Sawbridgeworth Evangelical Congregational Church
End of Year Trustees Report and Financial Statements
Period ended 30 April 25

Frn•hold prop￿ Tru•t 1114
Churth •nd CIoS8fcK¥n Bbxk
FM•hold Prop•rty Tnmt 1921
The Manse, Hoeslc¢k Road
Gvy Hanson
IAm•gty1 Tru•tM• Gary H8nson
Rachel Millatt
Dian Sap5ford
Ann Voortman
Gavin Urquhart
Minister
Secretary, Ro-app)inted Jan 22
Appointed May 19. R•4ppoint￿ th¢ 23
Appointed May 21 until 30 Apr 24
Appointed Dec 21 until 31 Dec 24
Julia Kelly
Acting Treasurer Appointed Jul 21
nd•nt Ex•mln•r Sarah Ulyatt
Holdlng Trust••
FIEC Ltd
Bank•r•
Barclays Bank plc
The Water Gardens, 14 The Cenlre, Soulhgale. Harlow, CM20 1AN
Poqe 2

sv4thldg￿0rth Evangelical CongregatiMo1 Church Report arKI Accounts, 30 Aprll 2025
Trustees Report Perlod onded 30 Aprll 2025
The primary aim of the Sawbrldgeworth Evangellcal Congregational Church is to fulfil the role of a
Chrfstian Church in Sawbridgeworth and the surroundin8 area and to help others In supporting and
promoting the Christian faith in the United Kin8dom and overseas.
Alms and Objertlves
The aims and objectives of the Church are the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with
our Basis of Faith. in Sawbrid8eworth and the surrounding areas.
As a tollection of people of different ages and backgrounds whose lives have been changed by Jesus
Christ, we seek to fulfill the callin8 of Jesus in our lives.
This is done throu8h worship as a community but also in the application of our faith for the benefrt
of others. through teachin8 and pastoral care, prevention and relief of need. and provision of
facilities in the interests of social interaction.
We seek to live out the faith as contained in the Bible and be a blessing to those within the Church
and those outside of it, desiring to see the people of Sawbridgeworth come into a relationship wtth
Jesus Christ a5 their Lord, Saviour and friend.
Trustees and People
The Managing Trustees are collectively responsible for the spiritual leadership and administration of
the Church and are comprised ofthe Minister and other members of the church leadership team
who are appointed by the Members of the Church. The members ofthe Church, through the
guidance of the Holy Spirit and under the Lordship of Christ have the final decision on all policies and
important decisions that affect the life and witness of the Church.
Though the Church employs a full-time minister, and a part-time Office Manager it is reliant on and
benefits from the active participation of volunteers from members and others connected with the
Church to help achieve its objertives. This means presenting the Christian message among people
they meet, being involved in teaching, public worship, pastoral care as well as in practical ministries,
maintenance and administration. The Church is grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of those
who give their time & resources, often in ways that cannot be easily quantified.
th
The period ended 30 April 2025
The main ways the Church sought to achieve the calling of Christ upon it and its charitable activities
for the public benefit by the advancement of religion has been as follows:
Fulfilling its objects in the teachin8 and preaching in the weekly services on Sundays which are
open to all people.
Sunday services are live-streamed to enable greater access to the Church community and
complement our in-person services. These services are planned with the aim of making them
multl8enerational, welcomin8, thought provokin8 through clear Bible teaching.
Midweek teachin8 8roups are held at the Church. varlous private homes. These groups have
been a lifeline for many in the Church family. providing support and friendship but ensuring Church
Page 3

