2024-12-31-accounts

CHRISTCHURCH THREE MILLS

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT AND RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS

YEAR ENDED 31[st] DEC 2024

(Repor<ng Period 01[st] January 2024 – 31st December 2024)

Trustees Annual Report 2024

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Charitable Incorporated Organisa;on Informa;on

S"pendiary Leadership

Rev Dan Sco+

Trustees during the repor"ng period

Maxine Kusiima (Founding Trustee, re-elected and appointed Chair 30[th] April 2023)

Elena Sco+ (Founding Trustee, re-elected 30[th] April 2023) Alison Kenku (Founding Trustee, re-elected 30[th] April 2023)

Rev Patricia Larocque (Founding Trustee, re-elected 30[th] April 2023)

Boris Young (Treasurer, elected 21[st] April 2024)

Doyin Doherty-Moses (elected 30[th] April 2023)

Rev Young Lee (Appointed by the Bishop of Chelmsford 30[th] April 2023) Ewangelin Durai (elected 30[th] April 2023, stood down 21[st] April 2024)

3 Riverside Road London E15 2RG

Charity Number

1200794

Bankers

CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ

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The trustees of Christchurch Three Mills present their annual report together with their accounts which have been independently examined.

The reports and accounts have been completed on a receipts and payments basis and comply with the CIO Cons^tu^on and the accoun^ng policies set out in Note 1 of the accounts.

The report and accounts cover the period from the 01st Jan 2024 un^l 31[st] December 2024.

Registra"on and Bishop’s Mission Order

Christchurch Three Mills was formed as a Charitable Incorporated Organisa^on (CIO) and registered with the Chari^es Commission on 24[th] October 2022 with charity number 1200794

Christchurch Three Mills operates within the Diocese of Chelmsford as part of the Church of England under a Bishop’s Mission Order (BMO) signed into effect by the Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis Dehqani, on 24[th] October 2021. The BMO has no specified end date.

The Objec^ves of the BMO are as follows

To establish a new, or a network of new worshipping community(ies), at the west end of the parish of Stra<ord St. John w. Christ Church, with a view to planAng similar communiAes beyond this area, in order to see the colours of heaven in every corner of our community. The mission of these worshipping communiAes will be to:

Love Widely – reaching out with the generous love of God to every person who lives, works or studies in, or passes through the community

Live Deeply – living rooted, incarnaAonal lives for the good and thriving of the whole community

Gather Community – bringing people together around the hope of the resurrecAon, gathering at our tables and the Lord’s table to grow as disciples of Jesus on mission.

Objec"ves of the CIO

In order to meet the objec^ves of the BMO, Christchurch was established as a CIO as detailed above, with the following objec^ves within our cons^tu^on

(a) to advance the Christian faith for the public benefit in accordance with the doctrines, policies, practices and patterns of worship of the Church of England by furthering its pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical activities within (but not exclusively) the area of benefit.

(b) the prevention or relief of poverty in (but not exclusively) the area of benefit by providing items and services to individuals in need and /or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty.

(c) within (but not exclusively) the area of benefit, to advance in life, relieve the needs of and help young people through:

i. the provision of recreational and leisure time activities provided in the interest of social welfare, designed to improve their conditions of life;

ii. providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals.

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For the purpose of this, clause 3 "area of benefit" means the ecclesiastical parish of Stratford St John’s with Christchurch situated within the diocese of Chelmsford and the London borough of Newham.

Pre-Registration Activities and External Funding

Before both the BMO and CIO were implemented, Christchurch Three Mills was running under the guidance and authority of the PCC of St Johns Strahord, through funding from the Church of England Strategic Development Fund (SDF). This Funding ran from September 2019 and finishes on 31[st] December 2025. As part of this funding, there has been money for a S^pendiary Leader (Rev Dan Sco+) from 1[st] January 2023 un^l 31[st] December 2025. This funding is paid through the Diocese of Chelmsford and does not appear in our accounts. Beyond that, funding of £272,200 has been made available for the church to spend under specific headings during the funding period. By the end of 2023, we have spent £175,047 of this budget and are predicted to underspend the budget by about £18,240 by the end of 2025. The trustees are in discussion about realloca^on of these funds, as according to funding guidelines they cannot be spent beyond the end of 2025. The thinking at the moment is to use them to secure a mee^ng place for the years to come

The trustees are also in discussion about steps to take to move towards increased fundraising, changes to structures and financial sustainability beyond the end of our funding period.

