ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH
Annual Report and Financial Statement
Year Ended 31 December 2024
Charity Number 1200212
Alcester Baptist Church
Annual Report for the year to 31 December 2024
Charitable Object
The purposes of the Church are ‘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.’
Structure, Governance and Management
Membership of the Church is open to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who commit themselves to regular worship at the church, a willingness to serve through the ministries of the Church, to support the church financially and prayerfully and to live a life in keeping with being a disciple of Jesus.
Members are interviewed for membership as a way of getting to know their faith story, and a recommendation is brough her Church Members Meeting for decision. The Church is in membership locally with our local Association of Baptist Churcher known as ’The Heart of England Baptist Association.’ It is in membership nationally with ‘The Baptist Union of Great Britain,’ also known as ‘Baptists Together.’
Church members take all the major decisions in the life of the church, including those that relate to the appointment of a Minister, other Church Staff, Church Trustees or Church Property. Four members meetings are held a year so that the whole fellowship is involved in all decision making at the church.
Appointment and removal of Trustees is by the Church Meeting in accordance with the Church Constitution (Section 14) and Charity law. The minister(s) are automatically Trustees, and all Trustees manage the day to day running of the church. Between them they cover all areas of church life, which include worship services, pastoral care and discipleship, children, families and community outreach, administration and premises management.
The church currently has 54 members at the end of 2024, and many more friends who attend either regularly or occasionally. In 2024 we welcomed 2 people into membership, On Easter Sunday we shared the joy of witnessing 4 believers Baptisms. Only one death in our church family this year.
Safeguarding of Children, Young Adults and Adults at Risk.
The church has a safeguarding policy in place which promotes the protection of children, young adults and adults at risk through clearly defined processes and procedures. This policy gives clear guidance on how to maintain a safe environment for all. The Safeguarding Policy is reinforced to the church as a whole at the Annual General Meeting, where the abridged version is read in its entirety. DBS checks are regularly done for all who work and volunteer at the church and whose role entails contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults.
Our Designated person for Safeguarding is Elaine Willis and our Safeguarding Trustee Lynne Thompson.
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Activities during the Year
2004 has been a busy one in the life of the church, with many encouragements. Numbers of people attending Sunday worship has continued to increase, creating a healthy Sunday congregation.
In the preaching program in 2024 we have studied:
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A series on The Kingdom of God
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A series on the Parables of Jesus
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Study of 2 Corinthians 8 & 9
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The life of Abraham
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Summer series on Seaside stories
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And a series on the Letters to the Churches in Rev 1 – 3
We welcomed Rev Tony Peck to lead out Church Retreat and Rev Keith Osmund -Smith to conduct our Church Anniversary.
In September we launched a new more mediative service on the 3[rd] Sunday evening of each month, known as “Sacred Space”.
In January 2024 Alcester Baptist Church registered to become part of the Inclusive Church Network. Adopting their mission statement as our own: “We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of age, disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity or sexuality . We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”
Little Angels Toddler Group meets every Tuesday during term times, and continues to attract young parents, grandparents, carers and their little ones. The team run the program which includes supervised play, storytelling, singing and dancing create a vibrant atmosphere in a safe space at no cost, other than those who wish to make a small donation. This July we said goodbye to several children who had been with us from the launch, who now move on to begin their school life, but not without a party to send them on their way.
Three house groups continue to meet each week, providing time and space for bible study, prayer, pastoral support and the deepening of friendships.
The Wellbeing Café continues to meet on Wednesday mornings, where people drop in for a coffee and a chat with friends and those who come as more occasional visitors. This venture is well supported by church people, with a handful of others who attend.
The Alcester Community Fridge continues to thrive, with upwards of 45 volunteers involved in collecting food from supermarkets, making it available through our 6-day a week opening hours, and those managing the project behind the scenes. Over 30 of those volunteers are from the wider Alcester community rather than from the church
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community. Our two paid part-time staff continue to serve as our coordinators, bringing with them much energy and wisdom.
