Paulsgrove Baptist Church (1200307)
Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2024
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 1 Woofferton Road Portsmouth PO6 4DW GOVERNING DOCUMENT Constitution dated 8th September 2022 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1200307 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR David Aarons MANAGING THE CHARITY Stephen Mountain Robert Milliken INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Sarah Crispin Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-5 Trustees' Report Page 6 Independent Examiner's Report Page 7 Receipts and Payments Account Page 8 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 9-10 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
Trustees Report for the year ended 31 December 2024
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:
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the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with Baptist principles and the Basis of Faith primarily but not exclusively within Paulsgrove and the surrounding neighbourhood; and
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such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the charity trustees, put into practice the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith.
Summary of the charity’s main activities and achievements
To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows:
‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ (Mark 1:15). Jesus sets out a new vision for our lives and calls us to follow him and experience life in the Kingdom of God. This is the calling of every Christian, not those who are particularly keen or gifted – all those who trust in Jesus are to shape our lives around his agenda. There is no way to be blessed by God or transformed into His image without faith and following. Our hope and prayer at Paulsgrove Baptist Church is that Christians new and old would catch the vision of Jesus for their lives and experience life in all its fullness, now and forever!
Our Sunday services are the special weekly gathering of the whole church to praise our great God, and there is so much investment that takes place in making them full of worship to the Lord, a place to grow in faith, and opportunities for people to serve Christ and his body:
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We’ve established a prayer time prior to the service each Sunday, which is very encouraging (see below).
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We’ve been working with a small group of volunteers to establish a Welcome Team – a ministry looking to welcome newcomers and help them settle into church life.
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We begin our services all together for singing and prayer, before our children and young people go to their groups (apart from our monthly all-age Lord’s Supper celebrations where we all stay together).
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Our music team has been developing very much over the past year which has been a joy, and we’re thankful to the ongoing work by our tech team.
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Our Sunday Bible teaching is central to our times together, as we listen to God speaking to us through His Word, that we might live for Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our sermon series over the year have been: Spring: Part 2 of our series on the life of King David: “Seeking after God’s own heart” Post-Easter miniseries: “Where is Jesus now?”
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Summer: Part 3 of our series on the life of King David: “Seeking after God’s own heart” August: An all-age series on “Journeys” as we develop our journeys of faith. Autumn: “Following Jesus – learning to be apprentices of the Master”
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Lord’s Supper: Our all-age celebration on the 4[th] Sunday of each month – “Big words that end in shun” Our Easter weekend, as well as Advent and Christmas services, are special times in the life of our church – and we noted how many guests came along to services and heard the good news of Jesus!
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We’re grateful to those who clean the building, set the heating, put out the chairs, buy and serve refreshments each week.
Additional to Sunday mornings, on Sunday evenings, our older teens and young adults meet to socialise and for discipling, as they seek to live for Jesus in their daily lives.
We’ve seen lots of ways that people in our church have grown in Jesus over the past year, and we occasionally have testimony times for people to share how God is working in their lives.
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We also had the joy of baptising xxxxxxxxxx in May – xxxxxxxxxx was able to give testimony to the turning point in putting his faith in Jesus and his growing confidence in God’s plan for his life!
Our midweek “Growth Groups” complement Sunday mornings, as we meet to open the Bible, read, discuss and pray through what we’ve heard preached on the Sunday. The idea of growing together is key in our discipleship agenda as a church and we encourage people to be involved in these groups. We’re exploring expanding these groups for those who are unable to make the Tuesday centralised sessions.
In growing our church’s prayer life, we made several developments over the year:
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As in previous years, we encouraged our church at the start of the year to clear some time to seek God for His priorities for each one personally but also for us as a church for the year ahead. However, rather than setting up a prayer room in January, instead we hosted some led prayer times during the week – some for reflection, some to pray for others, and a session for children and families – to equip people in prayer as well as encouraging people to fast as part of their reliance on God.