Mee"ng of the Trustees within the repor"ng period

The trustees met on the following dates, agendas and minutes were recorded and retained for each mee^ng. All mee^ngs were at 3 Riverside Road and/or on zoom (complying with requirements for virtual/hybrid mee^ngs as specified in the CIO cons^tu^on):

January 17[th] 2024 March 13[th] 2024 May 15[th] 2024 July 15[th] 2024 September 16[th] 2024 November 18[th] 2024

The trustees also met for a Leadership Development and Vision Day at The Mill on Saturday October 12[th ] 2024.

An Annual Mee^ng was held on 21[st] April 2024, at the House Mill following our worship service. All members of the charity were invited to this mee^ng, where, as per the requirements of our cons^tu^on, 2 of the ini^al trustees stood down (one had done so the previous September, another at this mee^ng.) Neither were re-elected, but an addi^onal trustee, Boris Young, was nominated and elected from the church membership. The addi^onal trustee, Rev Young Lee, remained in place throughout the period, having been appointed for 3 years by the bishop of Chelmsford In 2023.

Ac"vity of the Charity within the repor"ng period

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The following outlines some of the key ac^vi^es we have undertaken and key ways we have worked in line with, and towards mee^ng our objec^ves. They are wri+en and contributed to by various members of our trustee and leadership team.

Vicar’s Report

Looking back over the last year, there are so many good news stories to tell and things to celebrate that the church have been involved in and achieved. Some of this is captured here but obviously the story of church and neighbourhood go far beyond what can be contained on a page.

We have celebrated with the four church members who have been bap^sed this past year, the two who have been confirmed. A massive highlight was of course the trip to Chelmsford in September to see Rev Pat ordained, and similarly we celebrated Sian gradua^ng from her Community Organising Appren^ce programme, having brought so much to the church and community along the way. We have seen a new youth pastor in Tosin bringing so much life to the church, Agnes star^ng as our second appren^ce and the amazing growth of the worship team which has had such an incredible impact on Sunday mornings.

But we have also seen things that have been developing for a while now bearing fruit; the amazing work of Jenna as our administrator con^nuing to support the church, the church leadership team thriving and taking on more responsibility under Maxine and Doyin’s leadership and teams, such as those for prayer, really star^ng to lead in vital areas of church life.

Through all this, we have maintained and grown our heart to be a ‘church without walls’ and kept our vision to see the colours of heaven burs^ng out of every corner of our neighbourhood front and centre. Central to this in 2024 was our work with the Centre for Theology and Community (CTC) around Congrega^onal Development and our growing rela^onship with Ci^zens UK. This has led not only a restructuring of church life around teams, but also greater engagement with our neighbourhood around community and jus^ce and ul^mately the great victory we won in August 2024, gepng the council to install planters in the now named ‘Three Mills Community Corner.’ As the neighbour who has helped us lead the campaign tes^fied, this has led to the end of illegal car parking there, a drama^c decrease in an^-social behaviour and a feeling of peace and safety that just wasn’t there before. This is God’s kingdom in ac^on.

Further work around jus^ce has been the maintaining of our food share at our community café – where neighbours can pick up a bag of shopping for a pound, and alongside this our wellbeing mornings, funded through grants, teach cooking and other crass and bring neighbours together.

These kind of ac^ons and campaigns have con^nued to galvanise our work in the neighbourhood, with celebra^on events for all; Pancakes, Easter Egg hunt, All Hallows, Light up the green, Community Gardening, Li+er picking, and also invita^ons to open up spiritual space on the estate with our sta^ons of the cross, prayer days on the Green, prayer spaces and our outdoor Christmas na^vity. Regularly engaging with 50-100 young people and their families in the week aser school, and more at these bigger events has meant the church and our work is increasingly known and loved.

And at the heart of all this is worship, community and discipleship. Sharing communion every Sunday, gathering for worship and prayer, mee^ng during the week to discuss the bible and

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learn theology together. Steadily averaging 25-30 at our incredibly diverse and welcoming Sunday gatherings, up to 50 at special services, but more exci^ngly an increasing number of people leading services or worship, speaking, leading the children’s crass or readings or prayer. We truly are laying a table where all have a seat and all have a part to play.

Safeguarding Report

Three Mills in Strahord. Its purpose is to ensure the safety and well-being of all church members and visitors, with par^cular a+en^on to vulnerable individuals such as children and people with disabili^es.

Christchurch Three Mills is a community church established in 2020. It hosts family-friendly religious and community events and ac^vi^es. The diverse nature of a+endees necessitates robust safeguarding prac^ces to protect everyone involved.

