man | Resigned 31/5/23 | Ditto | ||
| Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees) | ||||
| Name | Dates acted if not for wholeyear | |||
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| **Type of adviser ** | Name | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) |
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Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document
Constitution adopted on 1st May 2021
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
Foundation charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) A trustee is appointed by the current trustees (the board of trustees) by a Trustee selection methods resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. (eg. appointed by, elected by) Notwithstanding this, and because of the past and on-going relationship with the Chinese Overseas Christian Mission (COCM), the church relies on the Mission to put forward suitable ministers/missionaries for appointments to the board of trustees.
How the charity is constituted
-
(eg. trust, association, company)
-
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
The first half of the year was dominated by changes in the composition of the board of trustees. Following extensive discussion and consultations by the COCM with individual trustees, prompted by Gabby Zhong and Yunhai Wu’s wish to scale down their church responsibilities for personal health reasons, at a co-workers’ meeting in April 2022, the board of trustees decided to accept COCM’s suggestions and help to restructure and strengthen the leadership team of the church. The resulting changes meant that Gabby and Yunhai were able to relinquish many of their administrative responsibilities and concentrate on their worship and preaching, spirituality and praying, and student ministries. Rev. Grace Liu, a COCM ordained minister, based at the Mission in Milton Keynes, would join CCCC in the following months, initially visiting Canterbury once a month, to help shepherd the church as its senior pastor and Chair of the board of trustees; Rev. Liu took up her appointment in August 2022. Around the same time, Mr Frank Hao (a part-time Master’s Degree Theology student who lives in Canterbury and a very active member of the church congregation for many years) together with his wife also joined the board of trustees to share in the ministry of the church; they have since become COCM missionaries in February 2023. Gabby Zhong and Yunhai Wu eventually resigned and left the church in March 2023, having been called to serve in another mission field in Portsmouth. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to one of our trustees Miss Rachel Li, a dear co-worker who had decided to leave CCCC, having settled in another church during her sabbatical year in 2022. In early 2023, our Treasurer Leiping took leave to go to China, visiting her parents for 6 months during which arrangements were made to cover her duties. Despite all these changes, we give thanks to God as He graciously provides the church with additional servants enabling the work of His church to continue. We look ahead to 2024-2025 in humility, trusting and expecting our loving and faithful God to continue to provide us with new co-workers as the term of office of 4 of the current trustees, all ‘first trustees’, comes to an end in June 2024.
Section C
Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
The principal purpose of the church is the advancement of the Christian faith primarily but not exclusively among people of Chinese origin in the Canterbury area in England according to the historic Christian Faith as set forth in the Old and New Testaments and as summarised in the Apostles’ Creed. In fulfilling this purpose the church will engage in a range of activities either on its own or with others that will vary from time to time with activities being initiated, expanded, or closed, as appropriate.
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Consistent with the purpose/objects of the church set out in its constitution, and having had full regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit , the following activities were undertaken by the church during the period covered by this report.
Sunday Worship
In 2023-2024, we thank God for guiding us through the challenges brought about by COVID. The number of attendees at Sunday worship services has been steadily increasing, with an average of 35-45 participants, including children.
The church’s themes were ‘ ‘faith rooted in the rock of Christ’ (扎根磐石的 信仰) and “Victory in Christ: Rooted in God’s words, Pray without ceasing” for 2023 and 2024 respectively. Typically during Sunday services, we utilize YouTube for the worship segment. Over the past year, we aimed to involve the youth in our church in this aspect, allowing them to showcase their musical talents by playing piano and violin. We attempted this initiative once during the evangelical Sunday service for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, with the goal of integrating the youth into our worship team.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
Trustees/Co-workers’ and Other Church Meetings The trustees held monthly meetings, sometimes in person and occasionally on Zoom due to varying circumstances. Additionally, two prayer meetings were organized regularly: one on Zoom on the second Wednesday of each month from 7:30 to 9:00 pm, and the other on the fourth Sunday of each month from 12:30 to 1:00 pm at St. Andrew’s Church. Adult Sunday School This year, we initiated our online adult Sunday school program. The first course, 'Basic Christian Theology,' covered fundamental concepts of Christianity, such as God, sin, Jesus, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and church life. The course ran from October 8th to December 3rd, 2023. In 2024, we've scheduled three courses throughout the year: 'Introduction to the Old Testament' (February 5th to April 1st, 2024), 'Development History of the Chinese Church' (May 6th to June 24th, 2024), and another session of 'Introduction to the New Testament' (September 16th to November 11th, 2024). Our goal is to ensure that our church members are well-equipped with a diverse range of knowledge related to their faith.
