
EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH SCARBOROUGH 

## 2023 Annual Report 



**Ebenezer Baptist Church, Columbus Ravine, Scarborough YO12 7QZ** 




## **Trustees' Annual Report for the period** 

Period start date Period end date **17[th] April 2023 To 31[st] December 2023** 

**From** 

## Section A                        Reference and administration details 

**Charity name** Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough **Other names charity is known by** Hope Whitby, Family Lights, Mustard Seed, Refuel **Registered charity number (if any)** 1202746 

**Charity's principal address** Ebenezer Baptist Church 

Columbus Ravine Scarborough **Postcode** YO12 7QZ 

**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** 


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Dates acted if not for whole  Name of person (or body) entitled<br>Trustee name  Office (if any)<br>year  to appoint trustee (if any)<br>1 Rebecca Coates  Pastor   17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>2 Sheena Beadle  Elder  17.04.23 – 03.09.23<br>3 Paul Smith  Elder  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>4 John Games  Elder  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>5 Phillip Gott  Treasurer  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>6 William Holmes  Secretary (Chair) 17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>7 Jane Taylor  Deacon  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>8 Peter White  Deacon  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>9 Janet Wilson  Deacon  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)<br>Name Dates acted if not for whole year<br>Yorkshire Baptist Association Incorporated  17.04.23 – 31.12.23<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** 


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Type of adviser  Name  Address<br>Accountant  Anne Mead FCA Ashby Berry Coulsons Chartered Accountants,<br>2 Belgrave Crescent, Scarborough YO11 1UB<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       1** 



**Section B              Structure, governance and management** 

## **Description of the charity’s trusts** 

Type of governing document Trust Deed and Constitution adopted on 18[th] January 2023. 

- (eg. trust deed, constitution) 

How the charity is constituted 

- (eg. trust, association, company) 

Charitable Incorporated Organisation 

Trustee selection methods Trustees are nominated and elected by the membership, as set out in the Church (eg. appointed by, elected by) Constitution adopted on 18[th] January 2023. 

## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)** 

You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about: 

- policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees; 

- the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works; 

- relationship with any related parties; 

- trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them. 

## **The Trustees** 

The Trustees of the church are the Minister, the Elders and the Deacons. Elders and Deacons are elected by the Church Members. **Elders** Due to the illness of Sheena Beadle, John Games agreed to stand as an Elder to support Paul Smith, and he was duly elected at a Special Church Meeting on 7[th] May 2023. 

Sadly, Sheena subsequently died in September. She served the church sacrificially in many different rôles over many years, and we miss her gentle, wise and prayerful ministry. 

**Training** New trustees are trained according to the guidelines issued by the Baptist Union and the Charity Commission. Training for Trustees, paid staff and volunteers continues through attending suitable courses and events arranged by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Yorkshire Baptist Association and others. **Affiliations** We are members of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Yorkshire Baptist Association, and are affiliated to the Evangelical Alliance. 

EBC is a member of Churches Together in Scarborough and we join with the local and regional networks of New Wine for prayer, training and equipping events. 

## **Major Risks** 

We believe that our Safeguarding & Data Protection policies, employment contracts and volunteer agreements and risk assessments for activities are sufficiently robust to protect employees and volunteers and the people to whom we are ministering. We also have a Counter-Terrorism Policy. 

We have Trustee Indemnity Insurance cover to protect personal liability for actions carried out in accordance with their constitutional responsibilities. 

