FELPHAM METHODIST CHURCH REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st AUGUST, 2025 Page I CHURCH ORGANISATION STRUCTURE The Church Leader is Rev Tongayi Matamba (Minister). Felpham Methodist Chur¢h (FMC) Church Council {CC) has met three times during the year and is responsible for cooperating wtth the Minister and the Leadership team to promote the whole mission of the hurch which includes spiritual and administrative aspects such as managing finances, pastoral care, and property. Each CC member is a trustee and is registered as such with the Charity Commission. The CC delegates some of these responsibilities to a leadership team which has oversight in spiritual guidance, including preaching and tèaching; pastoral care for the congregation. strategic leadership, setting vision, managing church operations, discipleship, fostering spiritual grobvth and leadership development within the o)mmunity. Specffjic roles of ministers, lay leaders, and Church Council members shar8 these responsibilities at drfferent levels, working collaboratively to fu￿11 the church's mission. Responsibilities for the buildings and contents are delegated to a Finance & Property Commlttee whlch fomally meets three times per year but tts members communiGate regularly outside of these meetings. AIMS AND PURPOSES The CC is Committed to enabling as many peopk as possible to worship at our church and to become a valuable part of our church communty. FMC has no defined parish or area within which it operates although its facilities and reSoUr￿S are generally only used by those in the local communFty. Our mission is to offer opportunities to 'DIS￿Ver God, to Welcome All, and to Serve the Communty.. PUBLIC BENEFIT When planning our activities for the year, the Minister, Lead8rship Team, and CC have consldered the Commtssion's guidan¢e on pubSi¢ benefit and, specifically, the guidan￿ on charities for the advan￿rnent of religion. In particular, we encourage people to live out their Christian faith as part of the community through,. WotEhip, prayer. kaming about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and developing their knowledge and trust in Him. Provision of pastoral care to any in need Missionary and outreach work To facilitate this work, it is important to maintain the fabric of the church and church halls. ACTIVITIES WHICH PROMOTE OUR PUBLIC BENEFIT Sunday Worship~ we meet as a congregation for worship on a Yfftkly basis at 10.30am, and servtces are led by our Minister, Supemumerary Ministers, Local Preachers from wthin FMC and the Methodist Church Clr¢ufrt, and our Famities Worker. Hoty Communion is offered once a month and is led by an ordained minister. After- Service ref￿hMertt$ a￿ availatAe for the opportunty to meet infomally to welcome newcomers and get to know each other better. The services include pr&recorded music for which appropriate li¢ences are held and offer an opportunity to those unable to attend by using Zoom access. Special seasonal services are held to celebrate Christmas, Easter. Harvest, and Covenanting The Four- meets monthly, offering an opportunty for a more informal style of family worship, fcM)d, and activity. Junior Church - meets on Sunday momings while the adult Servi￿ is in progress, Worshlp on Wednesday- a shorter service offering a time of refiection. Young people's actlvities- all in term-time Toddlers- a twice-weekly group for pa￿ntS and toddlers (urKler 5) to meet and play. They ￿lebrated their 40th anniversary in September, 2024. Rocky Road - for children aged &10 years - meéts w8&kly. Games. crafts. activities, and Bible stories. Pul8e- for young people in school years &11- meets w8ekly for act￿lt￿ and Bible teaching. Page 2 Annual Holiday Club- Takes place in JulylAugust each year over 5 days and provides a wide variety of games, crafts, aclivities, entertainment, and Christian Bible teaching for young people across the school years. Parents are invited to join us at the end of the week for free fotxl and see and hear an a¢¢ount of what has taken place. Over 100 children and young people attend and the Holiday Club groups are staffed by several volunte8rs. Stay and Play- occasional family event which also raises funds for local and national charities. Tea & Chat and Coflee Stop- 2 monthly activities offerirvJ refreshments and a time to meet arKI make new frÉend6. HOU￿ Groups- We have 2 groups bthich meet regularly to study the Bible, to discuss what we leam, and to pray. These are open to anyone. Everywoman- meets monthly. and despite tis title. is oFEn to anyone. Interesting tOPlCS, Usually with speaker (Christian or secular) and occasional excursions. M•n'$ lunch- meets monthly in a local pub for a meal and infomial fellowship- open to all men. Mon's breakfast- a monthly