2023-12-31-accounts - Rodbourne Baptist Church

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Rodbourne Baptist Church

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended-31 December 2023

RCBC is a Registered Charity No 1200814

	Trustees Annual Report
	For the period
Section A	1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 Reference and administration details
Charity Name	Rodbourne Baptist Church
	(locally known as Rodbourne Cheney Baptist Church)
Charity’s principal address	Cheney Manor Road, Swindon, SN2 2PE
Charity Number	1200814

Names of the charity trustees (henceforth referred to as Trustees) who manage the charity

Trustee Name	Office (if any)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Mr James Reeves	Minister	Church Members
Mr John Bosu	Elder	Church Members
Mr Philip Edgell	Elder	Church Members
Mrs Janet Clark	Deacon/Treasurer	Church Members
Mr Eric Clark	Deacon/Secretary	Church Members
Mrs Harriett Bosu	Deacon/Pastoral/Safeguarding	Church Members
Mr Edmund Everest	Deacon/Building Maintenance	Church Members

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name	Dates acted if not for whole year
West of England Baptist Trust Company (East) Ltd., Charity No 1091251

Names and addresses of advisers (optional information)

Type of adviser	Name	Address
Independent Examiner	Mr Hilton Holding (BCom)	60 Studland Park, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3HN
Bankers	Lloyds Bank plc	82 Regent Street, Brunel Centre, Swindon, Wiltshire SN1 1TZ
Solicitors	Wood, Awdry & Ford	3 St Mary Street, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3JL

Section B

Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document (e.g. trust deed, constitution)

The Constitution (Approved Governing Document) is the governing document and this is reviewed and updated when necessary. Last updated in May 2021 at a special church members’ meeting to allow for Electronic Meetings. The amendments were carried unanimously.

How the charity is constituted (e.g. trust, association, company)

The charity is constituted as a Baptist Church

Trustee selection methods (e.g. appointed by,elected by)

Nominated and elected by church members at church meetings

Additional governance issues The Church employs James Reeves as our Minister. The Minister (optional information) Elders and Deacons together with church members and regular attendees

Elders and Deacons together with church members and regular attendees form the body of the church.

Elders are nominated by the pastor/elders and elected by church members. They must be over the age of 21 and have been in church membership for at least two years. They serve on the Trustee Body for a period ideally not exceeding 3 years after which time they may stand for re-election.

Deacons are nominated and elected by church members. They must be over the age of 16 and have been in church membership for at least one year. They serve on the Trustee Body for a period not exceeding 3 years, after which time they may stand for re-election.

The Deacons and Elders attend Training Days held by the Baptist Union and the West of England Baptist Association when appropriate.

The church is a member of the West of England Baptist Trust Company (East) Ltd and a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, both of whom are registered charities. The church does not receive grant funding from the West of England Baptist Trust Company but can apply for and may receive a grant from The Home Mission Section of the Baptist Union.

The Trustees have examined the financial risks and the Health and Safety risks, and the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Adults at Risk and systems have been put in place to enable regular reports to be given to trustees and members at the bi-monthly and Annual General meetings, so that necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks. (See page 15). Safeguarding Training is also given to all those working with Children Young People and Adults at Risk.

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 charity’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that financial statements comply with the Charities Act (2011). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and must take reasonable steps to ensure the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Church became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and was granted a charity number in October 2022 (1200814) however we were not fully affiliated until the end of March 2023.

Summary of the objects of the Charity set out in its governing

The object of the church is to fulfil the great commission (Matthew 28 v 18 – 20 & Acts 2 v 42 – 47)

Document Summary The main activity of the church is to promote the Christian Gospel to the Of the main activities local community in relation to these objects .

Additional details of objectives All the activities are run by volunteers, who attend or who are and activities connected with the church. Also working together with churches in (optional information) the area we help to meet the needs of the local community through friendships and support.