There is a risk that Hope Whitby Fund will go into deficit within the next 12 months. The actions taken to remove this risk are set out in the notes to the accounts below. 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       2** 



**Section C                    Objectives and activities** 


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The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith<br>according to the principles of the Baptist denomination.<br>In fulfilling the Purpose the Church will engage in a range of activities either on<br>its own or with others that will vary from time to time with activities being<br>initiated, expanded, or closed, as appropriate.<br>The activities may include but are not restricted to:<br> regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching;<br> baptism, as defined in the Baptist Union’s Declaration of Principle;<br>Summary of the objects of the   the Communion of the Lord’s Supper which shall normally be observed<br>charity set out in its  at least once a month;<br>governing document  evangelism and mission, locally, regionally, nationally and<br>internationally;<br> The teaching, encouragement, welcome and inclusion of young people;<br> The nurture and growth of Christian disciples;<br> education and training for Christian and community service;<br> giving and encouraging pastoral care;<br> supporting and encouraging charitable social action in the United<br>Kingdom and abroad;<br> encouraging relationships with and supporting Baptists and other<br>Christians.<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## Section D                      Achievements and performance 

The charity provides and maintains Ebenezer Baptist Church and its church hall for the purposes of holding regular public acts of worship, including religious instruction for children, young people and adults of all ages in the main services, Family Lights, Youth and Mustard Seed. Our church hall is made available to local residents and community groups at a modest rent. **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the** General pastoral support, discipling, teaching and encouragement are **public benefit in relation to** through our missional communities, home groups and fellowship groups and we offer prayer support through our Prayer Chain and Prayer Ministry Team.. **these objects (include within this section the statutory** Hope Whitby seeks to reach out to its local communities with the gospel in **declaration that trustees have** Whitby, leading school assemblies, running groups and activities for local **had regard to the guidance** parents and children and gatherings for worship and teaching. The Malachi **issued by the Charity** Storehouse supplies food parcels to those in need and we provide a drop-in **Commission on public** coffee morning and warm spaces in Scarborough & Whitby. **benefit)** Through our Missionary Support programme, we help finance those training for and working in evangelism both at home and abroad. The trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit. 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       3** 



**Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)** 

## **Our Missionary Support Policy is:** 

Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough will give 20% of voluntary income* (offerings plus gift aid) to Mission outside our own church setting and ministry. 

Our aim is to advance the Kingdom of God, as envisioned by Christians, locally, in the UK and worldwide. We will do this by giving to organisations and You **may choose** to include individuals that: further statements, where a) Preach the Christian gospel and bring people to Christ relevant, about: b) Support people practically where they are in need 

- policy on grantmaking; 

- policy programme related investment; 

- contribution made by volunteers. 

* This does not apply to gifts given for specific projects or ministries. 

## **Volunteers** 

None of our activities could run without the dedicated volunteers who give generously of their time, talents and money to carry on the ministry of the church. 

We are so grateful for those doing practical jobs like making tea, cleaning and maintaining the buildings, operating audio/video and streaming services, maintaining the website and FaceBook pages, producing the newsletter, accountancy, banking and other administration work; also those preaching, leading services and leading worship; those teaching and leading groups, those welcoming, pastoring, discipling others and all of us supporting one another in our Christian journey. 

## **Section E                    Financial review** 

Because the church relies on donations, its income cannot be guaranteed, so it **Brief statement of the** is important to have some working capital to meet its regular expenditure. As **charity’s policy on reserves** employers of staff, the church needs to be able to guarantee that they can be paid, even if income dips temporarily. It is unlikely that the church’s income would cease completely within a short space of time. There may however be various circumstances under which it could be reduced. In the event of the church having to make staff redundant, the church should have sufficient funds to pay any office holders and/or employees made redundant their salaries and associated costs for the full term of their notice. The reserve is currently set at £25,000. This policy was last reviewed and agreed at the Church Members’ Meeting on 17[th] January 2024 The Trustees will review the level of reserves at least quarterly, and considering what action (if any) needs to be taken. **Details of any funds materially** No funds are in deficit at present. **in deficit** 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       4** 



## **Further financial review details (Optional information)** 

You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant about: 

- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); 

The Charity relies on donations from the local congregations in Scarborough and Whitby. Many members are regular donors, and their donations and Gift Aid represented 86% of our income. As well as receipts from letting out the Church Hall to local community groups, we also receive rental income from the garage and substation site on church land and from our manse. 

