GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH ST HELENS
ANNUAL REPORT 2023
Trustees Report -2023
The activities covered in these financial statements relate to Grace Community Church St Helens (Grace Church) which is an Independent Anglican Evangelical Church meeting each Sunday.
Our aim is to glorify God with lives shaped by His Word.
We believe Scripture is the Word of God and therefore is at the heart of all we do. Our aim is to glorify God with lives shaped by His Word.
We are:
Bible-centred - in that we seek to proclaim the truth of God’s Word as revealed in the Bible and to shape what we do by what the Bible says.
A family - because we are children together of the same Heavenly Father. Christ-centred - seeking to be built up together into Him, our Lord and Master. Grace-centred - because the saving work of Christ’s death is central to all we believe.
Public Benefit Requirement
The trustees of Grace Church have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in compliance with its duties under section 17 of the Charities Act 2011.
Everyone is welcome to our services where we aim to:
-
Increase awareness of God’s love and presence in our lives.
-
Help people through mutual support.
-
Meet together to share God’s love.
Governance
Oversight of Grace Church rests with the Trustees, who are also the Leaders of the Church. Regular meetings are held (at least 5 times per year) to review the activities of the Church, the requirements of the members and to plan a way forward.
The Church has a Safeguarding Policy which is reviewed annually and has a set of financial regulations which support the management of income and expenditure.
Overview of 2023
Grace Church started in 2021 following several months of praying, planning and advice from third parties. It was a major step away from the Church of England roots of the Leaders but, in the end, one that was felt necessary to ensure that we could remain true to the Word of
God. 2023 has been a year to establish the Church at Bleak Hill School and to welcome new members. Our aim is not to be measured by the number of attendees but by our service to the Lord and to each other.
Whilst our regular Sunday Meetings are held at the school, we continue to support the residents of Reeve Court by holding services, in their Village Hall, once every quester and to have celebration Serb=-vices with them at Christmas and Easter.
Anyone is welcome to attend our services and we also invite visiting speakers to share the message with us.
As a result of the generous giving of our members we have been able to give financial support to four national/international Charities and one local Charity. We expect this to continue in the future.
Risk Management
Risk management In relation to the principal risks identified are managed on an on-going basis by the Leaders of the Church. Mitigating actions and risk scores are reviewed regularly at a meeting of the Leaders who are mainly all Trustees. Risk assessments of the meeting venues are presented to the controlling body of those organisations along with our Insurance Certificates.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity.
To ensure that the Trustees carry out their duties, they:
Follow the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
Ensure accurate accounting records are kept and statements reviewed on a regular basis.
Make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
Ensure a system of recording receipts and payments is followed diligently and checked on an ad hoc basis.
Finance
GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH ST HELENS
Finance Statement for 12 months to 31 December 2023
| Income | 2023 | 2022 | Expenditure | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Donatons | 8005 | 7131 | Room Hire | 2040 | 628 |
| Insurance | 132 | 129 | |||
| CCLI Licence | 93 | 87 | |||
| Visitng speaker expenses |
100 | 80 | |||
| Amplifer | 160 | ||||
| Website/Zoom | 136 | 72 | |||
| Gifs/Donatons | 2263 | 175 | |||
| Others | 91 | ||||
| Surplus | 3150 | 5800 | |||
| TOTAL | 8005 | 7131 | TOTAL | 8005 | 7131 |
| Balance Sheet | £ |
|---|---|
| Openingbalance 1 January2023 | 7519 |
| Surplus 2023 | 3150 |
| Closing Balance:312 December 2022 |
10669 |
| Balance made up of: | £ |
|---|---|
| Bank | 9031 |
| Cash | 1638 |
| Total | 10669 |
Review of Income/Expenditure.
During the period under review our members have been very generous and our closing funds were £10,669. During the year the cost of building rental increased significantly to £2024. We met the travelling expenses of our visiting speakers who travelled significant distances to be present at Crace Church
We ensured that we met all legal requirements by taking out Insurance Cover and extend our CCLI Licence to cover our worship sessions.
We were grateful for the generous donations of our members who agreed that we should make donations to national and international charities supporting God’s work.
Reserves
Our need for reserves is minimal but the Trustees believe that the current level of £10,669 is adequate to meet any future increase in expenditure which is not covered by donations.
Going Concern
The Trustees are confident that, from a financial viewpoint, the Church is a going concern.
Signed:
Date: