2023-12-31-accounts

LAMPETER EVANGELICAL CHURCH

’ - TRUSTEES REPORT FOR 2022 23

1. The Objectives

These include:

• To gather regularly for worship, prayer and praise on the Lord’s Day and other occasions.

• To teach consistently the Word of God to all, with a view to conformity to the Will of God in everything.

• To administer the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. By baptism we mean baptism of believers by total immersion.

• To proclaim the Gospel of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

• To provide meaningful encouragement, support and pastoral care for all members and adherents.

• To support and be actively involved in the spread of the Gospel throughout the whole world.

• To promote the fullest possible co-operation in fellowship and witness with all churches and fellowships who embrace the evangelical faith.

2. Strategies, Activities and Achievements in view of these Objectives

The Church has striven to keep all the above objectives in mind as it has worked through the year:

• the Elders, two in number, over the years have generally taken a leadership role which includes preaching and teaching of the Word, pastoral and counselling work; they are supported by visiting preachers who contribute substantially from Sunday to Sunday as well as in terms of the midweek Bible Study and Prayer Meeting (with other appropriate members of the church also being given opportunities to preach and to teach); one of the Elders has unfortunately been taken ill over the last few months and has recently resigned – however, the church has now elected four new Deacons (our other sole Deacon having also recently resigned) who will have a role in the leadership and direction of the church; moreover an experienced retired pastor has now become an Advisory Elder who can also contribute to leadership discussions and decisions

• as noted above, practical support is given by four church Deacons who were elected in March 2024; the church continues to support our Korean family who are members of LEC and have now returned to Lampeter to work voluntarily for the church – they intend being here for an unspecified amount of time

• We have now become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and adopted a new constitution in 2023

• normally two services are held on Sundays, at 10.30 a.m. (English language) with Sunday School and at 5.00 p.m. (Welsh language with simultaneous translation facilities so that it is an inclusive meeting), with midweek meetings consisting of a Ladies’ Meeting (now on Monday mornings, and increased to two a month), Bible Study and Prayer Meeting (Wednesday evenings, with a specific Prayer Meeting every first Wednesday of the month); every two months or so we hold Men’s Breakfasts and from time to time make them outreach events

• the Youth Club (the Good Book Cook Club) suspended because of the pandemic, has not yet been revived but a Young Adults’ Meetings has recently been established and has drawn several young people to its activities

• recently too an Alpha Course has begun for those who are seeking to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Christian Faith, the very first time the Church has run such a course, although one individual has been following a Christianity Explored Course.

• the Church has established a Safeguarding and Pastoral Care Group which meets at regular intervals and has recently produced a Church Safeguarding Policy

• we continue to appreciate being able to make great use of our new church building; there is still some work that can be done to refurbish parts of the house in order to make the two upper floors into a flat, as well as some remedial work on part of the roof; amazingly, due to the grace of God, we have seen many new people joining in worship and the size of the congregations has substantially increased as well as the membership of the church; the building has been officially registered as a place of worship and also registered for marriages

• we have had two weddings in the church since we opened with a third in the offing – in all cases we take couples through a special preparatory course

• on the third Wednesday of each month House Groups are normally held, one English language group and one Welsh language group

• • other meetings that were normally held before the pandemic have been restarted, many of them with the intention of reaching out into the community – these include e.g. a Christmas Carol Service, special Good Friday services, missionary meetings and other special events; the Church is also involved in supporting a number of missionary societies as well as individuals who have connections with the Church; it is particularly associated with the work of the Christian Charity, Blythswood Care

• other outreach activities continue too, particularly a weekly Prayer Walk around the town, providing opportunities to give out tracts and Scriptures, and Opening the Church so that the public may turn in and be able to pray or given help in their various needy circumstances; the Prayer Walkers have for some time now been holding services at the town’s Care Home (Hafan Deg) every other Friday

• the Church has also continued to take services at a local Residential Homes (Allt-y-Mynydd, Llanybydder) which we have been visiting for many years