- how expenditure has Surplus funds are invested with institutions which exist to benefit local people, the Baptist community and the wider Christian church. BUGB and 

- supported the key objectives Kingdom Bank offer loans to churches for building projects to further 

- of the charity; mission. Community First Credit Union offers banking facilities, savings, 

- investment policy and loans and debt advice to those on low incomes. objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted. 

**Section F                     Other optional information** 

This is the first annual report of the church as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, but the church has been active since its establishment  by Revd. William Hague in 1771. 

The CIO was registered with the Charity Commission on 17[th] April 2023 and the assets, liabilities and activities of the previous unincorporated charity (no. 1148674) were transferred to this CIO on 1[st] August 2023. 

The search for a new Minister required us to create a church profile, set out our vision and objectives, and appoint a Search Team; following discussions in earlier Church Members’ Meetings, these matters were agreed by Members in June 2023. Following a meeting of the Search Team, the post was advertised via the BUGB Settlement Process. We are grateful for the ministry and advice of Revd. Dr. Jim Purves and his wife Jennifer during the last 2 years. 

Following an interview with the Search Team and a meeting with members, a Special Church Meeting was held on 12[th] November 2023, at which the members agreed to call Revd. John Gleghorn, Minister of Teddington Baptist Church, to be the Minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church. We are delighted that he accepted the call, and will begin his ministry with us on 1[st] March 2024. 

The Trustees recognised that the current manse was no longer suitable as a Manse, and proposed that we sell the current property and seek to purchase a more suitable house. This was agreed by members at a Special Church Meeting on 3[rd] December 2023. 

During the year, two of our sisters in Christ have gone to glory: Sheena Beadle and Hilda Hubbard. We honour the memory of them, both of whom had served the church faithfully for many years. 

## **Section G                    Declaration** 

**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** 

|**Signature(s)** <br>**Full name(s)** <br>**Position**<br>**Date**|W. Holmes<br>Phillip R Gott||
|---|---|---|
||William Paul Holmes<br>Phillip Raymond Gott||
||Chair & Secretary<br>Treasurer||
||05.04.2024||
||05.04.2024||



**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       5** 







**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       6** 



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

|**Categories**|**Details**|**Details**|**Details**||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowment**<br>**funds**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|
|**B1 Cash funds**|CAF General Current Account||||**15,102**||**-**||**-**|
||CAF Hope Whitby Current Account||||**18,896**||**-**||**-**|
||CAF Gold Deposit Account||||**60,167**||**-**||**-**|
||Baptist Union Deposit Account||||**74,092**||**-**||**-**|
||Community First Deposit Account||||**20,059**||**-**||**-**|
||Kingdom Bank Deposit Account||||**60,499**||**-**||**-**|
||Cash in hand||||**11**||**-**||**-**|
||**_Total cash funds_**||||**248,826**||**-**<br>OK||**-**|
||(agree balances with receipts and payments<br>account(s))||||OK||||OK|
||||||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowment**<br>**funds**|
||**Details**||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|
|**B2 Other monetary assets**|None||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||||||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**Details**||||**Fund to which**<br>**asset belongs**||**Cost (optional)**||**Current value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B3 Investment assets**|None||||||**-**||**-**|
|||||||||||
||**Details**||||**Fund to which**<br>**asset belongs**||**Cost (optional)**||**Current value**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B4 Assets retained for the**<br>**charity’s own use**|Ebenezer Baptist Church, Columbus<br>Ravine, Scarborough||||EBC General||**-**||**-**|
||Ebenezer Baptist Church Hall, Columbus<br>Ravine, Scarborough||||EBC General||**-**||**-**|
||Manse at 48 Ashville Avenue, Scarborough||||EBC General||**-**||**-**|
||Furniture, Fixtures & fittings in Church &<br>Hall buildings||||EBC General||**-**||**-**|
||Computers, audio/visual, musical and other<br>equipment in church premises||||EBC General||**-**||**-**|
||Office furniture, computer, musical and<br>office equipment in Hope Whitby Manse<br><br><br><br>||||Hope Whitby||**-**||**-**|
||~~Offi~~<br>~~Q~~<br>~~D i~~<br>~~Whitb~~<br>Fixtures & fittings in garage at Queens<br>Drive, Whitby||||Hope Whitby||**-**||**-**|
||Staging and musical equipment for outside<br>events||||Refuel||**-**||**-**|
|||||||||||
||**Details**||||**Fund to which**<br>**liability relates**||**Amount due**<br>**(optional)**||**When due**<br>**(optional)**|
|**B5 Liabilities**|None||||||**-**|||
|||||||||||
|Signed by one or two trustees on<br>behalf of all the trustees|Signature||||Print Name||||Date of<br>approval|
||PhillipR Gott||||PhillipRaymond Gott||||05.04.2024|



