**Freedom Church (Ceredigion)** Working name of Freedom Community Church **Report of Trustees, year end 31st December 2022 Charity Registration Number 1197658**
## **Freedom Church (Ceredigion)**
Working name of Freedom Community Church **Report of Trustees, year end 31st December 2022**
## **Reporting Period**
Freedom Community Church (‘FCC’) was registered as a CIO with the Charity Commission in England and Wales on 25th January 2022. This report covers the period from registration up to 31st December 2022.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The charity of FCC is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by the constitution dated 25th January 2022. This constitution is formed using a preagreed format between the Charity Commission and Assemblies of God Great Britain Incorporated (AoGGB) for their status churches.
The CIO Foundation model constitution is the governing document for this newly formed church located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.
Trustees may be appointed by ordinary resolution by the members, or by a decision of the trustees. The initial trustees were formerly appointed at the time of registration; during the year they have met online for quarterly meetings. There has been regular contact between The Chair and Treasurer outside of these meetings to ensure relevant actions are undertaken and completed. During the initial year of operation the policies for FCC have been drafted, approved by the trustees and the Charity Commission notified of their existence during registration.
The Chair of Trustees is also the Lead Pastor of FCC, as is common within AoGGB status churches and the constitution.
## **Objectives and Activities and Achievements for Public Benefit**
The constitution for FCC to operate as a CIO was accepted in January 2022 so that FCC was able to achieve registration with the Charity Commission in that same month. As explained in the attached 2022 Unaudited Accounts prepared by Mark Jarvis, FCC was in existence as an unincorporated entity since November 2021 to allow the creation of bank accounts and activities to set up the charity and new church in Aberystwyth.
The objectives of the charity as set out in the Constitution (“the Objects”) are for the benefit of the public:
- (a) to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement in such ways and in such parts of the UK or the world as the Trustees and Leadership from time to time may think fit.
- (b) to relieve sickness and financial hardship and to promote and preserve good health by the provision of funds, good or services of any kind including the provision of counselling and support in such parts of the UK or the world as the Trustees and Leadership from time to time think fit.
- (c) to advance education in such ways and in such parts of the United
- Kingdom or
the world as the Trustees and Leadership from time to time may think fit.
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It is the trustees’ submission that these objects are achieved through the running of a church based in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion.
The Sunday worship meetings, open to and attended by members of the public, began on Sunday 5th February 2022 with the hiring of the local golf club as the meeting venue.
For the initial two months, these Sunday worship meetings were held fortnightly and from 3rd April were then weekly. In November 2022 the location for Sunday worship meetings was moved to a local primary school hall as numbers were such that the golf club was becoming too small, and the site was limiting attendance for pedestrians.
Midweek meetings were held by the church, meeting in attendees’ homes for Bible study, prayer and exploration of the Christian faith, which saw growth in attendees throughout the year.
The charity has been working to support local families within the community through our ‘Aber Dads’ project. This project includes fun clubs for fathers and their children, peer support and parenting courses/mentoring. A vehicle was purchased in June, using funds held by the charity supplemented by funding received for Aber Dads of £2000. This vehicle allows for the
movement of equipment for the Aber Dads fun clubs, as well as church worship meetings and community events/activities.
In addition the charity started ‘Messy Church Goes Wild’ as a monthly worship gathering in which food is provided to those attending. These events were advertised to and open for the public to attend, as with all worship meetings, and saw growth in attendance throughout the year.
In July 2022 the charity worked with a local primary school to supply underresourced families with brand new backpacks, filled with essential stationery and Bibles, for their children moving from primary to secondary school.
The church is led by Jonathan and Carly Butler as Pastors, both as volunteers, with Jonathan an accredited minister with AoGGB. As Pastors they lead and are responsible for the spiritual direction of the church. A ‘Core Team’, again made up of volunteers, from within the church was appointed and began meeting every six weeks as of October 2022. This team enabled the church to grow in serving the local community through the charity’s objectives.
The trustees have taken account of the Charity Commission’s guidance and believe that they demonstrate that public benefit has been provided through seeking to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of people in the local community through FCC’s activities and services as summarised above.