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We decided to host an additional prayer week during Holy Week, in the lead up to Easter. A planning team devised a prayer room based on the events of the week leading up to the cross, and we opened the room at various times of the week for people to use to pray for themselves, our church, our witness, and our world. It was a fantastic resource and better used than our previous January prayer room, probably because it’s a more inviting time of year to come out of the house!
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We’ve produced a prayer diary for a number of years, on a monthly basis, to highlight events in the life of the church and listing the names of our church family that they might be prayed for each month. However, we’ve now added an insert with prayer pointers for good things to pray for those in our church. It’s easy to get into a rut in our praying or wonder what we can pray for if we don’t know what is going on for people personally, so these pointers are designed to help people to pray biblically for what God might want to do in our lives.
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During the year, we also developed prayer on Sunday mornings. We opened up a prayer time at 10am, not just for those serving formally that morning, but for anyone who wishes to come and pray for the service and the ongoing life of the church. This has been going very well, with an increasing number of people coming along and enjoying praying together.
In 2024, a group of volunteers set up a gardening team to look after our grounds more lovingly – weeding, mowing, and planting – that our outside grounds are well-kept and a more positive witness to our community. As the team met on Saturday mornings from Spring to Autumn, they built up camaraderie between them and also had opportunities to chat to people passing-by.
We encourage our church family to build relationships with neighbours and connect with people in the community, to show the love of Christ and to share him in Paulsgrove. A few people in our church were also able to link in with community initiatives over the year – there is a Healthy Living Project aimed at healthier lifestyles which a few of our folk got involved with, and we also had a stand at the annual Paulsgrove Carnival offering a listening ear and the opportunity to pray for people. As well as this, our pastor continues to be involved at Victory Primary School to be a support and a witness. In whatever way we might be a presence for Christ, we are called to be his hands and feet in this world.
In practical ways, we’re grateful to xxxxxx for coordinating the maintenance of the church building. There’s always something that needs doing, and we’re thankful for those within the church who can do some tasks, but also for the financial giving of our congregation that allows us to fix and maintain the church to a standard
determined in our mission to “Grow lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, by being a Christian, Caring, Community.” Everything we do is filtered through this aim, so that we seek to invest in people for spiritual growth rather than being contented with running activities.
In planning the activities, the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
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Organisational structure
Paulsgrove Baptist Church has transferred the unincorporated charity Paulsgrove Baptist Church (charity number 1130799) to the CIO Paulsgrove Baptist Church (charity number 1200307). The CIO was initially registered with the Commission in August 2022, however the assets and activities were transferred during 2024.
Governance
Trustees oversee the governance of the charity and meet quarterly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees.
Elders have spiritual oversight and direction of the ministries of the church and meet monthly. They are assisted in the practical outworking of these ministries by deacons, with the combined Leadership Team (elders and deacons) meeting quarterly.
As per our governing document, all church elders are also trustees while others other trustees are elected to the role.
The expenditure of large sums of money, major policy decisions and the appointment of trustees, elders and deacons require the approval of the church membership. The members (‘partners’) meet quarterly, to discuss and pray through decisions and review church life together.
We added one more deacon to our Leadership team in 2024 – with Cheryl Bowen being appointed as ‘Deacon for Mission Partners’, recognising Cheryl’s role in supporting and liaising with PBC’s Mission Partners and drawing her into the team. Steve Mountain was re-elected as a deacon – an action needing to be taken every 6 months for nonelders. In 2025 we planned to amend the constitution to allow deacons to be trustees without the need for a regular vote.
Dave and Rob, our elders, meet monthly, to pray and think through the oversight of the church (Acts 20:28). Our deacons, Steve Mountain, Rosemary Seddon and Cheryl Bowen, meet with Dave and Rob four times over the year, talking and praying through various practical issues and how to equip our church in their service for Christ (Philippians 1:1).
We welcomed 4 people into membership, called “Partnership”: xxxxxxxxxx had previously been a member before briefly moving away but on returning wanted to join formally as a partner. xxxxxxxxxx grew up at PBC and since being baptised and becoming a young adult he wanted to explore partnership as part of his commitment to PBC. xxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxx have been attending PBC in the last couple of years and wished to commit to PBC through partnership. We worked through the Partnership Course together and all four were voted in as Gospel Partners, with each of them exploring the best ways they might serve the body of Christ with their time, treasure and talents. One person, xxxxxxxxxx, was removed as a Partner, due to his non-attendance at PBC, despite attempts by the elders to draw him back. We pray on for xxxxxxxxxx to recognise the importance of being part of a church, for growth and accountability.