A typical week’s activities at the church during 2023 were as follows: Sundays – Morning Services held in person and also live streamed from the church on You Tube and Facebook. Evening Services are mainly contemplative for people to attend in person. Church Members Meetings bi-monthly in person at the church. Tuesdays – Prayer Meeting (on Zoom) Wednesday – Evening youth meeting at the church Thursdays – Thursday Connect (am) Little Bookworms (pm) at the church (See reports Pages 6 and 7) Prayer Meeting (on Zoom} Trustees Meetings held monthly.

Home Groups also meet Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays either on Zoom or in person.

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main The Church has continued with a membership of 45, comprising mainly of achievements of the charity folk from the local area with approximately 40 - 50 people attending the during the year morning service, including children and young people. In order to maintain contact with everyone at the church we have a list of 5 different fellowship groups based on all those who are connected with the church and within those 5 groups are Home groups (a smaller number of people) who meet regularly either in person or on Zoom.

REPORT FROM OUR MINISTER – Rev’d James Reeves

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Rodbourne Cheney Baptist Church , grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that the gift of God’s perseverance will be at work in all of you so that you will continue to persevere in the faith and produce fruit to the glory of our Father in Heaven. We need to remain vigilant to ensure that we do not grieve the Holy Spirit and are in the will of Christ Jesus at all times. The world seems to be increasing in darkness, but the light of the world [Jesus] still shines in the world. A time of spiritual darkness is an opportunity for the church to be

the light of Christ. You are the light of the world [Matthew 5:14-16] because Jesus lives in every single one of you who are His. As the world gets increasingly darker, we need to be increasingly vigilant to shine our Jesus lights into the world. May it always be in the back of your mind that our actions have consequences for good or bad, so let’s act in a way that will produce positive consequences in 2024 to the glory of our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In 2023 we have endured a continued season of pruning and the pruning continues into 2024 with the understanding that Jesus is preparing RCBC for spiritual growth. If we remain faithful and steadfast in the Lord, RCBC will be blessed and will become a missional blessing to the community.

In 2023, we have faced challenges from the Baptist Union of Great Britain, who seek to change the ministerial rules concerning human sexuality. RCBC has affirmed a stance for Orthodox marriage and have called the BUGB (Baptist Union of Great Britain) to remain faithful to the Scriptural teaching of marriage and not change the ministerial rules. This battle continues into 2024 as the BUGB will decide to change or not change the ministerial rules. The leaders of the Evangelical Baptists group [group of evangelical Baptist ministers and churches] have pleaded with evangelical ministers and churches to remain together to bring renewal to our Union and not to abandon the Union. The leaders of the Evangelical Baptists are currently working with Evangelical Ministers and churches to strategically plan resolutions to act upon the decisions the BUGB may take in 2024. As a group of evangelical Baptists we are more concerned for evangelism and would prefer to be addressing the lack of evangelism within the UK. At RCBC we are active in mission and evangelism in varying degrees. We need to continue to have a focus on mission and evangelism if we wish to see the kingdom grow within our communities and within RCBC.

The chaplaincy work in Nova Hreod School has been an integral area of work in mission. We have continued to provide a listening & mentoring service to both children & staff, leading to many faithbased conversations and opportunities to minister Jesus to both staff and students. The chaplaincy team have again been called upon in 2023 to support major pastoral matters offering targeted specific support to students and staff as a result of trauma and tragedy. In 2024 I seek to strengthen the chaplaincy work and begin a new project with Naomi at Swindon Youth for Christ. The project is called ‘Healthy Minds’ which seeks to develop the listening and mentoring service with the inclusion of a mental health and emotional wellbeing plan.