Current Safeguarding Measures:

1. Safeguarding Policy: A comprehensive safeguarding policy provided by The Church of England is in place. This policy outlines responsibili^es and procedures for recognising and responding to concerns about abuse or neglect.

2. Child Protec^on Policy: This policy requires that children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all ^mes. Staff members monitor events for unaccompanied minors and will intervene when necessary.

repor^ng of safeguarding concerns. Staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse and understand their obliga^on to report concerns promptly.

people and trustees undergo background checks (DBS) and have their references verified to ensure that only individuals suitable for working with vulnerable popula^ons are employed.

1. Risk Management Policy: Regular risk assessments are conducted to iden^fy poten^al hazards, and measures are implemented to address any iden^fied risks immediately.

policies, and best prac^ces to foster a culture of awareness and vigilance.

ordina^on to the diaconate; as diocesan policy states the the safeguarding officer should be a lay member of the church. Pat was replaced by Rebecca Taylor, who had been serving as her assistant for some ^me. Rebecca drew together a safeguarding team to oversee and regularly reviews policies and prac^ces, the members of this team are

Rebecca Taylor, Rev Pat Larocque, Deborah Olayinka, Tosin Abrahams

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Safeguarding incidents in 2024 were recorded as follows

	Concern fagged	Reported to Safeguarding Ofcer	Reported to Diocesan Advisor	Further Ac^on taken	Cases unresolved
Involving 0-18 year-olds	1	1	1	1	0
Involving Vulnerable Adults	2	2	1	1	0

Christchurch Three Mills is commi+ed to maintaining high safeguarding standards. Con^nuous evalua^on and community involvement will further enhance the safety and security of its valued members and the community.

Worship Gatherings Report

As a church, we gather every Sunday morning, at 11am. During the service we worship together, listen to a talk, share communion, and enjoy the opportunity to spend time together as a community. Attendance on a Sunday morning has been steady and at times increasing over the last year, and it has been great to see new families and members of the community attending regularly. We have continued to offer zoom access to our service – this is particularly helpful for any members of our community who are not able to join in person.

There are many opportunities for church members to become involved in the service, including leading worship, prayers and reading. Children and young people are a vital part of our Sunday services and stay in for the duration of the service, creating crafts to go alongside the preaching and teaching for that morning. Many children and young people play an active role in the service; reading, praying, helping distribute communion as well as joining the worship group. Indeed, worship has been something to have grown tremendously this year, with a team of now about 10 helping to lead us in sung worship. Thanks to Jo for her leadership of this, and our aim now is to find more instrumentalists to add to our main singers.

Over 10 people have preached at church in 2024 and a similar number have helped to lead services, a reflection of our commitment to everyone having a seat at the table and everyone having a voice. This variety really helps us all engage with learning together and see that we all have a part to play in enabling the community to grow and thrive together.

Average Sunday Attendance for 2024 was 22 adults and 8 under 16s, similar but slightly up on 2023. On Easter Day and at our outdoor Nativity Service, attendance was 50, and other special services have seen attendances around 40.

Baptism has been one of the highlights of 2024, with us baptising 4 people at differing stages of life; 2 older children, 1 teenager and an adult, all of whom have wonderful stories to tell and are valuable parts of our church community. We also celebrated the confirmation of 2 candidates at St Johns in November and held a thanksgiving service for the youngest member of our church in January.

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We also hold worship gatherings outside of a Sunday. Every Wednesday a prayer meeting takes place right in the centre of the estate, on Leggatt Road Green. It is open to anyone to come and sit and join in with the prayer service – it is also available live on Facebook. Numbers at this have increased through the year and it is a wonderful time to be present, and to encounter members of our local community. This year we have also held regular prayer days on significant feast days, such as Ash Wednesday and All Saints Day, including communion and other services. Again this marks our heart to be worshipping in and for our neighbourhood together. As a first this year, we held an outdoor roaming Nativity Service, which was received incredibly well and is definitely going to be repeated in years to come.

We also held our Big Weekend – a church weekend away without going way – in July in the house and garden of 3 Riverside Road. This was a series of worship and teaching events, along with social activities which at least 50 people from the church engaged in, including some new members of our community.

Community Organising & Partnerships Report

In 2024, Christchurch Three Mills has continued to thrive as a vibrant and inclusive community in East London, building on the successes of 2023. As highlighted in other parts of this report, our weekly community food café at School 360 and engaging outdoor activities remain essential for fostering connections and friendships among residents from diverse backgrounds.