Meeting for prayer increased from Friday morning to now include Monday mornings too. This has been a good decision and we have continued to see God answering our prayers. On a Sunday morning the prayer team offer prayer support following the service. This is proving to be invaluable and enabling people to feel supported and loved.
Much energy and prayer have been involved in the appointment process for a new Community Link Worker, yet sadly this post still remains vacant. The search and recruitment team are to be commended for their time, diligence and commitment to this task. We continue to wait on God for the right person to join the team.
On behalf of the Trustees
____ Revd Alison Mackay Minister
14 February 2025
Date
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Treasurer’s Annual Report For the Year ending 31 December 2024
Recent years have seen considerable pressure on household budgets, with the cost of fuel significantly higher than recent years because of the war in Ukraine, and as a result inflation reached 11% before falling away in 2024.
Against this diJicult backdrop, the ministries of the church have been sustained and enhanced by the generosity of God’s people. Part of our goal this year was to appoint a second worker but sadly we were unable to do so. However, a healthy sum of money has been given to help us consider whether to take this step again in 2025.
During the year we have introduced Contactless giving and we have been pleased to see how the ease of using a contactless device has enabled our giving to grow. We have introduced a second contactless device in the Community Fridge in December as we seek to encourage ‘a suggested donation’ of £1 per visit to cover some of the costs of the project.
Each week ‘Alcester Day Care’ use our premises to host their programme and this has increased from two to three sessions per week this year with a significant increase in rental income. Other groups use the premises on a weekly basis and fit easily around the regular activities of the church.
The church has increased its support of BMS World Mission and Home Mission as we share with other Baptist church across the UK the task of mission witness to our own nation and in countries far afield. Our support for Teams4U Shoebox Appeal has also been generously supported as has our annual donation towards the work of the Women’s Refuge, Gilgal, in Birmingham.
We note our special thanks to a number of local organisations whose grants have helped our Community Fridge work. These include Alcester Town Council, Warwickshire County Council and the Mid-Counties Co-op Community Fund.
What cannot be costed so easily are the thousands of hours given by church members, in tasks seen and unseen, that enable the ministry of the church to run smoothly. People do not look for credit for they see it as part of their Christian service, as indeed it is. But time and again we see quiet words of encouragement and thanks to those who serve faithfully in quiet ways.
for his people’s needs. Often, of course, that works by enabling the people of the church to make that provision themselves – and to do so joyfully. In the spirit, we look forward to 2025 with confidence in our heavenly Father.
David Kerrigan Treasurer
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| ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | ALCESTER BAPTIST CHURCH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCOUNTS TO 31 DECEMBER 2024 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | G | |||
| RECEIPTS 2024 | Note | Undesignated Funds |
Designated Funds |
Restricted Funds | Total to 31 Dec 2024 |
FULL YEAR ACTUAL 2023 |
||
| 1 | Weekly Oferings | 1 | 49,832 | 6,600 | 56,432 | 51,950 | ||
| 2 | Gi� Aid | 2 | 12,465 | 12,465 | 24,031 | |||
| 3 | Communion | 169 | 169 | 194 | ||||
| 4 | Fellowship Fund | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 5 | Designated Income (eg WBC) | 173 | 173 | 160 | ||||
| 6 | Other - ABC | 365 | 365 | 1,894 | ||||
| 7 | Other - ACF | 3a | 2,144 | 2,144 | 950 | |||
| 8 | Total Oferings | 62,830 | 6,773 | 2,144 | 71,748 | 79,179 | ||
| 9 | ||||||||
| 10 | Hire and Le�ngs | 4 | 15,555 | 15,555 | 8,612 | |||
| 11 | External Grants & Gi�s - ABC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5,000 | |||
| 12 | External Grants & Gi�s - ACF | 3b | 2,500 | 2,500 | 8,990 | |||
| 13 | Interest Received to Current AC | 201 | 201 | 232 | ||||
| 14 | Interest on Savings acounts | 689 | 689 | |||||
| 15 | Raised for Bap�st causes | |||||||
| 16 | - BMS World Mission | 780 | 780 | 810 | ||||
| 17 | - BU Home Mission | 35 | 35 | 137 | ||||
| 18 | - Other Bap�st Causes | 93 | 93 | 129 | ||||
| 19 | Raised for Non-Bap�st Causes | |||||||
| 20 | - Teams4U Shoebox Appeal | 575 | 575 | 1,511 | ||||
| 21 | Total Income | 79,403 | 6,773 | 5,999 | 92,175 | 104,600 | ||
| 22 | ||||||||
| 23 | EXPENDITURE 2024 | |||||||
| 24 | Local Ministry | 6 | 34,502 | 34,502 | 40,569 | |||
| 25 | Manse | 7 | 9,931 | 9,931 | 8,902 | |||
| 26 | Local Mission | |||||||
| 27 | - Outreach Resources | 2,630 | 2,630 | 5,000 | ||||
| 28 | - ACF | 8 | 8,785 | 8,785 | 10,678 | |||
| 29 | - Fellowship Fund | 398 | 398 | 1,412 | ||||
| 30 | - Exp against Desig Income (eg WBC) | 161 | 161 | |||||
| 31 | Wider Mission | |||||||
| 32 | - BMS World Mission | 2,290 | 780 | 3,070 | 2,810 | |||
| 33 | - BU Home Mission | 2,220 | 2,220 | 2,100 | ||||
| 34 | - Other Bap�st Causes | 0 | 0 | 129 | ||||
| 35 | - e.g. Shoebox, Disaster, Gilgal etc | 575 | 575 | 1,511 | ||||
| 36 | Administra�on | 9 | 3,530 | 3,530 | 3,145 | |||
| 37 | Property Related Costs | 10 | 12,602 | 0 | 12,602 | 23,042 | ||
| 38 | Sundry | 1,107 | 1,107 | 0 | ||||
| 39 | Total Expenditure | 68,103 | 161 | 10,140 | 79,511 | 99,299 | ||
| 40 | ||||||||
| 41 | Surplus/(Defcit) | 11,300 | 6,612 | (4,141) | 12,664 | 5,301 | ||
| 42 | ||||||||
| 43 | Movement of Accounts | Barclays Current A/C |
Lloyds Current A/C |
Lloyds 90-Day Savings AC |
Barclays Savings A/C |
BU Trust Fund TA007 |
Total Funds | |
| 44 | ||||||||
| 45 | Opening Balance 1 Jan 2024 | 28,402 | 0 | 0 | 15,589 | 7,737 | 51,728 | |
| 46 | Prior year adjustment | 0 | ||||||
| 47 | Total Income for 2024 | 30,932 | 60,544 | 689 | 58 | (48) | 92,175 | |
| 48 | Total Expenditure for 2024 | (17,158) | (62,353) | (79,511) | ||||