The YAC Shack (Youth and Community Cabin) on Pembroke Gardens has again been a successful year. Through the summer holidays we saw a regular number of approximately 50-60 children and youth every Tuesday and Thursday during 2hr sessions. Every

session we have either delivered the gospel message or have taught scriptural values and beliefs. A new project had started in Aug 2023 called the Chat Shack for the elderly members of the community who are lonely. This got off to a good start but had to come to a pause during the winter months due to the cold and having no heating or lighting in the shack. I have recently met with the Parish Council and they have provisionally agreed to give permission to extend the planning permission for the cabin and to grant permission for the installation of an electrical cable. This is currently awaiting final authorisation from the next planning committee meeting. The Borough Council and the Parish Council have expressed that they have intentions on installing a new play park on Pembroke Gardens and would like to renew the changing rooms out building into a more suitable space for the community’s use. The use of this building would replace the YAC Shack portacabin and would be offered for our use to further the community work. The grants office within the Parish Council has requested my support to provide information that will help them successfully receive a grant to cover the costs. Through the work on Pembroke Gardens we have been able to support residents on low incomes with food parcels and vouchers. Our presence on Pembroke Gardens has excitingly led an individual to RCBC who has now come to faith in Jesus and was recently baptised at RCBC. In 2024 we will be looking to recruit new volunteers for the work on Pembroke Gardens.

In 2023 we had the privilege to work with 2 Swindon Youth for Christ interns. Their internships have come to an end and both interns have moved on to new adventures. It is with sad news that National Youth for Christ has closed the internship programme which means we no longer receive new interns each year to work at Nova and on Pembroke Gardens. SYFC requires our prayers as it currently faces new challenges.

One of my focuses at RCBC in the year 2024 is to build a church for all nations. RCBC’s International Day in Jan 2024 was the mark of a new beginning to build a church for all nations. I believe the embracing of all nations with their positive Christian cultures and heritage will determine our survival and growth at RCBC. Building a church for all nations means we need to learn from our own prejudices [unconsciously and consciously] and journey towards building a church where people from all nations know they belong, are loved [and embraced] and accepted.

It is also one of my focuses at RCBC in the year 2024 to strengthen and love what we have. May each of you join me in strengthening and loving one another. Please pray that God will raise new volunteers for various areas of work where there is need. Our current primary concern is to raise a new secretary and treasurer to replace these roles when the trustees current terms of office end.

We also require new volunteers for children & youth work at RCBC, Nova & Pembroke.

Finally, brothers and sisters, I call you to remain faithful in prayer and to be rooted in the Holy Scriptures. Root yourself in Jesus that Jesus may be rooted in you. Do nothing out of selfish ambition but do all things in love. Remember that our time is short and Jesus is coming back soon! Peace be with you!

OUTREACH AND COMMUNITY WORK IN THE CHURCH

Thursday Connect Annual report from Ann Kemp

Thursday Connect is a way of connecting the church to the local community in a variety of ways.

2023 has been a very difficult year for many of the workers on Thursday mornings. Many have suffered from pain, sickness, and family bereavement. Like a large family we have been there to support each other.

The sale is still very popular with many expressing their gratitude of having somewhere to go and enjoy company. Many have said how much they enjoy the peace in the church building.

Everybody is very generous often giving us a lot of money for charity.

People share problems, seek advice and are very grateful for both prayer and physical support. Many will contact us during the week to share problems and ask advice. We have the opportunity to share the Gospel with many.

Farm Foods have kindly donated food to us to pass on to those in need. There is sometimes so much that we have been able to share it with St. Mary’s CofE and Little Bookworms.

Where there is the opportunity of something for nothing human nature rears it’s ugly head if boundaries are not set. Therefore we set a limit of two free items per person.

We are very grateful to the youth group for setting up the tables and goods after youth club on Wednesday evenings ready for Thursday mornings. We must also say a big thank you to the Entwistle family for setting everything up when the youth are not meeting.

This year we have been able to send donations to:

Julia’s House Children’s Hospice. The Prospect Hospice. British Red Cross Disaster fund. The Sponsor (Compassion) children’s families. Breast Cancer Research. Rodbourne Cheney Residents Association. Pembroke Gardens work. St John’s Ambulance Brigade. Persecuted Church. Swindon Night Shelter. Operation Christmas Child. SWIAS, University Christian Fellowship and others.

It has certainly been a record year for the amount we have been able to give which has amounted to over £8,000 to various charities as well as our support of three children through Compassion UK to the tune of £1,056.

There are many people who work together to make Thursday Connect happen and I would like to say a big thank you to you all.