Our engagement with Citizens UK has strengthened over the year, allowing us to participate actively in mayoral assemblies and enhancing our training in community organising and listening, empowering members to engage meaningfully with one another. In addition, our partnership with the Centre of Theology and Community (CTC) especially through the Congregational Development programme we have been participating in has led to rethinking of our leadership model, and also enabling us to better listen to and respond to the needs of our community. One key fruit of this was a campaign alongside our neighbours, and with the backing of Newham Citizens, to push the council install new planters in an area of illegal parking and anti-social behaviour on the estate. This has led to a far more welcome and spacious area, now used for local gatherings with gardening, fun activities for children, and opportunities for building relationships among families in our community.

We proudly celebrated Sian’s successful completion of the apprenticeship program in community organizing with CTC, along with her heartfelt and nurturing engagement with our youth. Her dedication has empowered her to become a confident leader, inspiring others in our community. This year we are excited to continue the success of the apprenticeship program with a new member.

Community gardening projects and celebrations such as Easter, Pancake Day, Christmas celebration on the green and in the Mill, where our church takes place, and the Nativity Walk have beautifully united our community in joy and fellowship. These events have fostered meaningful relationships with our local school, families, businesses and the Mill, showcasing our commitment to harnessing local assets for sustainable growth. Together, we are creating a vibrant sense of community and shared purpose.

As we look to 2025, we remain dedicated to enhancing social relations and meeting the diverse needs of our community, ensuring that Christchurch Three Mills continues to be a welcoming place for all.

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Community Groups, Discipleship, and Pastoral Care Report

Christchurch Three Mills has had a wonderful past year in various ac^vi^es, contacts and training.

As part of the community group at 1 pm, we meet every week on Tuesdays for lunch, discussions and prayer. We are about 8 – 12 in number, although 6-8 at any one ^me. A passage is chosen, ideas are shared over a cup of tea with discussion on the passage s^ll going on. The Thursday group is of a similar size and meets at 8 pm for dinner followed by discussion over the bible and what God has for us in future. Last year they completed a course in theology and leadership, wri+en by the Vicar, looking at God’s story, our story, the story or church and the story of community. It is great to see rela^onships developing in this group, people growing in their faith and even some people finding this more church for them than the Sunday services.

There is a growing sense of community within and beyond the church; all who join remark how friendly and welcoming the place is, sustaining us for our spiritual growth. There has been a growing use of the church WhatsApp group in allowing us to make contacts, give encouragement to others, keep in contact with new members, share news and pray for those who are sick. Separate WhatsApp groups have also been established for things like the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer event over 11 days, enabling people to connect over and grow in prayer more deeply

In the past year, the leadership team stepped up in developing their giss in serving and taking more responsibili^es, with different leaders and groups leading worship in singing with support from our music leader. Also in the past year, we have celebrated one ordina^on, four bap^sms, one thanksgiving and two candidates for confirma^on by the bishop of Chelmsford. We now have another church member as an appren^ce at CTC training for discipleship. Pastoral care con^nues with weekly prayer walking, home visi^ng and prayer in the community on Wednesdays at 9.15am on the Green, and 8.30pm on Zoom for plans for the Church and for us.

A group of about 6-8 a+ended a training course organised by CTC to help develop our giss within our church context on how to listen and lead. The programme teaches us how to live out our calling in our church and community, listen to one another 1-2-1 and to help us grow in capacity and confidence as disciples. It also helps us to build rela^onships in our churches, and iden^fy leadership poten^al that will help form the bedrock for further ac^on.

Community Outreach & Mission Events Report

Christchurch Three Mills has a passion for community outreach and mission events; at the centre of our vision is a desire to see the colours of heaven in every corner of our community, and this year it has been so exci^ng to see our regular community outreach and mission events happening in new spaces and reaching new people.

At Christmas ^me our annual Light up the green event was a joyful celebra^on that con^nues to be significant for our community – with many of our neighbours looking forward to it each year. We were able to hand out well over 100 presents to local children and bless many with food, drinks, crass and a prayer space. We also had our first interac^ve, outdoor na^vity with many local families joining us on a search around the community to find the newborn Jesus, an event we are keen to repeat each year as it was such a beau^ful way to share the Christmas story. Our Shrove Tuesday and

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All Hallows Eve events con^nued to grow, now feeling they are established in the yearly pa+ern of the neighbourhood. But the overall highlight was probably our Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Saturday, with over 150 local people filling the Green, searching for eggs, gepng faces painted, engaging on crass and building rela^onships. These events um up so much of what we are about and they take the whole church to put them, we are so grateful to all who have contributed in any way.