saw￿1￿ Evarwcal Congrngational Church Report •nd Accounts, 30 AF*II 2025
members rtudy the Blble and pray together. Our 'Connect Groups, provlde a sense of dynamlc
communlty Withln the wlder con8regatlon and enable members to grow together, form close
friendships and provide much needed peer to peer dlsclpleshlp. We have three'youth Connect
Groups, runnln8 that are ensurlng our children and youth develop valuable frlendshlps and a sense
of belon8lng.
Group5 for chlldren and youn8 people are held on Sunday moming5 durlngthe servlce.
A 8roup for Carers and Toddlers. Open Door, runs every week durlng school terms helplnz
families with young children and babies find friendship and much needed support.
Friday Zone is a youth group for children in school years 4-10 run on a weekly basls durln8 sth001
terms. Thls club gathers together a number of local and Church children and is hi8hly thought of.
Duringthis year the Church continued our youth provision from RBF who have helped us
continue all areas of our youth work, ensuring deeper friendships and a greater under5tandlngof
their faith. Sadly, RBF ceased to operate as of September 2024.
The 'Alpha' course - a series of sessions exploring the Christian faFth that 15 available to all.
Activities which involve the wider community include-
Participating in the'make Lunch, program to provide hot lunches to famllles. Members of the
Church 8ave their time sacrificially and helped many famllies who have found life harder and harder.
Our'Food Hub,, continues to provide much needed practical and social support to local
residents, as they shop for free. We have forged greater links with the CAB and the Bishop's
Stortford food bank.
We continue to show our support for areas of need and conflict in the world, via financial support
to Lifeline Romania and one-off collections for Churches, Christians experienclng hardship acr055 the
world.
We are continuing to progress our building project plans and this has enabled us to reach out to
the local community and understand local needs better, as well as creating new relationships. Our
buildings will be in keeping with the local area, sensitive to the 'look' of the town and a benefit to
local charitable groups. We are looking forward to being able to expand our impact on the local
community. We were very pleased to receive full planning and listed buildin8 consent and look
forward to starting Phase l in due course.
Page 4

Sawbridgeworth Evangelical Congregatlonal Church Report and Accourrt•, 30 Aprll 2025
Flnanclal Revlew
For the 13 months ended 30 April 2025 the church accounts have changed from a recelpts and
payments basls to an accrual basis in Ilne wlth Charity Commisslon rules that 5peclfy this approKh
must be applied when gross income exceeds £250,000. In addStion, the accounts have been
prepared for a 13 month rather than the normal 12 month due to incorporation of the Church as a
CIO bein8 effective from 30 April 2025. The 31 March 2024 comparative fi8ures have been adjusted
to the accruals bas15.
The financial resources received during the year amounted to £317.07512024{restatedl £183,328)
the expenditure however totalled £185,341,12024 £239,369), on the activities and ministries of the
Church. The increase is income levels is attributable to the fund-raisin8 activities for the building
fund, specifically the 8ivin8 days in May 2024 and April 2025.
We can give thanks to God for the 8enerosity of the members and attendees of the Church. The
lon8-Standin8 policy of the Church is not to take collections for the on-going work of the Church but
rather to rely mainly on regular donations paid direct to the Church's bank account with additional
gifts made through offering boxes.
Donors are encouraged to use Gift Aid schemes so that additional tax refunds can benefit the
Church. On some occasions specific collections may be made for the special appeals of external
organisations or projects which are compatible with the ethos of the Church.
The Church has a policy of allocatin8 a proportlon of its 8eneral income for deslgnated purposes:
IO% is devoted to the support of mission work outside of the local area
IO% is allocated to the anticipated costs of major maintenance tasks, upgradlng and expandlng
the Church buildings.
The Managing Trustees have set a policy of retaining sufficient reserves to provide for the
foreseeable needs of the Church. These free reserves are available to meet the costs of normal
running and to ensure that the Church can meet the commitments it has entered into. The
minimum amount is anticipated to be equivalent to six months expenditure + scheduled transfers
(the relevant fi8ure for 12 months was £114,022). This indicates a minimum reserve figure of
£57.011. This is considered appropriate in view of the current economic environment Itakin8 into
account increasing costs) and based on actual expenditure and future changes to the Church
property.
Rlsks
All major insurable risks are subject to normal Church and employer insurance, Risks and other
areas of activity and premises are subject to periodic review. The premises are profe55ionally
inspected every five years; the last inspection was conducted in 2023. Electrical fixed wiring
inspections are also carried out on a regular basis.
Minor repairs are carrled out several times a year as required. In the comin8 year a major
refurbishment of the sanctuary and hall will be undertaken to address the required updates to
Page 5