| 49 | Transfer in/(out) | (41,771) | 41,771 | 0 | ||||
| 50 | Transfer in/(out) | 15,647 | (15,647) | 0 | ||||
| 51 | Transfer in/(out) | (25,000) | 25,000 | 0 | ||||
| 52 | Transfer in/(out) | 1,180 | (1,180) | 0 | ||||
| 53 | Closing Balance 31 Dec 2024 | 405 | 31,789 | 25,689 | 0 | 6,509 | 64,392 | |
| 54 | ||||||||
| 56 | Ne� Movement in Funds | 12,664 | ||||||
| 57 | ||||||||
| 58 | ANALYSIS OF FUNDS | O/Bal Jan 2024 | Income | Expenditure | Adjustments | C/Bal 31 Dec 24 | ||
| 59 | RESTRICTED FUNDS | |||||||
| 60 | ACF | 9,693 | 4,644 | (8,785) | 5,552 | |||
| 61 | BMS Harvest 24 | 0 | 780 | (780) | 0 | |||
| 62 | Teams4U Shoebox 24 | 0 | 575 | (575) | 0 | |||
| 63 | Total Restricted Funds | 9,693 | 5,999 | (10,140) | 5,552 | |||
| 64 | ||||||||
| 67 | DESIGNATED FUNDS | |||||||
| 68 | Second Staf Worker | 2,200 | 6,600 | 0 | 8,800 | |||
| 69 | Wellbeing cafe | 160 | 173 | (161) | 172 | |||
| 70 | Total Designated Funds | 2,360 | 6,773 | (161) | 8,972 | |||
| 71 | ||||||||
| 72 | GENERAL FUNDS | |||||||
| 73 | - Current Accounts | 16,349 | 53,655 | (52,325) | 17,680 | |||
| 74 | Savings Accounts | 15,589 | 25,748 | (15,647) | 25,689 | |||
| 75 | BUC Trust Fund TA007 | 7,737 | (1,228) | 6,509 | ||||
| 76 | Total General Funds | 39,675 | 79,403 | (69,200) | 49,878 | |||
| 77 | ||||||||
| 78 | Total Funds | 51,728 | 92,175 | (79,511) | 64,392 |
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Notes to the ABC 2024 Accounts
| Notes to the ABC 2024 Accounts | Notes to the ABC 2024 Accounts | Notes to the ABC 2024 Accounts | Notes to the ABC 2024 Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
| Note 1 | Weekly Oferings | ||
| Gi�-Aided Bank Giving | 43,781 | 41,677 | |
| Gi�-Aided Loose Giving | 3,581 | 4,484 | |
| Gi�-Aided Contactless Giving | 4,290 | 0 | |
| Non Gi�-Aid Giving | 4,780 | 6,459 | |
| 56,422 | 52,415 | ||
| Note 2 | Gi� Aid | ||
| ABC Gi� Aid - rela�ng to Current Year (2024) | 12,464 | ||
| ABC Gi� Aid - rela�ng to Current Year (2023) | 11,407 | ||
| ABC Gi� Aid - rela�ng to Previous year (2022) | 12624 | ||
| 24031 | |||
| Note 3a | Alcester Community Fridge (ACF) Income | ||
| Dona�ons | 2144 | 950 | |
| Note 3b | Alcester Community Fridge (ACF) Grants | ||
| Rotary Alcester | 500 | ||
| Alcester Town Council | 1000 | 1500 | |
| LIDL | 500 | ||
| Co-op | 500 | 1490 | |
| Hubbub | 1000 | ||
| Warks County Council | 1000 | 0 | |
| Alcester Food Fes�val | 4000 | ||
| 4,644 | 9,940 | ||
| Note 4 | Hire and Le�ng of Premises | ||
| Alcester Musical Theatre | 1924 | 1530 | |
| Alcester Day Care (inc £888.00 Jan 2025 paid in advance) | 11248 | 5370 | |
| Yoga Classes | 2293 | 1712 | |
| Other | 90 | 0 | |
| 15,555 | 8,612 | ||
| Note 5 | External Grants & Gi�s ABC | ||
| Moor Field Charity (soundproofng) | 1000 | ||
| Church St Proper�es (front Paving) | 4000 | ||
| 0 | 5,000 | ||
| Note 6 | Local Ministry | ||
| Minister, (Missioner 2023) - S�pends, NI and Pension | 31,941 | 37,737 | |
| Travel, Courses | 2,063 | 2,292 | |
| Mobile, Broadband, landline | 130 | 100 | |
| Visi�ng Preachers | 369 | 440 | |
| 34,502 | 40,569 | ||
| Note 7 | Manse Costs | ||
| Council Tax | 2,836 | 2,703 | |