**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       7** 



## Consolidated Accounts for the full year 

This table includes all the activities of the church for the whole year, both as an unincorporated charity and as a CIO, in order to give a true comparison with 2022. 


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Income & Expenditure Funds: 2022<br>1st January to 31st December 2023 Network General Manse Hall Toilets Family Lights Mustard S Refuel Hope Whitby Others TOTAL TOTAL<br>Income and Endowments<br>Donations and Legacies 91,356 0 20,000 0 10 0 11,744 0 123,110 170,695<br>Gift Aid 18,679 0 0 96 0 2,342 0 21,117 30,176<br>Grants 0 0 0 0 0 1,844 0 1,844 12,451<br>Income from Charitable activities 0 0 135 188 0 0 0 323 279<br>Other trading activities 4,421 7,140 127 0 0 0 0 11,688 13,698<br>Investments 5,260 0 0 0 0 669 0 5,929 1,400<br>Other Income 2,932 0 0 0 0 0 114 3,046 131<br>Total Income and Endowments 0 122,648 7,140 20,000 262 294 0 16,599 114 £167,057 £228,830<br>Expenditure<br>Expenditure on charitable activities<br>Fundraising Trading costs 0 0 281 0 0 0 0 281 313<br>Ministry: Paid staff & volunteers 31,782 0 0 0 0 39,662 0 71,444 75,042<br>Ministry: Other Expenses 4,041 0 2,119 292 0 7,476 0 13,928 8,128<br>Mission Support 19,870 0 0 0 0 30 0 19,900 22,300<br>Premises & Equipment 19,222 3,246 521 21 1,464 299 0 24,773 21,166<br>Administration 8,780 1,380 0 31 0 1,117 0 11,308 7,956<br>Governance 1,388 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,388 810<br>Other Expenditure 0 0 0 0 0 0 240 240 0<br>Total expenditure 0 85,083 4,626 0 2,921 344 1,464 48,584 240 143,262 135,715<br>Surplus/Deficit 0 37,565 2,514 20,000 -2,659  -50  -1,464  -31,985  -126  23,795 93,115<br>Transfers to/from -83,974  18,474 4,000 -126  1,500 60,000 126 0 0<br>Brought forward balance 83,974 114,335 11,083 1,530 3,149 79 10,881 0 225,031 131,916<br>Carried forward balance 0 170,374 13,597 20,000 2,871 2,973 115 38,896 0 £248,826 £225,031<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


## **Notes on the accounts:** 

The different funds represent the income expenditure within the various activities of the church. 

## **Income** . 

**Income from Charitable Activities:** contributions/subscriptions received for church events; wedding and funeral fees received. 

**Other trading activities:** rents received from letting out the church hall, church garage, substation site and the manse at 48 Ashville Avenue. Tuck shop receipts and book sales. 

**Investments:** interest earned on deposit accounts. 

**Other Income:** insurance claims, sale of equipment, etc. 

## **Expenditure** 

**Fundraising Trading Costs:** goods purchased for resale, e.g. tuck shop stock 

**Ministry: Paid staff & volunteers.** In addition to the Minister’s stipend, provision of a manse, employer’s pension and National Insurance contributions, this includes travel expenses and training expenses of paid staff and volunteers. **Ministry: other costs:** refreshments, teaching and craft resources for the running of  services and groups. **Mission Support:** support for external charities to support mission locally, nationally and overseas. 