Little Bookworms from Shirley Adams

Little Bookworms runs on Thursday afternoons from 12 to 2.30 and is for parents with children from 0 – 5 years of age. All those adults who volunteer to help with Little Bookworms have attended Safeguarding Training.

Little bookworms have had a good year although numbers have fluctuated over the year due to some children moving on to school or nursery. We have a mix of mums, dads and nans that join us.

We have a good range of resources for the children to access and we enjoy lunch together and enjoy singing and listening to a story.

We have several family fun teas where the families invite other family members and friends to join us. We usually have a theme with crafts and singing and the children entertain our visitors, then we enjoy tea together.

We have also taken part in the church youth services.

Please feel free to come and join us all are welcome.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

The church hall is available to hire for private parties etc., Please contact Dave Ayliffe via the church to hire the hall.

House Group Reports

RCBC is currently operating four House groups and they either meet via Zoom or in person.

Prayer

As a church we have continued with weekly prayer meetings via Zoom and these have been attended by an average of 8 people. They are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. If there is a special requirement for prayer then the time can be extended. The prayer life of the church has certainly been of benefit to all concerned. A few people now meet for a short time before the morning service and the Sunday evening services are also a time for prayer and reflection.

RCBC Bible School report 2022 - Lata Egonu –

Youth and Children’s Co-ordinator

The bible school has seen some changes in the past year in terms of resources, attendance, and activities.

Anna Henson stepped down at the end of September 2023. She was pivotal in getting the Sunday school back up and running following the pandemic. I would like to thank her for her wise counsel hard work and dedication to the group over the years.

2023 saw the beginning of the Children and Youth led services. We had three of these last year, one in April, July and December. The children, youth and their leaders worked very hard to make each service a huge success. The children and youth were responsible for all the duties that would happen on a Sunday morning. The second of these services saw the introduction of a new song – “I speak Jesus” which has become a firm favourite with the congregation. We plan on continuing these services in 2024.

We will continue the two monthly sessions for the 5 to 11 year olds and 11 to 17 year olds but there are plans to have sessions every week for the 3 to 5 year olds starting in February 2024.

The team remain hard working and dedicated in their endeavours to share the good news of Jesus to our children and young people. I would like to acknowledge this and thank them.

We continue to put out notices asking for more volunteers, and will trust the Lord to bring the right people in to answer the call..

3 to 5 year olds

We have struggled again this year with staffing as all our classes have.

It is important that we are available each week for the little ones to help provide consistency for the families to build into their weekly routines. This has been agreed and will start after the February half term.

We have had one child who attends each Sunday school session regularly and we have the occasional visitors.

We use the Bubbles Red Compendium from Scripture Union to aid us in our planning & teaching.

Our class has joined with little bookworms to be part of the children and youth services which the children have enjoyed.

5 to 11 year olds

One child attends this class regularly. The children are taught using the scripture union bubbles material.

11 to 17 year olds

This class has 3 Sunday school teachers on rotation. There are between 5 – 8 in attendance on a given Sunday. Teaching material comes from Energize and some sessions are created using other Christian resources.

The youth are more willing to speak during Sunday school. It can be a challenge to get them to talk but over time they have opened up a bit more. I'm hoping with time and further discussions they will participate more. Sunday school lessons normally start with a light activity or thought provoking discussion to break the ice. Then we move into studying the bible. This can be accompanied by videos or printed out text that helps give youth a place to start or introduce a topic to them.

Senior Youth Group – Carl Egonu

We have continued running the Wednesday Youth group every week when two adults are available. It follows the format of about half an hour of games and chat, then an hour of bible study. We finish with prayer, then set up the church ready for Thursday connect. This group normally consists of 5 youths along with Peter Dabbs and myself. Victor Everest normally attends but is studying for his doctors exams. We've started having movie nights occasionally, the attendance for that is normally more, coming to about 9 youths on average.

The majority of last year we looked at the Bible Projects overview videos of each Old Testament book. We watch the video, which goes over the themes and key moments of a book in the bible, then we discuss it as a group, normally reading a chapter from the book we just watched the video on and discussing the chapter.