Our regular community outreach has con^nued to grow this year with our hot chocolate stand appearing regularly at School 360, the new community corner and on the high street. We serve from this up to 100 drinks in a session, engaging at ^mes with close to 150 local residents of all ages. Our summer sports and crass ac^vi^es in the park con^nue to be well received and a+ended, with up to 70 people there at a ^me, and the real ownership by the neighbourhood seen in people bringing along food and other things to contribute to the sessions. In addi^on, many of our church ac^vi^es have also sought to reach out to advance the Chris^an faith for the public benefit; for example, our prayer vigils on the green, our community sta^ons of the cross walk at Easter, and the presence of our prayer space which is now regular at all church events. We are so grateful to be able to serve our community in this way and it has been wonderful to see rela^onships with families and individuals in the community con^nue to flourish.

Another key part of our outreach and discipleship this year has been con^nuing to engage with families in our neighbourhood and on the edges of church life through our ac^vity packs. These were distributed in 2024 through Lent, Easter and Advent, and each contained 5-7 ac^vi^es with crass, challenges and a bible story. We accompanied the Lent packs with videos on YouTube explaining the stories and ac^vi^es. Each ^me, the whole church gets involved in packing the packs, and then we are able to reach 40-50 children in the neighbourhood. Many eyes light up as we call to deliver them and we hear back of the impact they are having, not just on children but their parents too.

Youth Work Report

There has been various areas of growth in our Youth Department this past year. This comprises of exci^ng, supplementary ini^a^ves, that have proven to be successful. A few examples include; our Friday Youth group for youth age 11-18, that started in Spring 2024. We are pleased that this ini^a^ve was planned to be extended to all youth in our community, and as a result, a majority of the young people are regular a+endees (although all are not regular Sunday church a+endees) they are s^ll gepng to know Christ, in an effec^ve way, and we can see the posi^ve impact the Friday evening Youth Group is having in their lives. For this reason, the young people have also taken part in other community, and fes^ve events and ac^vi^es (such as our Neighbourhood, outdoor Christmas, Na^vity, Pancake, Day, our Easter Egg Hunt event, and much more. The young people have also been commi+ed to a+ending our regular Youth Socials, and invi^ng their friends to come too!

We have also been encouraged by the willingness and enthusiasm that young people have shown, to par^cipate in our Sunday Youth Led Services over the past year, and we are really star^ng to see them growing in their confidence, as they par^cipate. Addi^onally, our Sunday Youth Led services have been well a+ended, and the young people have par^cipated, demonstra^ng growth in their walk with God, and dedica^on, as well as showing individual development of skills within leadership. We have seen the young people thrive in taking responsibili^es, when delegated tasks, to s^mulate their growth, such as preaching, singing in

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the worship band, helping with the younger kids ac^vi^es, and taking part in serving communion with our priest, Dan.

As a church we have been serving Hot Chocolates in the neighbourhood, and we have used that ^me to engage with young people, and make them aware of how what we are doing, and invite them to take part, and ul^mately, build rela^onships with them. This method has helped us to take part in our community ac^vi^es and u^lising that opportunity to invite young people to our youth group.

We also started a monthly social for youth age 8-11 youth, which takes place every last Sunday of each month. This is an opportunity we u^lise to extend the love of Christ, and encourage the developmental aspects of our younger youth. We do this through playing a series of games with them, and some^mes doing some fun Bible themed exercises.

To conclude, we aim to see more young people growing in their faith, and becoming socially ac^ve in our community. We have reflected on the past year, and used our reflec^ons to implement more exci^ng projects, and ac^vi^es for the young people in this new year.

Community Café and Food Share Report

As a result of a community survey in mid-2022, we launched a Community Café and Food Share in December 2022. ChristChurch Three Mills holds the Community Café every Thursday morning during term-^me in the Community Room at School 360 (whom we work in collabora^on with), located on Sugar House Island in Strahord. The primary aims are as follows:

The cafe and food share has con^nued in strength through 2024, giving residents of all ages an opportunity to meet, chat and socialise with other community members over a nice cup of tea! We also provide a play space for toddlers so that parents can bring their children. Through grants from Tesco and Newham Council, we have been able to run ‘Wellbeing mornings’ during the café sessions, these started out as cooking together but have grown to also incorporate crass, calligraphy, watercolour pain^ng, Christmas card making and more. We have also arranged visits from different services, including a really well a+ended presenta^on from Big Ideas on Nuclear Test Veterans.