**Premises and Equipment:** repairs and maintenance of the church & hall; gas, electricity, water; purchase, repair & replacement of furniture, fixtures and equipment. Rental of premises for events outside the church. 

**Administration:** Licences, subscriptions, legal fees printing, internet, IT and advertising **Governance:** accountancy and audit fees, trustee training and expenses. 

## **Overall Charity Funds** 

Total funds at 31[st] December were £248,826, which is £45,287 more than we forecast in the 2023 Budget. £33,000 of this increase was thanks to legacies and one-off donations; we also received an insurance claim of £3,046. 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       8** 



## **Fund Reports** 

## **Network Fund** 

Donations to this fund were made to support missional communities and outreach. It was agreed at the January Members’ Meeting to close this fund and allocate £60,000 to Hope Whitby, and the balance to EBC General Fund to support Family Lights, Refuel and other outreach. 

## **General Fund** 

**Donations and Legacies:** Donations (including Gift Aid) were £14,035 more than budgeted, due to our receiving legacies totalling £13,000. Investment income was £2,260 higher, partly due to higher interest rates and partly due to receiving interest earlier than expected due to closure of our Skipton Building Society account. We received an insurance settlement of £2,932 for items damaged in the Underground flood. Expenditure overall was £2,433 less than expected. **Ministry:** Revd. Jim Purves continued to act as our Consultant Minister during the Ministerial vacancy. His fees and the provision of a manse cost £29,979. We had a number of visiting speakers during the year as part of our search for a new Minister. This, together with interview costs, came to £1,518. Our liability to the Baptist Ministers’ Final Salary Scheme was absolved at a cost of £1,001. A Coronation tea party for the neighbourhood was held, costing £300. 

**Mission:** We continue to commit 20% of donations plus Gift Aid to support outside mission at home and abroad. We pledge 5% each to Baptist Mission Society and YBA Home Mission, support local charities Faith in Scarborough Schools, Rainbow Centre & Westway Open Arms, former member Ed Preston, training in church-planting, Swazi Vision Trust in Eswatini, and overseas ministries Mission Aviation Fellowship, Open Doors, People International, Stepping Stones and Worldshare. 

**Premises & Equipment:** There were no major building projects this year, with the general repairs and renewals costing £5,200, heat & light £5,299, and the replacement equipment for the Underground £654. We replaced our pew Bibles at a cost of £600 and upgraded our Internet connection with new routers and switches for £636. 

**Administration & Governance:** Legal fees for the incorporation of the charity were £2,441 and a new secure file storage and email system was set up, costing £396. Copyright licences for worship and streaming were £1,470. Subscriptions were: BUGB £230, Evangelical Alliance £150 and Churches Together in Scarborough £20. Trustees’ Safeguarding training cost £123 and travel expenses £458, which included attendance at the YBA Conference in Huddersfield. The audit fee for the 2022 accounts was £780. 

## **Manse Fund** 

The Manse at 48 Ashville Avenue continues to be let out and provided an income of £7,140, less management fees of £1,380. Repairs to the rear boundary wall cost £1,640 and the oven was replaced for £374. To prepare for the sale of the property, we had to register it with the Land Registry, which involved legal fees of £1,380. 

## **Hall Toilets Fund** 

We received an amazing donation of £20,000 specifically for this project, which will enable us to go ahead with the longconsidered plan to refurbish the toilets in the Church Hall. 

## **Family Lights** 

The tuck shop purchases were  £281 and receipts £127. Items for the Christmas 2022 gift bags were £138. They put on 5 “Big Breakfasts,” including an Easter Day breakfast on the beach, at a cost of £465. A Maundy Thursday supper was £134, less £75 received in donations, a Pea & Pie Supper came to £150. Refreshments for Youth Nights were £266 and the Christmas meal at Florio’s cost £150, less £60 received in donations. £229 was spent on a portable PA System with microphones, and £203 on the hire of a Beach Chalet for the year; we are so grateful to the 9  families who shared the actual cost of £2,030. 