Last year we went to a Guvna B concert which the youth enjoyed a lot. I hope to make more of an effort to plan youth outings in Swindon this year, as it's a good way for the youth to bond, invite friends and as there are more youth in the church hopefully introduce them to the group and get them involved with church activities.

Accounts

The accounts are independently examined each February and are adopted by the Members at the Church’s Annual General Meeting held in March. An Independent Examiner is appointed each year at this meeting. We would like to thank Mr Hilton Holding for the time he has given to examining these accounts. (See his report on Page 17).

Brief statement of the Charity’s policy on reserves

It is the policy of the church to try and maintain around £10,000 in the current Account as an operating amount and a minimum of £15,000 in the Business Reserve Account which enables us to have sufficient funds in reserve should we need to pay a minister if he/she chooses to give us

six months’ notice of the termination of their contract. The current account is

topped up as necessary from the reserve account to maintain a viable amount to enable all bills to be paid. We have managed to exceed both these amounts over the last year partly due to renting out our Church Manse, claiming Gift Aids and Gift Aid Small Donations and to the church congregants who are now paying regularly through the bank rather than paying into the church offering weekly. The Trustees would like to thank all those who contribute to the church finances either through the bank or in the weekly offering.

Section F

Other optional information

The church continues to remain a place of worship within the community and maintains strong links with other churches in the surrounding area and throughout Swindon as well as links with our Baptist Family.

The churches in the local area meet together for an annual service during the week of prayer for Christian Unity which is held in January. This gives an opportunity for people from different churches to see each other and helps maintain our local links.

The church maintains its links with WEBA (West of England Baptist Association) not only with regards to informing them of our finances, but also through training days held for trustees of the Baptist churches in the area.

Several people in the church deliver the Good News Newspapers to residents in and around the local area.

PENSION DEFICIT PAYMENTS

*Notes to explain the pension payments (See Finance Section)

The Church is an employer participating in a pension scheme known as the Baptist Pension Scheme (“the Scheme”). The Scheme is a separate legal entity which is administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Limited). Our current Minister is part of the Baptist Pension Scheme.

Since January 2012, pension provision has been made through the Defined Contribution (DC) Plan within the Scheme. In general, members pay 8% of their Pensionable Income and employers pay 6% of members’ Pensionable Income into individual pension accounts. In addition, the employer pays a further 4% of Pensionable Income (or 3% if the employer is in the segregated DC Section) to cover Death in Service Benefits, administration costs, and an associated insurance policy which provides income protection for Scheme members, in the event that they are unable to work due to long-term incapacity. This income protection policy has been insured by the Baptist Union of Great Britain with Aviva. Members of the Basic Section pay reduced contributions of 5% of Pensionable Income, and their employers also pay a total of 5%.

Benefits in respect of service prior to 1 January 2012 are provided through the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan within the Scheme. The main benefits for pre-2012 service were a defined benefit pension of one eightieth of Final Minimum Pensionable Income for each year of Pensionable Service, together with additional pension in respect of premiums paid on Pensionable Income in excess of Minimum Pensionable Income. The Scheme, previously known as the Baptist Ministers’ Pension Fund, started in 1925, but was closed to future accrual of defined benefits on 31

December 2011.

A formal valuation of the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan was performed at 31 December 2019 by a professionally qualified actuary using the Projected Unit Method. The market value of the DB Plan assets at the valuation date was £298 million.

The valuation of the DB Plan revealed a deficit of assets compared with the value of liabilities of £18 million (equivalent to a past service funding level of 94%). As a result of the valuation, in addition to the contributions to the DC Plan set out above, it was agreed that the standard rate of deficiency contributions from churches and other employers involved in the DB Plan will remain at previously agreed levels, increasing each year in line with increases in the Minimum Pensionable Income. The deficiency contributions are broadly based on 12% of Pensionable Income/Minimum Pensionable Income, reflecting each employer’s contributions in March 2015. Some employers that were involved in the DB Plan for a short period pay lower contributions.