We have four Partners Meetings per year and seek to use our time to discuss and pray through important Gospel issues for our church, that we might truly work together for the glory of God. In addition to this, our elders began visiting each of our Partners to review how their connection and gospel partnership going and how they might be supported in growing in Christ and serving him. This process will continue in 2025, so that all Partners will have received a visit over this time. We’re encouraging and equipping our partners to intentionally pray for and look out for those they may invest in spiritually, that we might create a church of discipling relationships.
Safeguarding is an important Gospel priority for us at Paulsgrove Baptist Church – seeking to protect the vulnerable from harm is close to God’s heart (Psalm 68:5), and we desire to reflect Him in our policies and practices.
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We made a number of developments in 2024:
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A new Safeguarding Policy was finalised in January, using advice and support from our affiliation with Christian Safeguarding Services. A meeting was arranged for all volunteers in February, to highlight key areas and changes from the previous policy.
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Ella Milliken joined as deputy Safeguarding Coordinator, working alongside Dave Aarons as lead Safeguarding Coordinator, and they will meet each term for a review, along with any other necessary communication.
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As Paulsgrove Baptist became a new charity in 2023, it was important to run Safeguarding training for our workers and volunteers to make the charity compliant. This was delivered by Christian Safeguarding Services in November, with most volunteers attending – those unable to make it are joining Zoom sessions run by CSS to cover the relevant topics and information.
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Do pray for God’s protection on our church as we look to love and care for all and protect those who might be at risk of harm.
Financial Review
During 2024 the cash held in our bank accounts for charitable purposes increased, from £100,297 at the start of the year to £158,391 at the year end. £120,392 at year end is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose. £38,000 of the increase, which has been allocated to a restricted fund, was to support the salary of an additional worker, not yet appointed; and reduced expenditure was partly the result of allowing for six months’ salary for this second worker in-year, and not expended due to not appointing to that role in 2024.
Reserves Policy
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £30,000 (which equates to about three 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 £120,392 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy, as well as holding additional funds for the purpose of engaging the services of a second worker.
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:
S J Mountain
S J Mountain (Oct 21, 2025 10:18:53 GMT+1)
S Mountain
Date: Oct 21, 2025
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF
PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Paulsgrove Baptist Church ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2024 on pages 7 to 10 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: 1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
- 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 (Oct 21, 2025 14:16:37 GMT+1)
Sarah Crispin (ACA) Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: Oct 21, 2025
Page 6
PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Unrestricted | Funds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | |||||||
| Funds | Funds | Funds | 2024 | ||||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||||
| Income receipts | |||||||||
| Donations | 62,027 | - | 43,615 | 105,642 | |||||
| Gift aid receipts | 10,520 | - | - | 10,520 | |||||
| Income from letting | of facilities | 46,088 | - | - | 46,088 | ||||
| Interest | 1,871 | - | - | 1,871 | |||||
| Other | 20 | - | - | 20 | |||||
| 120,526 | - | 43,615 | 164,141 | ||||||
| Total receipts | 120,526 | - | 43,615 | 164,141 | |||||
| Payments | |||||||||
| Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly |
2 | 85,506 | - | 8,821 | 94,327 | ||||
| Grants paid in relation to activities undertaken by others |
charitable | 3 | 11,520 | - | 200 | 11,720 | |||
| 97,026 | - | 9,021 | 106,047 | ||||||
| Total payments | 97,026 | - | 9,021 | 106,047 | |||||
| Net of receipts / (payments) before | 23,500 | - | 34,594 | 58,094 | |||||
| Transfers between | funds | 5 | (2,405) | - | 2,405 | - | |||
| Net movement in funds | 21,095 | - | 36,999 | 58,094 | |||||
| Cash funds as at last year end | 99,297 | - | 1,000 | 100,297 | |||||
| Cash funds at this year end | A | 120,392 | - | 37,999 | 158,391 |
The cash funds as at last year end comprise £98,892 held by the CUA and £1,405 held by the CIO. See Note 1 Accounting policies for further details.