## **Mustard Seed** 

Members’ subscriptions were £284 for the Saturday meetings. Uncle Steve’s Magic Show cost £50. £126 was used to make up the deficit in contributions from members for the support of a Stepping Stones child. 

## **Refuel** 

The main project this year was the setting up “the Dwelling Place,” a place for worship and prayer. The trussing, fabric and fairy lights for the Prayer Tent cost £1,042; a Monitor and associated equipment for leading worship were £422. 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       9** 



## **Hope Whitby** 

Donations (including Gift Aid) were £1,454 below budget, but investment income was £609 higher due to receiving interest earlier than expected due to closure of our Skipton Building Society account. Expenditure was £2,584 more than budgeted. 

We are grateful to North Yorkshire Council, Whitby Seafoods, D Waring Builders and Lythe PCC, who gave grants to support the Warm Space and Malachi Food Store projects. The Warm Space provided at Penny Hedge weekly was continued throughout the year as “Hope Gives Hope” to support people struggling in the cost of living crisis. The cost of refreshments was £2,496. We are grateful to the management and staff of the Penny Hedge for partnering with us in providing free hosting and discounted food. To supplement food donated by the local supermarkets, additional food for food parcels and sanitary products for Wings were £4,149. 

Refreshments for Hope Meets were £50; Youth expenses were £393 and HYP £312. Eastside Community Centre room hire for additional events was £237. Legal fees regarding the setting up of a CIO were £300. 

## **The Future of Hope Whitby** 

Hope Whitby was set up as a Missional Community in 2014 and has had the financial, administrational and pastoral support of the members and Trustees of Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough since then. 

Rebecca Coates and the dedicated team of volunteers do amazing work in the community. Apart from leading school assemblies, running youth and children’s clubs, holiday clubs and outreach events, they provide food parcels and sanitary products to those who cannot afford them. In the recent fuel price crisis, they have provided a warm space with free breakfast, which has continued throughout the year. Members meet in various groups meet for worship, prayer, Bible study and fellowship throughout the week. 

Finance has largely been provided by grants – two 3-year Church Planting grants from YBA, regular support from Fylingthorpe Methodist Church and Pudsey Baptist Church, with additional grants from All Churches Trust, Baptist Insurance Mission Fund. However, apart from the generous support given to the Malachi Food Store and Warm Space projects by the Co-operative, Sainsbury’s, North Yorkshire Council, the Rotary Club  and local businesses, there have been few grants available over the last three years. 

This, combined with a lack of regular donations, has meant that the Ministry at Hope Whitby has been running at a deficit of £2,000 per month. In January 2023, the members agreed to allocate £60,000 to the project, to allow time for the Trustees and the Hope Leadership Team to consider how to continue the ministry, given that we would be unable to provide any extra finance from Ebenezer funds in future years, which makes the ministry financially unsustainable. We are grateful for the wise advice from Regional Minister Alex Harris in this process. 

We did consider helping the Hope Team to set up a separate CIO, in the hope of being able to get grant funding as a separate charity, but did not feel they had the skills to do this. It was concluded that the ministry could not support a paid full-time Pastor, but would need to operate with volunteers, which has meant that, in order to protect the charity’s funds, the Trustees have had to take the heart-breaking decision to close the project as part of Ebenezer and make Rebecca Coates redundant on 31[st] July 2024. This was agreed by members at a Special Church Meeting on 18[th] January 2024, with a promise that the balance of the Hope Whitby Fund at that date would be available to the Hope Whitby tem, should they be able to form a new charity to continue the ministry. 

## **The Manse at 48 Ashville Avenue** 

Having appointed a new Minister, we need to provide him with a manse. Having considered the current Baptist Union guidelines for a manse, we made the decision to sell the current manse and search for a more suitable property. The members authorised the Trustees to do this at a Special Church Meeting on 3[rd] December 2023. 