| Hea�ng, Ligh�ng & Water | 2,363 | 2,630 | |
| Landline, Broadband & Mobile | 668 | 740 | |
| Repairs and Maintenance | 3,383 | 2,221 | |
| Insurance | 680 | 608 | |
| 9,931 | 8,902 | ||
| Note 8 | Alcester Community Fridge (ACF) Expenditure | ||
| Coordinator Salaries | 6296 | 5607 | |
| Electricity | 1641 | 1539 | |
| Repairs & supplies | 848 | 3532 | |
| 8785 | 10678 | ||
| Note 9 | Administra�on | ||
| Post, Stat, Tel, Broadband at ABC | 556 | 499 | |
| Prin�ng | 1,223 | 1,226 | |
| Fees, Licenses | 1,739 | 1,420 | |
| 3,518 | 3,145 | ||
| Note 10 | Property Upkeep | ||
| Church Repairs and Maintenance * see below | 4,919 | 17,638 | |
| Hea�ng and Ligh�ng | 5,556 | 3,318 | |
| Water | 208 | 181 | |
| Insurance | 1,919 | 1,905 | |
| 12,602 | 23,042 | ||
| **Church Repair and Maintenance *** | |||
| Cleaning | 1,254 | ||
| Tree Surgery | 350 | ||
| Upper room brickwork | 270 | ||
| Front of Church Paving | 4,448 | ||
| Upper Room Refurbishment | 1,224 | ||
| Upper room Stairs - replastering & pain�ng | 285 | 1,530 | |
| Hall - Soundproofng | 3,839 | ||
| Hall - strip & repolish | 1,530 | ||
| Hall - new heater | 1,426 | ||
| Hall - new TV | 300 | ||
| Bap�stry (part-payment) | 500 | 537 | |
| Other | 2,260 | 2,804 | |
| Total | 4,919 | 17,638 |
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner'$ Report R•port to the Alcester Baptst Church On accounts for the y 31 December 2024 Charity no Ilf any) 1200212 eharty Tr} forth? year eTrJed 31 E¢ember 2024. As the Chtytsees of the Tru5L you ar8 r8srKJnsibk prepatK R•sponslbllttl•s and ofth8 acwJFts in rww1rem)ts crftr Ch8Fthe8A( bas1 ol report 2011 fttE Arfl. uTrJer sectin 145 of the 2011 Act in ¢arryirrtJ out my examination, I I¥8 the apF4Kabl8 Directions 9Nen by ts Chaiy CcffimissK)n Thjer Seth"1 145(51(bl ofthe A Indepgndont I have my eNna11. I ccoffim that matla1 matters h examinerf$ stslonwt Lxmne to my atte l(the1th thai di5d058d tdow'l in CXJnn wih Ihe Ad or wilh the examinabon attention shoukl be drwn r¢ ert• enab a Signed: 23 January 2025 E¢*ward John qualificatiorrfsl or body {rfanyl- 0¢tor 2018
Legal Information
Charitable Status
Alcester Baptist Church (‘The Church’) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission on 30 August 2022, though the Church traces its roots in Alcester back to 1640.
The Church Registration Number is 1200212
Church Address
Alcester Baptist Church Church St Alcester B49 5AJ
Trustees
During the year to 31 December 2024, and through to the signing of the Annual Report and Accounts, the following people served as Trustees in their various roles:
Revd Alison Mackay (Minister) Mrs Lynne Thompson (Secretary) Rev David Kerrigan (Treasurer) Mrs Mary Elizabeth Bowld Mr Christopher Denis Gough (until 28 February 2024) Mrs Mildred Ann Gough (until 28 February 2024) Mr Jeff Steers (from 28 February 2024) Mrs Catherine Barbara Tomlinson Mr Brian John Williams Mrs Elaine Willis
Property Trustees
The Baptist Union Corporation Limited Baptist House 129 Broadway Didcot OX11 8RT
Bankers
Lloyds Bank
Independent Examiner
Mr Eddy Rye FMAAT
Website
www.alcesterbaptist.org.uk
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