In addition, the Baptist Union of Great Britain agreed to contribute a lump sum of £0.5 million by 31 December 2020. The current Recovery Plan dated 30 September 2020 envisages deficiency contributions continuing until 30 June 2026. Towards the end of 2022 the repayments were reduced to £1 per month.

What does this mean for future contributions? The Trustee and the Baptist Union have agreed that DRCs will reduce to £1 per month for each employer from the August 2022 payment until June 2026. Currently, we do not anticipate reinstating the requirement to pay full DRCs in the future, but we cannot rule that out at this stage. Participating employers remain responsible for providing a share of any additional funds that the DB Plan may require in future. That is why we are maintaining the direct debit deductions at £1 per month for the time being. As part of the agreement to reduce contributions in this way, the Baptist Union has agreed to put £3m aside in an escrow account which could be used to provide additional funds to meet the liabilities of the Scheme if required. This additional money helps to provide further security to the Scheme.

As there are a large number of contributing employers participating in the Scheme, the Church is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities of the scheme. Accordingly, due to the nature of the Scheme, the profit and loss charge for the period represents the employer contributions payable.

The Church has been advised that the cost for the church to buy out their Pension Scheme liabilities as at 20 June 2022 was £6,800. However having calculated what has been paid from June 27[th] 2022 to December 2022 the amount owing still is £6168. See liability line at the end of the balance sheet.

Consequent upon the departure of the previous Minister from the church in 2007, the Church had a cessation event under Section 75 of the Pensions Act 1995, from 2007 to Dec 2010. This makes the Church liable for the proportion of the overall deficit (assessed by reference to the cost of securing benefits by the purchase of annuities) applicable to its previous Ministers who were members of the Scheme. It is not possible to quantify this debt without an actuarial calculation. In order to avoid the cost of such a calculation and because the church may not be able to continue its charitable activities following payment of the employer debt which arises upon a cessation event, the Pension Scheme Trustee (after consulting the Pensions Regulator) is not currently pursuing the employer debt but is instead permitting the church to pay the ongoing deficiency contributions outlined above. However, the Pension Scheme Trustee has the right to

quantify and seek payment of the debt at any time at its discretion.

Section G

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature Full Name(s) James Reeves Eric Clark Chair Secretary Date Date

Risk Management Policies

Finance Policy Controls to prevent Loss of Funds Implemented by the church in May 1994. Updated 26[th] March 2023

This Policy has been reviewed in the light of moving from an unincorporated organisation to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) . The policy remains the same with one exception to allow for online banking and the use of a church debit card. As of 26[th] March 2023 this policy will continue to be enforced

The opening and closing of any bank accounts must be witnessed by two authorised signatories together with the pastor’s signature. In the absence of a pastor the secretary will sign in their place. Two authorised signatures must be on all cheques. Signatories must be made fully aware what they are paying for prior to purchase and a receipt/bill must be produced at the time of signing.a cheque.

If any signatory or anyone in their family is to benefit from a cheque issued by the church they cannot be a signatory to that particular cheque.

All offerings, tithes, gift aids, gifts and any monies given to the church will be counted and recorded in the book provided for that purpose on a Sunday. This action will be carried out by at least two people one of whom should be a trustee. No money will leave the main sanctuary to be counted until the two persons counting the said money have collected the offering bags. They will sign the book when they are satisfied that all the money is accounted for.

The book will then become part of the annual Independent examination of the accounts by the designated accountant. The accounts are independently examined by a qualified accountant and are adopted by the church members at the Annual General Meeting.

Two persons (one of whom must be a managing trustee) are to complete the computerized accounts monthly and ensure that bank balances are reconciled. A yearly budget is prepared by the management trustees in September for approval by church members in November.

To adopt modern banking practices, RCBC will follow online banking processes in accordance with good practice supported by an agreed internal process in line with the requirements of this policy. Where a debit card is used the expenditure will be agreed by two trustees.