It was agreed that we could use our reserves to fund the difference between the sale and purchase prices, to give us sufficient funds to purchase a property which met BU requirements. 

## **General Reserve** 

The minimum reserve has been increased from £20,000 to £25,000, to reflect 3 months’ operating costs. 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       10** 



## Budget for 2024 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Overall Charity Funds: Charity Budgeted Actual<br>Budget for 2024 General Manse Hall Toilets Family L Mustard S Refuel Hope W TOTAL 2023 2023<br>Income and Endowments<br>Donations and Legacies 75,600 0 6,650 82,250 90,390 123,110<br>Gift Aid 17,400 1,050 18,450 21,300 21,117<br>Grants 0 0 1,844<br>Income from Charitable activities 150 150 150 323<br>Other trading activities 5,000 5,000 11,740 11,688<br>Investments 1,500 150 1,650 3,060 5,929<br>Other Income 0 180,000 0 180,000 0 3,046<br>Total Income and Endowments 99,500 180,000 0 150 0 7,850 287,500 126,640 167,057<br>Expenditure<br>Expenditure on charitable activities<br>Raising funds 0 0 281<br>Ministry: Paid staff & volunteers 54,000 200 50 200 26,870 81,320 73,750 71,350<br>Ministry: other costs 2,700 2,800 600 3,710 9,810 8,500 14,022<br>Mission Support 19,920 0 19,920 21,400 19,900<br>Premises & Equipment 24,000 2,700 38,000 250 500 315 65,765 23,540 24,773<br>Administration 6,200 10,896 0 50 100 285 17,531 7,950 11,308<br>Governance 1,000 1,000 2,000 1,388<br>Other Expenditure 300,000 300,000 0 240<br>Total expenditure 107,820 313,596 38,000 3,300 750 700 31,180 495,346 137,140 143,262<br>Surplus/Deficit for the year -8,320 -133,596 -38,000 -3,300 -600 -700 -23,330 -207,846  -10,500  23,795<br>Transfers to/from -140,000  120,000 18,000 1,000 0 1,000 0 0 0 0<br>Brought forward balance 1 January 170,375 13,596 20,000 2,870 2,973 115 38,896 248,826 225,031 225,031<br>Transfer to Hope Whitby Charity -15,566  -15,566  0 0<br>Carried forward balance at 31 December 22,055 0 0 570 2,373 415 0 25,414 214,531 248,826<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


We plan to replace our Manse in 2024 and refurbish the toilets in the Church Hall, which will use most of our reserves. 

Hope Whitby will close on 31[st] July 2024, and the balance of the fund will be used to start a new charity. 

We need to maintain a reserve of £25,000, so in 2025 and subsequent years we will need to maintain a balanced budget. To achieve this, I estimate our income will need to increase by about 8% 

|**Summary of Reserves for 2024**||
|---|---|
|||
|**Total Reserves at 1st January**|£248,826|
|less Hope Whitby|-38,896|
|**Ebenezer Reserves**|209,930|
|Manse sale &purchase|-133,596|
|Deficit for theyear|-12,920|
|Hall Toilet Refurbishment|-38,000<br>£25,414|
|Total Reserves at 31st December||



**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       11** 




## **Independent examiner's report on the accounts** 

## **Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report** 

**Report to the trustees/ members of** 

Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough **members of On accounts for the year** 31[st] December 2023 **Charity no** 1202746 **ended (if any) Set out on pages** 6 to 10  above (remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets) 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2023. 

**Responsibilities and** As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation **basis of report** of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). 

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

**Independent** I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters have **examiner's statement** come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or 

- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

* _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ 

**Signed:** Anne Mead **Date:** 9[th] April 2024 **Name:** Anne Mead **Relevant professional** FCA **qualification(s) or body (if any): Address:** Ashby Berry Coulsons Chartered Accountants 2 Belgrave Crescent Scarborough YO11 1UB 

**Ebenezer Baptist Church Scarborough CIO 1202746              Annual Report 2023                                 Page       12** 