Ev*ngeliG•I Con9rogatlong1 Church R•port arKI Account•, 30 Awrl 2025
heatln& 118htln& electrlcal wlrln8, baptlstry and other 8eneral malntenance Items, (such as
plasterwork patchln8}. major work on the churchyard trees was done In 2021
The Church has a pollcy on the Safeguardlng of children and vulnerable adults which is revlewed
perlodically.
Statement of Trustees Responsiblllty
As a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, the Church is currently an
"excepted chariw, under the provisions of the Charity Act 2011. Now that income is in excess of
£IOO,000 the Church is required to register as a charity in its own right and will be structured a5 a
Charitable Incorporated Organisation ICIOI, this process was started in January 2024 and completed
on 30 April 2025.
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and
fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the resources during that period. In preparing
these accounts, the Trustees are required to..
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,.
Make adjustments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
Prepare the accounts on a 8oin8 concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the
Charity will continue in operation.
As gross income exceeded £250,000 in thls accounting period. the accruals basi5 of accounting has
been applied in accordance with Section 132 of the 2011 Act.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and to enable them to ensure
that the accounts comply with the Charities Acts. They are also responsible for taking reasonable
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The Trustees confirm that
the accounts comply with current statutory requirements and the Charit¢s trust deeds.
No payments were made to trustees other than the ministers salary & pension and approved
payments for expenses legitimately encountered in the runnin8 of the church.
Signed:
Secretary: Rachel Mlllett
Actlng Treasurer: Julla Kolly
Dats:
2025
Page 6

Independent examlnerfs report on th• accounts
MOM￿ of Sawbfldg•wofth Evang•llcal Congr•g•tlonal Church
On accounts for th•
r •nd•d
30 Aprll 2025
Chwfty no.. 1201704
S•t ¢xrt On pag•s 8- 11
Respectlv• The charity's trust88s are r88FKMSib￿ for lh8 weparatkm of the
r•sponslbllltles of accounts. The charity's trust8es consider that an audit is rKA requ￿
trustoos •nd examln•r for this year under section 144 of the Charrties Act 2011 (Iho Ch
Act) and that an independent examination is r￿eded.
Examln8rs resFxJnsibility Is to:
Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charit188 Ac(
Follow the procedures ￿ld down in the genepl Dir&tic￿ given
by the Charity Commission (under secti(M 145(5)(b) of the
Charitses Act
Stale whether particular matters have com8 to my attentkx.
Basls of Independent My examinats'on was carried out in accordance with genwal Direclions
oxamlner's Statement grven by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a revw4 of
the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the
accounts presented wtth those records. It also incKJdes consideralion
of any unusual iteTns or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking
explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. The
procedures undertaken do not provide all th8 evid8nc8 that b8
required in an audit, and consequeritly no opinion is gN8n as to
whether the accounts present a 'true and fairf view and the retth is
limited to those matters set (￿rt in the statement below.
Independent In conne¢tion with my examinati¢￿, no matter has come to my attent1(
examlnerfs statement
l. which gives me reasonab18 cause to b81i8ve that in. ary materlal
respect, the requirements:
to keep accounting record5 in acc(xdanc8 wilh secticxi 130
of th8 Charities Act.. and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounliThJ
records and comply with the accounting requirements of the CharitSes
Act
Haile not been met; or
/.. to whic4. in my opinion. attention Sh(￿Id ￿ drawn in (Yder to
el￿ble a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
gne
Date 71512olS
Namo:
Sarah Ulyatt
Address: OLI VUS OfiK, Kipaqs LANa, Puiy IND,NN12 fNT
Prof Quallficatlon:
IÉsoci A i)oN CF Trx 7IoHNicIR
Paqe 7

8•Al>rfdg•Afjrth Ev*vJdlcal Coryr•g•tlond (XM
FWKI Movwnwrt •ummwy
S•l•¢t•J Pwlod: 01 Aprfl 2024 10 30 Aprfl 2tr25
Fund
Fund
BAl•nc••
WF
IDcomlng
Outyolnq
Fynd
8nevoknnt
Buildi
Fund
Buildi
CoMmu￿t Fund
Mission Fund
A& Video
139 712
.035
39
8C
Transfg15'
Tol81
£183.328
£317.075
1£185,3411
£315.(
Notes:
Graveyard and Restricted Funds were closed during 21122
Community Fund, (this is an umbrella fund for the community shop, open door, parenting course.
make lunch and zone)
'A new bank account was set up in December 2023 to recelve contributions relatlng to the bulldln8
fund, monies received into the general account prlor to December were transferred Into thls new
account, any ongoing payments are also transferred into the buildln8 fund account.
Expenditure has been adjusted to reflect the accrual basis of accounting.
Communlty Fund
Communlty Fund
Fund Balances
BIF
l.i¢nrr.Ing
Outgolng
RMouru8
5,539
600
1.359
End 8alanc•
Communlt Sho
Haile
Centre
Make Lunch
en Door
Parentin
Zone
otol
3.962
1,577
114
250
454
100
389
1.283
£2.035
250
1,171
362
Poqe 8