The notes on pages 9 - 10 form part of these accounts.
Page 7
PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Unrestricted | Funds | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | |||||
| funds | funds | funds | 2024 | ||||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| A | Cash funds | ||||||
| Cash at bank with immediate access | 120,392 | - | 37,999 | 158,391 | |||
| Notice deposits | - | - | - | - | |||
| 120,392 | - | 37,999 | 158,391 | ||||
| B | Other monetary assets | ||||||
| Gift aid due to charity | 2,458 | - | - | 2,458 | |||
| Other debtors | 1,199 | - | - | 1,199 | |||
| 3,657 | - | - | 3,657 | ||||
| C | Liabilities | ||||||
| Falling due within one year | |||||||
| Fee for Independent Examination | 1,260 | - | - | 1,260 | |||
| Accrued expenses | 3,868 | - | - | 3,868 | |||
| 5,128 | - | - | 5,128 | ||||
| D | Assets retained for charity's own use |
| Land and buildings Paulsgrove Baptist Church Building Manse [Woofferton Road] Contents |
Current value £ |
|---|---|
| 2,991,352 395,610 135,333 |
|
| 3,522,295 |
Current insurance values have been used as the current values above.
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:
S J Mountain
S J Mountain (Oct 21, 2025 10:18:53 GMT+1) _____ Stephen Mountain
Date:_____ Oct 21, 2025
The notes on pages 9 - 10 form part of these accounts.
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PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
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.
During the year the unincorporated charity Paulsgrove Baptist Church (charity number 1130799) transferred its assets and activities to the CIO Paulsgrove Baptist Church (charity number 1200307) and the unincorporated charity was closed. This has been treated as merger accounting with the brought forward cash balances comprising both the CUA and CIO year end balances as at 31 December 2023.
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) Ministry expenses Youth and children's work Cleaning & Catering Maintenance of buildings & equipment Utilities Insurance Independent examination Office costs Other costs 3 Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others Grants for: Purpose: UFM Worldwide Overseas Evangelism Support Counties H R F UK Evangelism Support European Christ Overseas Evangelism Support Frontiers Overseas Evangelism Support Latin Link Overseas Evangelism Support Open Doors Overseas Evangelism Support Other small grants to organisations |
Unrestricte | Designated funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - d Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - 3,697 5,123 - - - - - - - 8,821 - - - - - - 200 200 |
2024 2023 £ £ 50,274 - 5,665 - 6,175 - 1,480 - 8,958 - 9,853 - 3,090 - - - 6,355 - 2,476 - 94,327 - 1,800 - 1,800 - 1,800 - 1,800 - 1,830 - 1,800 - 890 - 11,720 - |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 50,274 1,968 1,051 1,480 8,958 9,853 3,090 - 6,355 2,476 85,506 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,800 1,830 1,800 690 11,520 |
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PAULSGROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
- 4 Transactions with related parties
David Aarons served as church leader and was paid £43,248 for serving in that capacity, not for serving as a trustee; these payments are permitted by the charity's governing document.
During the year the charity received donations totalling £10,321 from related parties.
No expenses were paid to, or for, the trustees other than the reimbursement of expenses
5 Movement of funds
| vement of funds | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds Designated funds Restricted funds Missionary Donations Food Bank Funds for youth worker salary Youth Camp Total funds |
Opening balance £ 99,297 - - 1,000 - - 1,000 100,297 |
Receipts £ 120,526 - 200 255 38,000 5,160 43,615 164,141 |
Payments £ (97,026) - (200) (3,697) - (5,123) (9,021) (106,047) |
Transfers £ (2,405) - - 2,442 - (37) 2,405 - |
Closing balance £ 120,392 |
| - | |||||
| - - 38,000 - |
|||||
| 37,999 | |||||
| 158,391 |
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