• we are especially glad to report that 13 people have been baptised since the church building was opened; this, along with the increase in numbers attending, has been a great source of joy for us; we take people through special courses to prepare them for baptism

• the Church provides voluntary support for a local Christian Centre (“Yr Hedyn Mwstard”) which comprises a Coffee Shop, a Christian Bookstall and meeting/counselling room, and in return is able to use its facilities for regular midweek meetings; the new church building is actually next door to the Centre and both continue to benefit from each other’s facilities

• the Bible is central to all activities and the Church’s Statement of Faith is based on Bible truths

• the Lord’s Supper is celebrated twice a month, on the first Sunday morning and the third Sunday evening of each month; also every Church Business Meeting begins with the Lord’s Supper - two such meetings are held during the year, in February/March and September (additional ones are convened if necessary)

• our annual church trip did not take place between 2021-2023, one of the few activities which have not been revived since the onset of coronavirus restrictions, but it is planned that one will take place during the Summer of 2024

• Missionary Societies are invited to visit the Church at different times of the year, and this year we had a visit from Adrian Carey Jones (Romanian Ministries), Tabitha Doey (Wycliffe Bible Translators) and Igal Vender (International Mission to Jewish People); there has also been support for those doing Christian charitable work at home and we are thankful that this service to the community continued throughout the year – indeed there was a heightened need for it as a result of the cost of living crisis, meaning that food has been regularly provided for the Lampeter Food Bank, set up in 2013 with the co-operation of other local churches; financial support has been given to individuals connected with the church who are either involved in ministry or working in the mission field (including our Korean family and Paul Daniel who is an evangelist working for AECW); our Blythswood Care monthly knitting group meetings have been reconvened and the sending of hundreds of shoeboxes and other humanitarian aid to other countries has continued; the Church regularly prays for other countries and makes special collections at times of particular need

• Our special Harvest Thanksgiving Services were revived in 2021, with the food collected being donated to the Lampeter Food Bank

• the Church’s Half Days of Prayer have now been re-established, setting aside a Saturday twice a year for this purpose; we continued to hold special series of prayer meetings at the beginning of the New Year, during Easter and at other times when necessary

• over the last few years the Church has produced a professionally published Church Booklet every quarter, sharing a Gospel message as well as other general information about the Church and its activities, and these are made widely available to other churches and the whole community; extra efforts have been made to take church literature out into the community e.g. in 2023 and so far in 2024 we distributed approximately 500 leaflets at Easter time, 500 invitation cards to the Harvest Thanksgiving Services, and 500 Christmas Cards inviting people to activities held by the church over the Christmas period; we produce an Information Leaflet for our congregations every Sunday

• • LEC has now affiliated with the FIEC and the Church continues to be a member of AECW (Associating Evangelical Churches of Wales); there are also ongoing links with the Evangelical Movement of Wales

• the Church continues to have strong links with students from the University College of Lampeter and with its Christian Union, there being many opportunities to reach out to the students and involve them in the work of the Church as well as being involved in supporting their work on the college campus; it also usually has a stall at the Students’ Union Freshers’ Fayre every year in the Autumn.

3. Future Plans

Several ideas for future development have been discussed and prayed for:

• the need to expand the leadership team by adding to the number of Elders, including one who would be committed to part-time or full-time preaching and teaching

• as noted above we have made tangible progress in ensuring that we now have our own church building; our aim is to see the house part fully developed as soon as is viable.

4. Finances

Great care is taken with accounts, but naturally finances are used to further the Church’s objectives and necessitate stepping out in faith. The following comments need to be noted:

• most of the giving is done through covenanting and this has been a very effective and efficient way of making the most of our resources

• regular use is made of a professional accountant to help with the Church’s financial obligations

• payment is made each year for Church Accounts to be audited

• the Treasurer presents accounts regularly to members at the Church Business Meetings (usually held twice a year), one being an AGM, and they are discussed thoroughly and openly.

