Sheffield Vineyard
Report and Accounts 30 April 2025
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
Sheffield Vineyard
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 80 Brincliffe Edge Road Sheffield S11 9BW GOVERNING DOCUMENT Constitution dated 19 January 2022 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1197569 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Dr Alexander Leslie Griffin MANAGING THE CHARITY Dr Karen Alison Griffin Georgina Emma Lambert John Phillip Lea-Wilson Rachael Higgins Eleanor Kaye
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Pages 2-4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Pages 8-9
Legal & Administrative Details Trustees' Report Independent Examiner's Report Receipts and Payments Account Statement of Assets & Liabilities Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
Sheffield Vineyard
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the period ended 30 April 2025
Objects of the charity
The charity, which is a church, is governed by a constitution and is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation. The charity's principal objects, as set out in its governing document, are “To advance the Christian religion for the public benefit in accordance with the Statement of Faith in such parts of the United Kingdom and the world through:
-
The organisation and provision of Christian worship;
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The provision of such facilities and services as are appropriate for the Church, to enable it to fulfil its mission to the members of the Church, visitors to the Church and the local community and the wider community;
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The provision of facilities for Christian training and service;
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The support and provision of Christian evangelism and outreach;
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The provision of assistance to the wider Christian church in its ministries.
Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements
A description of who we are and what we want to do
We want our city to be full of people who are full of life. We are a growing group of people who love worshipping God in creative and relevant ways, and we want to actively impact the people of Sheffield with bucket loads of compassion and generosity.
Our vision statement
God has called us to establish a vibrant, biblically-based, regional Vineyard church rooted in Sheffield, which will, in the power of the Holy Spirit, worship God and communicate the gospel of Jesus in creative and relevant ways. We will make, train and equip disciples to be effective in extending God’s kingdom and to show generosity and kindness towards the least, the lonely and the lost.
Our virtues
Worship . Our highest priority is to worship God because we believe that above all else, God is to be glorified. In song, and in every area of our lives, we give praise and honour to God.
Discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus is to journey towards becoming more like Him. We want discipleship to captivate every part of us, all the time, wherever we are.
Family. Jesus invites, gathers, accepts, embraces and welcomes everyone. We are rising to the challenge of being known as a church family by the way we love, serve, help and respect one another.
Kingdom action. We carry the authority of the King and move in the power the Holy Spirit with faith and expectancy (and without being weird) to bring healing and faith in Him.
Generosity & kindness. God loves the least, the lonely and the lost. We want to actively impact the people of Sheffield, and beyond, with bucket loads of generosity and kindness.
Page 2
A review of last year (May 2024- April 2025)
We have continued to respond to our Vision in practical and spiritual ways (see the list below of what we do).
We have a young demographic, 67% of our people are aged between 20-34 years. With this demographic comes a lot of ‘turnover’ as people finish university courses and seek employment elsewhere. However, have seen overall steady numerical growth.
We have numerous teams and rotas which are run by a huge number of very hard-working volunteers.
Our kids group has grown, and we had our first summer kids groups, which had over 30 children attending, mostly from outside of the church.
We distribute around 25-30 food parcels each week as part of our Foodbank, serving around 75-100 people with a week’s worth of food. We gave around £32K of food during the year. We also provide financial advice to people in financial difficulty who attend the Foodbank. We have a team of around 20 volunteers who operate the Foodbank, some are from the church and others are not – 2 volunteers are service users.
We had 3 baptisms, 3 dedications and 5 marriages
We continue to develop our policies and have started an online policy resource on our website.
We have developed our safeguarding webpage.
Our plan for the year ahead (May 2025 – April 2026)
Generally, our plan for the year ahead will be guided by our constant vision and virtues (see above).
Specifically, our aims for the coming year include:
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We aim to develop a youth group.
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We aim to lease or purchase a place where we can undertake many of the activities we wish to do as a church.
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We aim to move our Foodbank to another property and expand the resources we offer
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We aim to have people attend Vineyard College.
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We aim for Alex Griffin to retire from University teaching and focus more time on leading the church
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We aim to increase our giving to those in need.