The food share is run through donated food, and people can take a bag of shopping (household essen^als/non-perishable food, and fresh fruit/vegetables) for a dona^on of £1. This was heavily resourced by the School 360 harvest campaign this year, as well as regular dona^ons from church and community members. Towards the end of the year, we began a partnership with Fareshare, enabling us to collect food close to its end date and offer it alongside the non-perishable items.

Each week, we see up to 20 people using the café or par^cipa^ng in the Wellbeing mornings, with an average of around 15. Also, 5-10 households benefit from our food share each week, and through the connec^ons made here, we have been able to introduce people to the school, our community ac^vi^es and the church.

Financial Report

To be read alongside the Accounts, shown on pages 15-23 of this report.

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Our previous treasurer, Ewangelin, stood down early in 2024; we thank her very much for her work in first getting our accounts and systems set up. We are also very grateful to Boris, who took on the role of treasurer in April, and has worked hard, with Jenna our administrator, to improve our financial systems and records.

SDF Funding and St Johns Support

The church was established as a church plant from St Johns in the period 2019-2022 and is currently funded by money from the Church of England Strategic Development Fund (SDF) un^l the end of 2025. Money can be claimed back through the diocese once spent, against specific spending criteria. Expenses incurred are matched to the SDF budget and submi+ed for reimbursement on a regular basis. The Project Board at the Diocese requires any amount over £500 to be approved by the Programme Manager and anything over £2k by themselves prior to expenditure. In addi^on, if Christchurch Three Mills wishes to reallocate funds from the overall budget these changes need approval by the Project Board of the Church Commissioners.

giving and reimbursement went through the Account of St Johns church in Strahord (registered charity number 1132176), under the oversight of their Parochial Church Council (PCC). All money was kept as a restricted Fund within the overall St Johns Account and appears on their registered and submi+ed accounts. The final transfer of these funds took place early in 2024 and at that point this formal rela^onship ceased.

Financial Review for the repor"ng period

The overall income of the church was £85,669.98.

£39,458.75 in 2024, about 50% of the church’s outgoings. During the year under review all staff worked on a part ^me basis. Our new Youth Pastor, Tosin Abrahams began work in February 2024.

In July 2024, our previous Church Intern ended her post at the church. We now have a new intern whose salary and employment are organised and paid for by the Centre for Theology and Community.

Our Administrator works 15 hours a week and was in post since her start date in January 2023, her employment con^nues un^l the end of December 2025. The Trustees con^nue to review the salaries paid on an annual basis and ensure that all staff earn at least the London Living Wage as a minimum. Christchurch Three Mills offers a contributory workplace pension scheme for all eligible members of

During the year Christchurch Three Mills paid a contribu^on of £7,200 to the Chelmsford Diocese in lieu of a Parish Share contribu^on. This was not a requirement as s^pendiary costs are covered by the SDF funding, but the trustees agreed in November 2023 to con^nue paying this as a sign of our generosity to and partnership with the Deanery and Diocese, and also as prepara^on for a need to grow this contribu^on beyond the end of 2025. The Trustees agreed in in early 2025 to review this arrangement through the year, to determine an amount to pay in the year 2025.

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A summary of the other main expenses can be found on the third page of the Accounts.

In order to improve the accuracy of the accounts, the Treasurer performed account reconcilia^on throughout the last half of 2024, checking the figures for each month against the accounts and finding and making a note of discrepancies. The Administrator has corrected these discrepancies.

Funds

The unrestricted funds, in the General Fund: £35,112.99

The Restricted Fund for the Neighbourhood Fund: £378.34

Reserves and Financial Outlook

The trustees also consider that should sufficient reserves be generated, some may be able to be used in the first few years after the end of SDF funding to enable a transition period, if income is still being raised in this time but is not yet sufficient to cover all necessary expenditure.

The trustees aim to raise reserves to a level at least £40k, and preferably £45k, by the end of 2025. They are also actively pursuing fundraising opportunities and looking at grant funding to maintain the mission and staff team of the church, beyond the end of 2025. A key part of this has been our work with CTC through the Harnessing Assets for Mission learning community, helping us think through processes and use of what we have to provide for long-term sustainability

The other key element of long-term viability and sustainability of the church is around stipendiary ministry costs, which are covered until the end of 2025 by SDF funding. `There are at the point of writing ongoing discussions with the diocese about possible funding for at least a part time stipendiary post over the coming three years. A key discussion around the future of the church must be around the place of stipendiary ministry, possible forms of funding this, any alternatives, and the relationship of the church to the wider Deanery and Diocese.