Bak9nc• Sheot Detarfed
A• •t 30M4r26
31NJ3n4
Curr•nt A•••l•
Barcla
Current
Barcl
s Active Saver
Buildin
Fund Account
Monmuthshire Buildin
Santander Bond
Accounts Receivable
751.15
68 020.25
177 859.71
37 902.81
25 833.40
4 695.00
5 810.18
78 875.84
38 147.99
38 928.55
25 585.58
Tol•l Curr•nl AM•ts
315082.32
183 327.94
RM•rv••
Excessl
stsrtin
deficit
lo date
Balances
131 734.38
183 327.94
315 C62.32
NIL
52 999.06
236 327.00
183 327.94
NIL
Total RMeTve•
Llabllltl
Unreslricled
Desi
nated
Le
ac
RF
Buildin
Fund
Total
44911.61
90.119.00
2 172.00
177,859.71
315,062.32
19 682.95
123 325.00
38 147.99
183,327.94
Poge 9

Analysis of incomiry resources
Sd•cted perioa. 01 April 2024 to 30 Aprll 2025
Unmtrkt•d
Tol•1
Donatlon•
R ular Collections
Recurrin
SO'S
eneral
Recurrin
SO'S desi
nated
Gtft Aid Re¢ove
Investmonts
Interest
11,742
107,531
30,196
25,259
107 531
30,196
2,636
1,045
3.681
Other Income
Buildin
Fund
130 326
130 326
Totsl
139711
317 075
Pogelo

1dgv•￿rth Evaryelical Congr•gational Church Report and Accounts, 30 WI 2026
SawbrIdge￿1rth Evangelical Congregational Church
Anaty$is of outgoing$ 114r24 to 30104r25
Unr•strkt8d
R￿￿¢t•d
Thls Yoar
11094
La•tYwr
Admin8tratorS•l•
Afnh•tsons
ButhJi
Fund
Buihyi
Fund T1•￿fer
Catéri
chureh Ga8
Church E
Church W8ter Rates
Chureh Insur8n¢x'
Church Suite
CID•ner- Contract
Colin & Bfon c￿8¥8r
ht lic*n5es
¥mmun
Fund
sw
Donations Other
ment
Events
Gard8nin
INF (Shirley He￿ood)
162
13.813
13,613
18,69)
1,250
6,397
1.235
325
670
292
325
592
592
6.330
2.600
972
8.704
1.300
37
225
2.800
2.4[
933
21)J
972
3tsJ
37
225
1.611
1.020
1.Q20
1.300
1.300
Lthn Link
M&H Frost
Le al Fèes
EC
Manse COU￿11 Tax
Manse Water Rates
Manse Te￿ hone
Manse Insurance
Manse Maintenanr
Manse Olh8r
Miscellaneous costs
MinBters So
Mini5teTS Ex
ns88
Mini5teT5 Pen8￿Jn
ration Mob
P￿￿le0
Ph¢ioco
3.250
12.156
2.975
552
707
482
1,287
972
2.013
42.711
29)
12.156
361
552
707
592
607
1.267
972
2,013
42.711
922
918
2.600
1.412
1,221
3.537
530
1.221
3,537
530
87
nses
Publii?ty- NotKeboMrd &
ht Now Madia
uafdin
St8*oni
St hen Poinil
Stort val￿ Trust
Tgar Fund
Te￿ hon￿ Broadband
Transfer back to savi
Trans
rt-STC
Stud M8t*ri&l$
2,705
2.175
168
480
195
1C(I
340
741
401
X)1
15
1C
453
Youth
Totsl
9.1x8
Please note the expendlture ftsr 23124 Is for a twelve month perlod, however for 24125 thls Is • pertod of
thirteen months. this Ss drlven by the date of Incorporatlon as at 30 Aprll 2025 whlth requlred a loryr
accounting period. consequently eypendlture comparlsons are for dlffedn8 perlods. Annu￿ •xpen*knn h•$
been than8ed to refiect the accruals basls of accountin8.
Poge 11