In planning the activities the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
Financial review
During the year income from donations increased to £90,136 . In addition we were able to claim gift aid on donations. Expenditure increased to £86,822.
As a result, cash held by the charity at the end of April 2024 is £78,208 of which £78,208 is unrestricted.
Reserves policy
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £20,000 (which equates to about 3 months of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £78,208. The charity is holding funds for the purpose of purchasing or leasing a building from which we can operate, and which will further enable us to pursue our aims and objective. We review our reserves each time we meet as a Trustee board, which is five times a year (Feb, April, June, Sept, Nov.)
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Governance
Organisational structure
The day to day running of the church is delegated to the employed staff. The staff are led by Alex and Karen Griffin. The church also has a leadership group, which sets the vision of the church and considers ways to ensure the vision is met. The leadership team is led by Alex and Karen Griffin.
The leadership team comprises: Alex and Karen Griffin Rob and Sarah Swain John and Rosie Lea-Wilson Matthew Richens
We have 3 members of staff: Alex Griffin 2 days per week Ilse Irving 2.5 days per week Matthew Richens 3 days per week
Relationships with other charities and related parties
Sheffield Vineyard is affiliated to Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland (VCUK&I) Charity no: 1099748. VCUK&I was formed with the purpose of joining together churches that hold common values and practices. It gives oversight to the pastors of Vineyard churches and facilitates church planting. It helps, serves, and strengthens the churches by leading, training, resourcing, administering and providing pastoral support to senior pastors. Sheffield Vineyard uses the name ‘Vineyard’ under license from VCUK&I.
Sheffield Vineyard gives 5% of its income to support the work of VCUK&I. This is part of the license agreement with VCUK&I and is in harmony with the charity’s objectives
Risk statement
The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, financial or reputational. The trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they take appropriate measures to mitigate those risks.
Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Georgina Lambert _____Georgina Lambert (Oct 30, 2025 13:40:55 GMT) Georgina Lambert Oct 30, 2025 Date:___
Page 4
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
Sheffield Vineyard
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Sheffield Vineyard ('the charity') for the period ended 30 April 2025 on pages 8 to 9 following.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’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 2011 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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Sarah Crispin
Sarah Crispin (Nov 3, 2025 08:09:45 GMT)
Sarah Crispin ACA Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: Nov 3, 2025
Page 5
Sheffield Vineyard
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
| Unrestricted | Funds | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | ||||||||
| Funds | Funds | Funds | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||
| Income receipts | ||||||||||
| Donations | 86,246 | 1,240 | 2,650 | 90,136 | 77,777 | |||||
| Gift aid receipts | 14,452 | - | 375 | 14,827 |
17,091 |
|||||
| Trf from Wharfedale | - |
- |
- | - |
3,000 |
|||||
| Bank Interest | - | 103.74 |
- |
103.74 |
- |
|||||
| Total receipts | 100,697 | 1,344 | 3,025 | 105,066 |
97,868 |
|||||
| Payments | ||||||||||
| Payments in |
relation | to | charitable | |||||||
| activities undertaken directly | 2 | 73,098 | 1,207 | 800 | 75,105 | 72,096 | ||||
| Grants paid in relation to activities undertaken by others |
charitable | 3 | 6,907 | - | 4,810 | 11,717 | 9,016 | |||
| Total payments | 80,005 | 1,207 | 5,610 | 86,822 |
81,111 |
|||||
| Net of receipts / (payments) before | 20,692 | 137 | (2,585) | 18,244 |
16,757 |
|||||
| Transfers between funds | 5 | (35,380) | 34,440 | 940 |
- |
- |
||||
| Net movement in funds | (14,688) | 34,577 | (1,645) | 18,244 |
16,757 |
|||||
| Cash funds as at | last year end | 56,704 | 1,680 | 1,579 | 59,963 |
43,206 |
||||
| Cash funds at this year end | A | 42,015 | 36,257 | (65) | 78,208 | 59,963 |
The notes on pages 8 - 9 form part of these accounts.