5. Conclusion

In view of the above, the Trustees would like to express their gratitude to the Officers and Members of Lampeter Evangelical Church for their faithful adherence to the terms of the Trust. We are again encouraged by the fact that the Church continues to meet its responsibility to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the local community whilst also facilitating missionary activity worldwide. We are satisfied that the accounts have been kept to the highest standard and that all transactions have been carried out with the utmost integrity. Money has been wisely used to pursue effectively and successfully the Church’s stated objectives.

We trust that the Church will continue to know much blessing in the future and are very happy to endorse the vision the Church Officers have to continue strengthening the cause.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees: Mr. T. Gareth Jones

April 17[th] , 2024

Eglwys Efengylaidd Llanbed / Lampeter Evangelical Church Cyfrif Cyffredinol yr Eglwys / Church General Account – 1/1/23 31/12/23

Out-going Income Speakers £5,596-95 Giving – Non-Gif Aid WiFi £285-15 Giving - Gif Aid Outreach £2,936-00 Collectons Translaton Equipment £1,248-00 Charity Commission Gif Aid Printng £1,604-45 Dwr Cymru Refund Tabeel Trust Loan £10,000-00 Fieldstone Trust Grant Fire Safety £231-80 Other In-come Christan Safeguarding Service £120-00 Insurance £1471-46 Electricity BG £2453-41 Gas BG Music Licence Communion Cups & Wine Donaton Welsh Evangelical Church Boiler Service HSBC Charges Rev Choi 1. Fieldstone Trust 2. Gif Aid Return Mustard Seed Usage Mustard Seed Renovaton Dwr Cymru P Daniel Sponsorship Bathroom Fitngs Blythswood Shelves Evangelical Times Subscripton Other Out-going £906-56 £431-00 £141-30 £1000-00 £120-00 £152-50 £4035-00 £5000-00 £150-00 £500-00 £3,055-70 £320-00 £200-00 £131-46 £100-00 £142-43 £134-95 Total

£20,144.27 £30,065-00 £11,542-34 £10,515-75 £270-81 £5,000-00 £170-00

£77,708-17

Total £42,468-12

Total Income Total Outgoing Balance Account Balance as of 31/12/23 Account Balance as of 1/1/23 Balance for the Year 2023	£77,708-17 £42,468-12
	£35,240-05
	£51,713-03 £16,472-98
	£35,240-05

Out-going			lncome
DWRCymru		ft07-65Zero		[00,000-00
HSBC		f10-00
			Total
	ToraI	f,1:1"7-65
			Totallncome	f00,000-00
			TotalOutgoingfL17-65
			Balance
			AccountBalanceasof	f3940-32
			31112122
			AccountBalanceasof	13822-67
			76103123
			ClosureBalance	{ t rry fL

Out-eoing		lncome
Speakers	f5,596-95	Giving-Non-Gift Aid		fL6,321.-60
WiFi	f285-15	Giving-GiftAid		f 30,065-00
Outreach	f2,936-00	Collections		f.tL,542-34
Translation Equipment	fL,248-OO	Charity Commission Gift	Aid	f10,515-75
Printing	fL,6A4-45	Dwr CymruRefund		f270-81.
Tabeel TrustLoan	fL0,000-00	Building Account Transfer		f3,822-67
FireSafety	f231-80	Fieldstone TrustGrant		f5,000-00
Christian SafeguardingService	f120-00	Otherln-come		f170-00
lnsurance	fL47L-46
ElectricityBG	f2453-4L
GasBG	f906-55		Total	f77,708-L7
MusicLicence	f431-OO
CommunionCups&Wine	f141-30
Donation WelshEvangelical Church	f1000-00
BoilerService	f1_20-00
HSBCCharges	fL52-50
RevChoi	f4035-00
1.FieldstoneTrust	f5000-00
2.Gift AidReturn	fL50-00
MustardSeed Usage	f500-00
MustardSeedRenovation	€3,055-70
Dwr Cymru	f320-00
PDanielSponsorship	f20&.00
BathroomFittings	f131-46
BlythswoodShelves	f100-00
Evangelical TimesSubscription	f'L42-43
Other Out-going	f134-9s