- Chair/Co Chair Report

This year has been full of many highs and so much to be thankful for!

Reflecting on the past year, we have been able to accomplish so much as a community and we could not have achieved any of it without God bringing us together. We have not only been able to continue the events that are part of Christchurch’s DNA (like the community cafe, Christmas and summer events); but we have achieved success from our commitment to community organising with Citizens UK - the Community Garden on Bisson road is a strong example. Praise God!

We also think of how God has enabled spiritual growth for us with Sunday services, mid week community groups and prayer. We also share in the joy of those who made commitments to the faith: namely those who were baptised and confirmed; and Pat and Will who were ordained.

May all these achievements encourage us to lean into our Three Mills community and share with each other our thoughts for bettering our neighbourhood. Thank you to everyone who has assisted

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us as it’s undeniable that with God’s help, there is strength in numbers. How much more can we achieve if we continue on this path? What an exciting thought!

Looking to the future, we trust that God has already secured our successes and made our paths straight, so we readily encourage you to join us in following God’s plan for Christchurch.

May God continue to bless you.

Acceptance of this report

A draft version of this report was accepted by Trustees at their meeting on Monday 17[th] March 2025, signed on their behalf by

Maxine Kusiima, Chair of Trustees

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Date
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Jenna Anderson, Secretary to Trustees Date

Following the report of our independent examiner, the full report was presented to the membership of the CIO at their annual meeting on Sunday 18[th] May 2025. It was accepted at that meeting by a vote, and signed on their behalf by

Revd Dan Scott, Lead Minister and Chair of Meeting Date

Jenna Anderson, Secretary to Annual Meeting

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Date
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Christ Church Three Mills On accounts for the year ended 31. December 2024 Charity no lif any) 1200794 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'lhe Trust") for the year ended 31112 12024. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respecl of my examination of Ihe Charitable Incorporaled Organisalion's ICIOI 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 14515)(bl of the Act. IER Oct 2018 Doc ID.. 8a26b875258072cfb9b483f574653f7051b49383

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records During my examination, l obseNed that there are still inconsistencies in the frequency of bank reconciliations carried out by the church throughout the year. Vvhile reconciliations were performed during the first half of the year, regular monthly reconciliations were lacking. To maintain financial accuracy and oversight, I strongly recommend implementing monthly reconciliations going forward. The church has acknowledged this issue and committed to ensuring a structured reconciliation process throughout the year. A number of Ihe charity's policies, including those relaled lo Internal Financial Controls, Expenses, and Cash Handling, have remained in draft form Sin￿ their initial preparation. Vvhile discussions have taken place within trustee meetings, fomal adoption and regular reviews have not been consistently carried out. The church has committed to conducting regular policy reviews to ensure transparency, consistency, and adherence to best praclices. Trustees should ensure that all policies are formally adopied and reviewed periodically. Additionally, a structured record of policy amendments should be maintained to track updates and ensure compliance. Expense claims are documented, and receipts are maintained. However, some expenses lacked appropriate signatory approval, raising concerns about oversight. Additionally, there is no defined conflict-of-interest protocol for expense authorisation. The church will be establishing clear guidelines of what's eligible versus ineligible expenses. As well as this, the church will be implementing conflict of interest safeguards to ensure independent oversight of expense approvals. Expense claims once approved will also be saved as a pdf or scanned copy to prevent edits after authorisalion and maintain clear audit trail. The church is currently working to secure funding beyond 2025, as existing financial support through the Strategic Development Fund {SDF) will ase. The review highlighted concerns regarding financial sustainability, particularly in relation to staff salarie5. Following my recornmendation, the church will be exploring income sources beyond fundraising and grants as well as increasing reserves coverage (within reasonable financial capacity). I confirm that, aside from the matters highlighted above, there are no other issues requiring attention to ensure a proper underslanding of the accounts. The charity has demonstrated a commitment to addressing these concerns, and l am confident that the recommended improvements will enhance financial govemance, accuracy and operational efficiency. I confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be draiANn +r* Anahl- 3 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: V.Lagrue Date: 12° May 2025 Name: Womba Lagrue FCCA Bsc IER Oct 2018 Doc ID.. 8a26b875258072cfb9b483f574653f7051b49383