Page 6
Sheffield Vineyard
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
| Notes A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access B Other monetary assets Gift aid due to charity C Liabilities Falling due within one year Fee for Independent Examination Pension Creditor Donation to Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland |
General Designated funds funds £ £ 42,015 36,257 42,015 36,257 6,481 - 6,481 - 840 - - - 5,015 - 5,855 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted funds £ (65) (65) 255 255 - - - - |
2025 £ 78,208 78,208 6,736 6,736 840 414 5,015 6,268 |
2024 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59,963 | ||||
| 59,963 | ||||
| 4,565 | ||||
| 4,565 | ||||
| 696 396 350 |
||||
| 1,442 |
D Assets retained for charity's own use
| Music and PA equipment Computers and IT |
Insurance value £ |
|---|---|
| 11,930 1,280 |
E Guarantees and secured debts
The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Georgina Lambert Georgina Lambert (Oct 30, 2025 13:40:55 GMT) _____Georgina Lambert Oct 30, 2025 Date:_____
The notes on pages 8 - 9 form part of these accounts.
Page 7
Sheffield Vineyard
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
1 Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
| 2 Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly Employment costs (see note 4) Sunday ministry expenses Youth and children's work Events Facilities Licences & Subscriptions Training & equipping Missions Admin Insurance 3 Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others Grants for: Vineyard Churches UK Mission S6 Foodbank Relief of poverty Helping Hand Relief of poverty University Christian Unions UK Mission YWAM Mozambique Appeal Overseas Mission Northern Leaders UK Mission Relief Projects Relief of poverty Other small grants to organisations Grants to individuals |
Unrestricted Fun General funds £ 52,649 5,187 824 1,216 2,524 2,481 2,537 - 4,559 1,121 73,098 2,082 1,331 - 1,200 - 500 600 430 765 6,907 |
ds Designated funds £ - - - 1,207 - - - - - - 1,207 - - - - - - - - - - |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - 800 - - 800 - - 1,500 - 730 - - - 2,580 4,810 |
Total 2025 £ 52,649 5,187 824 2,423 2,524 2,481 2,537 800 4,559 1,121 75,105 2,082 1,331 1,500 1,200 730 500 600 430 3,345 11,717 |
Total 2024 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49,924 7,434 731 1,146 2,346 2,535 3,089 1,913 2,977 - |
|||||
| 72,096 |
|||||
| 4,040 1,657 - 2,100 - - - 449 770 |
|||||
| 9,016 |
4 Transactions with related parties
Alex Griffin served as a church leader and was paid £19,171 directly by the Charity for serving in that capacity, not for serving as a trustee; this payment is permitted by the charity's governing document.
Page 8
Sheffield Vineyard
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 APRIL 2025
5 Movement of funds
| vement of funds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds Designated funds Sabbatical Saving Fund New Building Deposit Fund YA Weekend Away Restricted funds French Partnership Fund Restricted One off Appeals Helping Hand Pot Total funds |
Opening balance £ 56,704 1,680 - - |
Receipts £ 100,697 - 104 1,240 1,344 - 2,525 500 3,025 105,066 |
Payments £ (80,005) - - (1,207) (1,207) (800) (3,310) (1,500) (5,610) (86,822) |
Transfers £ (35,380) 840 33,600 - 34,440 940 - - 940 - |
Closing balance £ 42,015 2,520 33,704 34 |
| 1,680 | 36,257 | ||||
| 1,579 - - 1,579 59,963 |
1,720 (785) (1,000) |
||||
| (65) | |||||
| 78,208 |
The Restricted fund deficits were cleared in 2025/2026 by further donations and transfers.
The Sabbatical Saving Fund is to enable the Senior Pastors to take a sabbatical every seven years. The sabbatical will typically last around 12 weeks and involves attending conferences and other churches. It also affords them some time to rest.
The New Building Deposit fund is to enable the church to build up funds towards buying a building
The French Partnership Fund is to enable the plans of the Vineyard UK/France Partnership, namely, to plant and develop Vineyard churches in France. Our senior pastors lead the partnership. Sheffield Vineyard financially contributes to the partnership, alongside other Vineyard churches in the UK.
The 'Restricted One Off Appeals' is a fund restricted to individuals or projects we choose to give to because they align with our vision and they meet a need.
The ‘Helping Hand pot’ is a fund for helping those in our congregation who are experiencing financial difficulty in accordance with our charitable objectives.
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