Safeguarding Policy

The church adheres to the current Baptist Unions Safeguarding Policy to protect children, young people and adults at risk. These Baptist Union Publications give guidelines on protection for the local church and its youth leaders. All those with a responsibility for looking after children, young persons or adults at risk in the church have seen a copy of the New Safeguarding Policy and systems are in place so that any child, young person or adult at risk will be protected should the need arise. All those involved in children’s and young persons’ work and who work with adults at risk attended Safeguarding training courses during 2022 to Grade 2 level. Management trustees and the children’s co-ordinator had training to Grade 3.

A risk register is in the process of being prepared and reviewed in relation to Health and Safety, Finance, and Safeguarding Policies.

Health and Safety Policy

A representative from the membership has agreed to be responsible for Health and Safety issues. Church attendees have been fully briefed as to what to do and where to assemble in the event of the fire alarm being raised, and church trustees have been given responsibilities for checking the fire panel and who rings the fire brigade etc. Appropriate notices are prominently displayed and the fire extinguishers and exit signs are maintained annually.

Those responsible for Food preparation have attended training courses and have obtained certificates in Food Hygiene. These are updated as and when necessary. Trained First Aiders make sure all accidents and incidents are recorded in a book specifically for that purpose. A First Aid box is kept fully stocked.

Smoking is not allowed on the premises, nor is the consumption of alcohol. The above policies are reviewed annually at the Annual General Meeting of the Church in March. A book is available in the church for any repairs to

the fabric of the church to be noted down. The Trustees check this book on a regular basis and action any repairs necessary.

----- Start of picture text -----
Receipts and Payments Accounts Rodbourne Baptist Church
For the period 1 January 2023 to 26 March 2023 and 27 March to 31 December 2023
Section A Receipts and payments
----- End of picture text -----


A1 Receipts to nearest £	Unrestricted funds to 26/03 Unrestricted funds to 31/12 Restricted funds Jan - Dec Total funds Last year 2022
General Income less Gift Day 1,2	14,525	52,420		66,945	62,753
Gift Day (Gift Aided) 1,2					11,305
Gift Day (Not Gift Aided) 3			125	125	2,450
Manse Rental 4	3,060	9,180		12,240	4,738
Hospitality/refreshments 5	100	500		600	650
Hire of Halls 6	50	50		100	420
Outreach/Evangelism 7	56	1,385		1,441	1,886
Pembroke Gardens Portacabin 8			430	430	18,334
Youth Work Donations 9	0	0		0	0
Small Equip/Prop Donations 10	0	20		20	0
Thursday Connect 11			9,142	9,142	9,358
Sub total A2 Asset and investment sales etc Total Receipts	17,791	63,555	9,697	91,043	111,894

	17,791	63,555	9,697	91,043	111,894
A3 Payments to nearest £
Pastor’s Salary/Expenses * 8,9	10,389	31,739		42,128	26,462
27 Alder Close Expenses 10	8	681		689	35,659
Pension Defcit Payments 11	2	10		12	2,192
Thursday Connect 12			9,142	9,142	9,506
Church Expenses 13	933	4,246		5,179	4,531
General Expenses 14	1,703	10,731		12,434	7,864
Outreach/Youth/Mission 15	1,547	5,723		7,270	9,006
Pembroke Portacabin 16			2,095	2,095	8,131
Hospitality/Welfare 17	474	699		1,173	674
Propertychurch 18	3,774	4,190		7,964	3,433
					16
Sub total A4 Asset and investment purchases Total payments Net of receipts (payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end	18,830	58,017	11,237	88,086