## **Accounts preparation**
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The accounts have been prepared to comply with the accounting principles of charity’s governing document, and the Charities Act 2011.
The Trustees have chosen to prepare the attached accounts for this initial period ended 31 December 2022. The governing document details the financial period for FCC will always be 31st December, usually commencing 01 January of the same calendar year. However, for this first reporting year, the period begins from 25 January 2022 as the date of becoming a CIO.
## **Financial Review**
The charity’s treasurer has provided the Unaudited Accounts 2022 report (at **Appendix A** ), with explanatory notes to cover the period while FCC was an unincorporated entity from November 2021 to the point of establishment as a CIO in January 2022. This financial report is dated 16 June 2023. Although the first reporting period demonstrates a financial deficit of £4,415.20, this was expected due to initial set up costs of the charity.
## **Reserves**
In line with the Unaudited Accounts report, as at the 31st December 2022 the charity had cash in the bank of £15,885 which will be utilised to continue to grow and develop the work of the church into 2023. This is well within the trustee agreed reserves policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds for six months of payments and the approved budget for 2023.
## **Trustees and Responsibilities**
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records in order to prepare these annual financial statements, and where necessary for Independent Examination.
Trustees: Mr Jonathan Butler (Chair) Mr Mark Jarvis (Treasurer) Mr Andrew Tiffen (Secretary) Mrs Rachel Tiffen Mr Paul Hutchtings Mrs Nicola Hutchings Mr Timothy Robertson
## **Administration and Reference details**
**WORKING NAME OF CHARITY:** Freedom Community Church **REGISTERED OFFICE:** 26 Heol Alun, Waunfawr, Aberystwyth, SY23
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## **REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER:** 1197658
**PRINCIPAL BANKERS:** Lloyds Bank, Bristol
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Signed:
Jonathan Butler, Chair of Trustees Date: 10/07/2023
Signed:
Mark Jarvis, Treasurer Date: 14/07/2023
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## 2022 Unaudited Accounts
Set up (Nov 2021) to 31st Dec 2022
Prepared by Mark Jarvis (Trustee)
Prepared on 16 June 2023
Unaudited account to cover time from set up, through CIO incorporation, to end of 2022
## **Overview Description**
Freedom Community Church was set up as a CIO on 25th January 2022. However, the formation of the charity was started before this, and from an accounts point of view the first financial transactions were created at the point of time the bank account was set up, which was November 2021. Therefore this report covers the period from November 2021 through to the 31st December 2022. In line with Charities Act 2006 the charity has chosen to present their accounts on a Receipts and Payments basis.
In order to provide a bit of colour to the following reports, please see the below notes;
Page 3 >> Nov - Dec 2021 >> No expenditure as pre-operating. Income was primarily through a gift from HOPE Portsmouth for £10,000 with match funding from AOG for £10,000.
Page 4 >> 1st Jan 2022 - 24th Jan 2022 >> We have shown this separately as pre CIO incorporation - but essentially part of the same accounting period as the rest of 2022. This was mainly equipment costs related to the set up of the charity, so items such as laptop, projector, speakers, insurance and other related set up costs.
Page 5 >> 25th Jan 2022 - 31st Dec 2022 >> This is then the full year, income increased as services were set up and regular donations started to flow. Continued set up costs were incurred (most significantly £4,000 for purchase of a van) and also rental costs started to flow for the use of buildings for the sunday services.
Page 6 >> This is the balance sheet position as of the 31st Dec 2022, compared with the retained earnings as of 31st Dec 2021. The £4,415.20 deficit (equating to the sum of totals from page 4 and 5) was expected due to initial set up costs. Therefore as at the 31st Dec 2022 the charity had cash in the bank of £15,885 which will be utilised to continue to grow and develop the work of the church into 2023.