Family ministry We've identified certain challenges within some families, including conflicts between couples, navigating child-rearing, and supporting youth through their difficult developmental stages. In the past year, we organized three lectures to address these issues: one featured a couple's testimony on how their family was transformed by God, another focused on insights into children's ministry, and the third provided guidance on handling teenagers. Moving forward, we aim to offer more such sessions and courses to provide comprehensive support for families. May God grant us wisdom to assist those families in managing their households.
Bible Study Groups
Apart from encouraging members of our congregation to invest in daily personal Bible study, during the week the church runs three Mandarinspeaking Bible study groups, one Cantonese-speaking Bible study group and one university student group. The aim is to enable individuals to grow spiritually based on the foundation of God’s Word – the Way, the Truth and the Life. Group studies offer an opportunity for systematic and deeper study of the Bible, allow sharing of life applications and experiences, and
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encourage mutual love and care.
Children Ministry
Every Sunday, the total number of children attending our Sunday school ranged from 15 to 20. The school is divided into two classes, one for teenagers and the other, for children of primary-school age. We need more volunteers to be Sunday school teacher. Much prayer support is needed for this ministry in the face of difficulties related to language and discipline, as well as the availability of suitable teachers.
Over the past year, the attendance of children in Sunday school has remained steady, with a noticeable increase during major festivals such as Christmas and the Chinese New Year. We are in need of more volunteers to join our teaching team. Thanks to God's provision, starting in 2024, COCM has assigned an associate staff member, Xiangyu, a children's minister. She will assist in training our teachers to better serve these children.
Student Ministry
In July 2023, all of our previous students graduated, except for two coworkers who remained in the city for work. In September, we began rebuilding our fellowship. We entered the school and invited new students to join our welcome events. We give thanks and glory to God for inspiring more sisters to prepare food before the fellowship starts. Currently, we have more than ten students regularly attending our fellowship. Frank and Amy lead the group on a weekly basis.
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Outreach Events
Throughout the past year, we've arranged four evangelical events: Easter Sunday service, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas, and the Chinese New Year. The average attendance for these gatherings was approximately 100 people, encompassing both adults and children. We are grateful to God for His mercy and grace, as we've been able to connect with newcomers, including Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong. Some have already expressed their commitment to joining our Sunday service and fellowship. We pray that God will provide us with co-workers who can speak Cantonese to better serve these new immigrants.
Christian Conferences
The church continued to encourage its congregation to attend Christian conferences by publicising those organised by the COCM as they have become available, and sought to part-support financially individuals as well as families who genuinely needed assistance. Besides meeting other Christians from the wider church family, feedback from attendees has confirmed the values of going to these conferences, for instance, having their faith strengthened and gaining a greater and deeper understanding of God’s will in their lives.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions to the life of our church made by volunteers, our brothers and sisters in Christ who lead our Sunday worship services regularly, those who manage and run all the different church activities faithfully, and in compliance with our constitutional provisions and current applicable legal requirements, as well as those individuals and families who voluntarily prepare food for our students’ fellowship every Friday. We thank God for them.
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
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Section D
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
Achievements and performance
We believe whatever achievements and (praise-worthy) performance that happened during 2023-2024 were made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit according to the grace of Jesus Christ and the love of God our Father in Heaven. In May 2023, three brothers and two sisters were baptized into Jesus Christ. Their names are: Brothers Yingjie Fan, Haoqian Wen, and Ping Du, as well as Sisters Yuming Li and Yanqiu Du. May God guide them to remain steadfast in their faith.
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Section E
Financial review
Currently, the church has no policy on reserves.
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
This year, we achieved a surplus of over £2,500 due to an increase in receipts compared to last year. This growth was driven by an increase in church membership, leading to more offerings, along with over £5,000 claimed in Gift Aid from the government. Payments, however, remained Details of any funds materially largely consistent with the previous year. in deficit
We thank God for His abundant provision. The trustees remain committed to managing the church funds wisely, recognizing that these resources are entrusted by God to the church for the furtherance of His kingdom.