Relevant professional qualification{sl or body (if any): Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Address: Allia Future Business Centre King's Hedges Road, Cambridge CB4 2HY Section B Disclosure Only complete If the examiner needs to highli9ht material matters of COn￿rn (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts." directions and guidan￿ for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examinerwishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018 Doc ID.. 8a26b875258072cfb9b483f574653f7051b49383

IER Oct 2018 Doc ID.. 8a26b875258072cfb9b483f574653f7051b49383

YEAR ENDING Dec 31[st] 2024

CHRISTCHURCH THREE MILLS ACCOUNTS

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Notes to Accounts

Introduc^on

1. These are the accounts for Christchurch Three Mills, a Charitable Incorporated Organisa^on (“the CIO”) for the period 1[st] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024.

2. These notes form an integral part of the accounts.

Accoun^ng Policies and basis of prepara^ons

1. 2011 and the Cons^tu^on, approved by the Charity Commission on 24th October 2022, using the Receipts and Payments basis.

2. The CIO operates under a Bishops Missions Order (BMO) dated 24th October 2021 and receives a non-recurring grant from a Special Development Fund operated by the Church Commissioners.

3. These accounts represent the second repor^ng period since approval by the Charity Commission.

4. The CIO does not use the services of a Professional fundraiser.

5. All the expenditure is allocated to the work and charitable ac^vity of the CIO outlined in the BMO and more fully described in the Cons^tu^on.

6. equipment is expensed as the item purchased

Funds held by St Johns Church

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1. All of the CIO’s money is now held in its own bank accounts. Planned transfers from St John’s Church Strahord (charity number 1132176) to the CIO were completed this year. These transfers represented:

2. (i) money historically held by St John’s for the CIO;

3. (ii) a gis aid claim made by St John’s on behalf of the CIO

Dona^ons and legacies

1. No legacies were received in the repor^ng period.

2. At the year-end Gis Aid Recoverable amounted to an es^mated value of £3656.05, though this will be verified before the claim is entered this year.

3. CC3M con^nues to work to collect more dona^ons and Gis Aid thereon. CC3M has this year acquired a contactless payment point to take card dona^ons at services, and at events.

Grant Funding

1. The bulk of CC3M’s funding comes from the Diocese. This year, we received £62,161.15 from the SDF funding. CC3M is eligible for this funding un^l the end of 2025.

2. CC3M has also applied for, and received, grant funding from other funders. This amounts to £ 3,620.65, £100 of which was limited to the Neighbourhood Fund. The grants were given by Tesco and Newham Council to support the Community Café, and Newham Council give further money to pay for the Community Corner Garden.

Trustee remunera^on and benefts

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1. forma^on.

2. The Lead Minister, Rev Dan Sco+, receives a full s^pend from the central funds of the Church of England.

Funds

1. As previously men^oned the last transfer from the money held for the CIO by St Johns PCC was made in early 2024. All monies of the CIO are nor held in the one bank account.

2. The General Fund represents the unrestricted monies that the Trustees can spend on the CIO’s aims and objec^ves as set out in the Cons^tu^on.

3. The Neighbourhood fund (restricted) represents the fund set up by the Trustees to help alleviate poverty in the neighbourhood. Money from this fund has only been spent on supplies for our Food Share, and Christmas Hampers for those in need.

4. The neighbourhood fund has been depleted over the course of the year, and it may be necessary to fundraise to drive giving into that Fund in 2025.

Parish Share

1. The CIO, unlike most Parish Churches, is not obliged to pay Parish Share. This is because Rev Dan Sco+’s s^pend is funded by the SDF grant. However, the CIO has con^nued to pay some money as a token contribu^on into the Parish Share.

2. In 2024 we paid £7,200 in Parish Share.

Future Uncertainty

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1. The SDF funding is due to expire at the end of 31[st] December 2025. The cri^cal issue is how ministry will be funded aser that date. The following are currently being ac^oned by the trustees and ministry team:

2. a. Work with CTC’s ‘Harnessing Assets for Mission’ programme including advise, training and support on fundraising and grant applica^ons

3. b. The establishment of a fundraising team, some small grant applica^ons have already been successful and larger applica^ons are being prepares

4. c. Discussions with the diocese about s^piendary leadership of the BMO beyond 2025. These are looking promising and there seems to be a way forward, though final

5. d. Work on sharing leadership to build collabora^on to take emphasis away from ministry and the paid staff team

6. e. Exploring cost, possible funding and poten^al income from our venue or other future venue for the church.

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