	18,830	58,019	11,237	88,086	107,474
	-1,039	5,536	-1,540	2,957	4,420

				79,311	74,891

	-1,039	5,536	-1,540	82,268	79,311

For a more detailed explanation of the accounts see over the page

A. General Receipts incl:	Jan 01– Mar 26 2023	Mar 27 – 31 Dec 2023
1. Gift Aids	£ 5,601.38	£24,355.19
Tax Refunds	£ 3,030.45	£ 6,614.46
2. Other Income	£ 5,893.02	£21,450.09
3. Gift Day (Not Gift aided)	£ 0.00	£ 125.00
4. Manse Rental	£ 3,060.00	£ 9,180.00
5. Hospitality/Refreshment	£ 100.00	£ 500.00
6. Hire of Halls	£ 50.00	£ 50.00
7. Outreach/Evangelism	£ 55.59	£ 1,384.56
8. Designated Portacabin funds	£ 230.00	£ 200.00
9. Youth Work Donations	£ 0.00	£ 0.00
10. Small equipment /Prop Donations £ 0.00		£ 20.00
11 Thursday Connect Donations	£ 2,093.86	£ 7,049.49

Total Receipts Jan to Mar 26 £20,114.30 Total Receipts Mar to Dec £ 70,928.79

Total Receipts for the whole year = £ 91,043.09

B.Payments incl:	Jan 01 – Mar 26 2023	Mar 27 – 31 Dec 2023
8.Pastor’s Salary	£ 8,124.99	£26,974.97
9. Pastor’s Expenses	£ 2,263.86	£ 4,764.24
(Pension, NI PAYE etc)
10. 27 Alder Close	£ 8 21	£ 681.18
11. Pension Deficit Payments*	£ 2.00	£ 10.00
12. Thursday Connect Gifts	£ 1,843.88	£ 7,299.27
13. . Church Expenses incl
(Elec/Gas/Tel/Ins/Water/zoom)	£ 932.59	£ 4,246.10
14. General Expenses incl:
Subscriptions/Copyright	£ 89.28	£ 2,529.50
Office Expenses	£ 103.43	£ 115.59
Small Equipment	£ 34.00	£ 748.68
Training Courses	£ 417.00	£ 1,677.00
Love Gifts	£ 110.00	£ 1,712.48
Legal Expenses	£ 747.60	£ 3,518.00
Other Expenses incl:	£ 12.30	£ 293.03
(Flowers,Communion,,Speakers	etc.)
Independent Examiner	£ 190.00	£ 135.00
15. Outreach/Youth/Mission	£ 1,546.71	£ 5,722.69
16. Pembroke Portacabin	£ 443.59	£ 1,651.10
17 Hospitality Welfare	£ 473.72	£ 699.38
18. Property	£ 3,774.28	£ 4,190.21

Total Payments Jan to Mar 26 £ 21,117.44 Total Payments Mar to Dec £ 66,968.42

Total Payments for the whole year = 88,085.86

– Receipts Payments = £2,957.23

*See note re pensions deficit from the Baptists Together Website on Page 11/12

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

B1 Cash Funds	Details Current a/c Reserve a/c TotalCash Funds	Unrestricte d funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £
		23,260
		59,008

		82,268

Agree balances with receipts and payments accounts

Details Unrestricte d Funds to the nearest £ Restricted funds to the nearest £ Endowment funds to the nearest £	Details Unrestricte d Funds to the nearest £ Restricted funds to the nearest £ Endowment funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £

Details	Funds to which asset belongs	Cost (Optional)	Current value (optional)

B4 Assets Retained for the Charity’s own use

for the Charity’s own use
Details
Manse – 27 Alder Close InsuredValue–January2022	258,980
Church – Cheney Manor Road InsuredValue–January2022	1,344,805

Signature Print Name James Reeves Signature Philip Edgell

Signed by one or two Trustees On behalf of all Trustees

Date of Approval 07/03/2024

“The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Accounting Practices: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP2005) issued in March 2005, UK Accounting Standards and the Charities Act 2011”

The charity is an excepted charity under Section 30 (2)(b) of Charities Act 2011 and the power not to produce an Annual Report

is now in Section 168(2)of the Charities Act 2011 .

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE MANAGING TRUSTEES AND MEMBERS OF RODBOURNE CHENEY BAPTIST CHURCH

On the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Respective responsibilities of managing trustees and independent examiner

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. You consider that the audit requirement of section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner's report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met.

In my opinion no other matter needs attention to be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

H A Holding 60 Studland Park Westbury Wiltshire BA13 3HN

Dated: 20 February 2024