Further financial review details (Optional information)
While there is only a single source of income i.e. weekly offerings, the You may choose to include trustees remain confident that the church’s finance is fundamentally sound. additional information, where The bank balance of the church at the time when it became a registered relevant about: charity was in credit, which has served to be a kind of ‘reserves’ for the the charity’s principal church. As at 31/03/2024, the church’s book balance stood at £32,150. sources of funds (including Ultimately, we believe so long as the church remains faithful to its calling, any fundraising); God will provide us with the necessary resources to continue His work for the glory of His name.
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F
Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date |
||
|---|---|---|
| Rev. Grace Liu | Mr. Frank Hao | |
| Chair COCM Ordained Minister |
Trustee COCM Missionary |
|
| 23/01/2025 | 23/01/2025 |
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| Canterbury Chinese Christian Church | Canterbury Chinese Christian Church | Canterbury Chinese Christian Church | Canterbury Chinese Christian Church | Canterbury Chinese Christian Church | 1194911 | 1194911 | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts and payments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
Period start date | To | Period end date | ||||||
| 1/4/23 | 31/3/24 | ||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| WeeklyOfferings | 19,543 | - | - | 19,543 | 16,360 | ||||
| Gift aid claim back | 5,299 | - | - | 5,299 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| _AR) _ | 24,842 | - | - | 24,842 | 16,360 | ||||
| ~~A2 Asset and investment sales,~~ (see table). |
|||||||||
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts | 24,842 | - | - | 24,842 | 16,360 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
St. Andrew’s URC(Host Church) |
2,400 | - | - | 2,400 | 2,400 | ||||
| Chinese Overseas Christian Mission | 12,200 | - | - | 12,200 | 10,036 | ||||
| Guest Speaker honorariums | 2,240 | - | - | 2,240 | 1,680 | ||||
| Chinese Christian Herald Crusades HK | 400 | - | - | 400 | 400 | ||||
| LivingWater | 400 | - | - | 400 | 400 | ||||
| Bank charges | 113 | - | - | 113 | 128 | ||||
| Workshops | 150 | - | - | 150 | - | ||||
| Governance | 2,455 | - | - | 2,455 | 2,532 | ||||
| Bible campsupport(charitable objects) | 1,115 | - | - | 1,115 | 870 | ||||
| 1 volunteer support at Friends | 500 | - | - | 500 | 1,000 | ||||
| Other donations | - | - | - | - | 2,130 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 21,972 | - | - | 21,972 | 21,576 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment ~~purchases (see table)~~ |
|||||||||
| ~~,~~ Translation Kits |
303 | - | - | 303 | - | ||||
| Printer | - | - | - | - | 213 | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 303 | - | - | 303 | 213 | ||||
| Totalpayments | 22,275 | - | - | 22,275 | 21,789 | ||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | 2,567 | - | - | 2,567 | - 5,429 | ||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Cash funds thisyear end | 2,567 | - | - | 2,567 | - 5,429 | ||||
| Section B Statement of assets and | liabilities at | the end of the period | |||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted ~~funds~~ |
Restricted ~~funds~~ |
Endowment ~~funds~~ |
|||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds |
Book balance as of 1/4/2023 | 29,583 | - | - | |||||
| Book balance as of 31/3/2024 | 32,150 | - | - | ||||||
| ~~1~~ |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | ~~funds~~ | ~~funds~~ | ~~funds~~ | |||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Book balance as of 1/4/2023 | 29,583 | - | - | |||||
| Book balance as of 31/3/2024 | 32,150 | - | - | ||||||
| ~~CCXX R1 accounts (SS)~~ | ~~1~~ |
~~1~~
~~CCXX R1 accounts (SS)~~
15/12/2023
| Total cash funds | Total cash funds | Total cash funds | 2,567 | - | - | - | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Printer | Unrestricted |
- | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval |
||||||
| Rev. Grace Liu(Chair) | 23/01/2025 | ||||||||
| LeipingXu(Treasurer) | 23/01/2025 | ||||||||
2
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
15/12/2023