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## **1st Nov 2021 to 31st Dec 2021 - Pre CIO Set Up**
November - December, 2021
|November - December, 2021||
|---|---|
||**Total**|
|INCOME||
|Donations and legacies||
|Non Regular Giving (Non Gift Aid)|20,100.00|
|**Total Donations and legacies**|**20,100.00**|
|Uncategorised Income|50.00|
|**Total Income**|**20,150.00**|
|TOTAL|**20,150.00**|
|EXPENDITURES||
|**Total Expenditures**||
|NET OPERATING INCOME|**20,150.00**|
|OTHER INCOME||
|Other Income|150.00|
|**Total Other Income**|**150.00**|
|NET OTHER INCOME|**150.00**|
|NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)|**£20,300.00**|
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## **1st Jan 2022 to 24th Jan 2022 - Pre CIO Set Up**
1-24 January, 2022
|1-24 January, 2022||
|---|---|
||**Total**|
|INCOME||
|Donations and legacies||
|Non Regular Giving (Non Gift Aid)|220.00|
|Regular Giving (Non Gift Aid)|10.00|
|**Total Donations and legacies**|**230.00**|
|**Total Income**|**230.00**|
|TOTAL|**230.00**|
|EXPENDITURES||
|Equipment|2,779.33|
|Insurances|207.09|
|Subscriptions & Memberships|183.00|
|Training|146.69|
|**Total Expenditures**|**3,316.11**|
|NET OPERATING INCOME|**-3,086.11**|
|NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)|**£ -3,086.11**|
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## **25th Jan 2022 to 31st Dec 2022 - CIO**
25 January - 31 December, 2022
|**25th Jan 2022 to 31st Dec 2022 - CIO**
25 January - 31 December, 2022||
|---|---|
||**Total**|
|INCOME||
|Charitable Activites Income|2,660.00|
|Donations and legacies||
|Cash Donations|535.25|
|Gift Aid Reclaims|510.00|
|Non Regular Giving (Gift Aid)|340.00|
|Non Regular Giving (Non Gift Aid)|2,210.00|
|Regular Giving (Gift Aid)|2,170.00|
|Regular Giving (Non Gift Aid)|630.00|
|StewardshipIncome(GA alreadyclaimed)|2,069.97|
|**Total Donations and legacies**|**8,465.22**|
|Uncategorised Income|7.30|
|**Total Income**|**11,132.52**|
|TOTAL|**11,132.52**|
|EXPENDITURES||
|Advertising/Promotional|145.52|
|AOG 3% Giving|269.96|
|Equipment|5,678.07|
|Events|172.61|
|Insurances|704.79|
|Local Mission Costs|497.24|
|Mission Giving|267.50|
|Phone Costs|50.00|
|Printing, Postage and Stationery|25.88|
|Purchases|46.00|
|Rent of Buildings|2,914.00|
|Subscriptions & Memberships|549.91|
|Sunday Service Costs|522.08|
|Team Appreciation|186.35|
|Training|317.82|
|Travel and Accommodation|138.58|
|Uncategorised Expense|7.30|
|**Total Expenditures**|**12,493.61**|
|NET OPERATING INCOME|**-1,361.09**|
|OTHER INCOME||
|Other Income|34.67|
|**Total Other Income**|**34.67**|
|OTHER EXPENDITURES||
|Other Expenditure|2.67|
|**Total Other Expenditures**|**2.67**|
|NET OTHER INCOME|**32.00**|
|NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)|**£ -1,329.09**|
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## **Balance Sheet as at Dec 31st 2022**
As of December 31, 2022
|**Balance Sheet as at Dec 31st 2022**
As of December 31, 2022||
|---|---|
||**Total**|
|FIXED ASSET||
|**Total Fixed Asset**||
|CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND||
|0001 Lloyds Business Current Account|15,884.80|
|**Total Cash at bank and in hand**|**15,884.80**|
|NET CURRENT ASSETS|**15,884.80**|
|NET CURRENT ASSETS(LIABILITIES)|**15,884.80**|
|TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES|**15,884.80**|
|TOTAL NET ASSETS (LIABILITIES)|**£15,884.80**|
|CHARITY FUNDS||
|Retained Earnings|20,300.00|
|Surplus/(Deficit)|-4,415.20|
|**Total Charity funds**|**£15,884.80**|
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