Savtsidgeworth Evangeticol Congregational Church Report and Accourrt•, 30 April 2025
Nol•• on Accounts
Total income in 2025 wal £317,075, {2024 restated.. £183.328) and experKlitur• £185,341.
(2024. £239,369).
The increase in income received was as a result of two focused 'giving day8" in May 2024 ar*d Apn'l
2025, aimed at raising additional funds for the building fund, through the 9enerou8 donation8 by tho
Congregation the building fund Stood at £177,860 at the end of the financial year.
For the 13 month$ ended 30 April 2025 the church accounts have changed from a receipt8 and
payments basis to an accrual basis in line with Charity Commission rules that specfy this approach
must be applied when gross Income exceeds £250,000. In addrtion. the accounts have been
prepared for a 13 month ralher than the normal 12 month due to incorporation of the Church a8
CIO being effective from 30 April 2025. The 31 March 2024 comparative figure$ have been adjust￿1
to the accruals basis.
The changes to the brought forward figures Can be summarized as follows..
N•t A•••t• at 114124
Alov•m•nt In p•dod to
3014125
N•t A•••ts At 3¢W4r25
ts8a•
Accrued Déblorn at 114124
A(￿r￿d Credrtors at 114124
Pro¥Mion8
Accrued Creditors at 3014QS
Accrued Otblors at 3014125
Ac4ruals Bq•
189658
120739
310397
857
1.230
1857
1 230
4.865
i?QO
200
183328
One-off or Capltal Expendlture
L•gal Fees - the only area which saw an increase in expenditure this year relaled lo Legal Feeg. The
FIEC solicitors, Edward Connor, have done considerable work to assess and prepare the church
trusts and constitution for charity registration The complexily of this has increased cosls by £6,932 to
total of £12,156, given the success of CIO slalus for the church on 30 April 2025 this level of
expendrture will not be required on an ongoing basis.
Building Fund - Expenditure on building projecl reduced from £48,334 in 23124 to £13,613 this year
reflective that the costs relating to the architects fees and required surveys have now been met,
these costs will however be financed from the general fund.
Youth Work - The fonnal partnership with Red Balloon foundation providing assi8tan¢8 for youth
work came to an end in the summer of 2024, the￿bY reducing costs from £15,071 to £9,068.
Poge 12

saWbnd9￿￿0rth Evangelical Congregational Church Roport and Accourrtg. 30 Awbl 2025
Fund Summary D••¢rlptlon•
G•n•rnl Fund..
Covers the majority of ongoing running c08ts and
D•slgn•t•d Funds Funds that the church establishes to receive desynat•d
and pay for specific projects or activities:
B•n•vol•nt Fund: For gifts to assist church members in financial need.
Funded from specific gifts which have to be given without gift aid.
Bulldlng Project:
To cover the new building project (Set up MarGh 2019), a designated
bank a¢¢ount was opened in December 2023.
Community Fund: The Community Fund acts as an umbrella fund for all costs associated
with the community including the popup shop, parenting courses,
Open Door, Make Lunch, the Halley Centre and Zone. (set up April
2022)
Misslonary Fund:
Supports work by other Christian organizations OLrtside of the
local area. Funded by 10/0 of general income
{see below for details of missionaries we support)
PA&AV:
Re-activated to cover a major PA and Video upgrade.
Property:
Major building maintenance and capital expenditure costs.
Funded by 100/0 of general income (Set up Nov 2010)
Legacy RF:
The restricted and endowment funds were closed in 2021, going
fo¥ward graveyard maintenance costs will be funded from general
income.
Page 13

Evanplic•l Congrngational Church Report •nd Accourrt•, 30 Awll 2025
IAl••kxMrf•• and Organlzatlon• We Support
Colin & Bron Cleaver, Operation Mobilization. Novosibirsk, Siberia.. Lead OM team and run
discipleship center which trains and equips young Ru88ian Christians lo discover and u•e
their gifts effectively. They also work alongside Baptist churches in and around the th.
Martin & Hazel Frost.. Latin Link, City of San Francisco. Argentina.. Involved in bible teaching,
web-authoring, prison visiting, school support and rural community projects.
Yulia Notkin, Operation Mobilization, Novosibirsk, Siberia.. Tutor at the discipleship center run
by Colin & Bron Cleaver who are involved in teaching. counselling and organizing tnp8 for
stud8nts to gain experience in minislry.
Dr. Shirley Heywood, Intemational Nepal Fellowship, Surkhet Di81rict, Nepal.. A gynecologist
working with district hospitals and mobile camps performing surgery on women wrth obstetric
fistulas.
Regular giving was established in 22123 for both Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Stephen
Pointing who is involved with missionary work.
Stort Valley Trust.. Chnstian youth work in schools in and around Bishop's Stortford, Membors
agreed lo recommence support for this group in March 2025.
Page 14