event held in a pub in Fishbourne and or9anised by a Chichester church. An opportunty to invite friends to hear very interesting speakers who often share how their Christian faith has baen woven into their careers. SPECIAL EVENTS Harve6t QUÉZ & Pizza evening which raised £100 donation to Bognor Foodbank. Christmas- a number of drfferent services and activities to Celebrate Christmas were held, with something for everyone to enjoy. Many invttations were delivered to the Felpham community. World Day of Prayer was hosted by FMC in March and was prepared by Christian women of the Cook Islands. Easter services and a¢tiviti88 were held, ind￿ling an Easter Day brealrfast and acaivities aftèrnoon for parents and children. Felpham Village Fair- FMC runs a stall providing games with prizes. An opportunty to talk to visitors about vthat goes on at FMC with a welcome to our Servi￿ and events. The Annual Holiday Club for young people Joint Services take place wtlh other churches and organisats'ons occasionally, either at FMC or on other premises. It is a great way to foster new relationships, and worship with other ¢ongregats'ons. RELATIONSHIPS FMC k8 an active prayer and financial supporter of Bognor Christians Against Poverty (CAP), and Bognor Foodbank. Along with other churches for vthich our Minister is responsible, we contribute fund$ to Bognor CAP and also provide CAP befrienders who accompany the CAP Centre Manager on visits to clients. We also pass on f¢)od donations to the foodbank and circulate news about both organisations to our church congregation. FMC 18 also a memter of Bognor Chu￿he$ Together MISSION SUPPORT Many of our activities are planned wth the intention of reaching out and supportiThJ others, and they provide a valuable sep4i¢e to the church and non-church communty. We also provide financial support to Methodist charities such as Action for Children, Methodist Homes, Mission in Britain, World Mission Fund, and specific national M8thodi$t funds to support training, property and ministers. In addition to CAP and the10¢81 foodbank, We have also provKled donations to Stonepillow (a charity for the homeless), Red Nose Day, Children in Need, and Toilet Twinnin9. COMMUNICATION Fonnal communication to ¢hur¢h attendees and others is transmitted via a monthly newsletter (by email and paper versions) offering details of the forthcoming church events. In addrtion, occasional emails are sent to a mailing distribution list providing inf¢)mi*ion about other events and activities and members are generally well informed aljout what is going on. Our webstte VnNW.fel ham-methodist-GhurGh.o .uk offers useful infomiation about our services and activities and our Facebook account .fa￿boOk.C mlFel hammethodist has 450 followers. We have 170 people subscribed to our mailing list to r￿e1ve information about church family events. Page 3 BUILDINGS The property is used extensively during the week by church and extemal groups and is a valuable income Sour￿ for the church. A regular pre-school group occupies and rents the small hall and kitchen facilities in lemi times, while other extemal groups use the buildings (¢hurch and hall areas) throughout the year for activities such as singing, dance, keep frt, and martial art8. Local unrfomied organlsations (Guides and Brovmies) are provided with suriable space at reduced cost. The Methodist Church appoint a surveyor to carry out a qUir￿u&nnlal survey on the premises and this took Pla￿ in June 25. Some of his recommendations have already been acted upon, including an overdue full electrical installation survey, and other actions listed as priorities are being attended to. Overall, the suN8yor's report was Complimentary about the condition of the building and it is our intention to maintain it to a good standard. New skyli9hts have been fitted to the large hall roof, and redecoration and refurbishment of the sanctuary and prayer room have transformed those areas. VOLUNTEERS We are indebted to the number of volunteer8 who give so much time and energy to FMC. We a￿ blessed to have so many people who willingly contribute to the various services and activities. There is so much that goes on 'behind the S￿ne8, without which many events would be impossible to operate. We greatly value the Lead8rship Team. the local preachers from within FMC and the C1￿u[l who prepare and lead our Sunday Worship, the pastoral team, leaders of the various toddlers,. children's and youth work groups (RoL*y Road arKI Pulse), and those responsible for organising the mldweek activities which provide a diverse range of social and worship activty. We also benefrt from the expertise demonstrated by our AudioNisual team. The Finance & Property Comm￿ee is responsible for ensuring the buildings are well maintained and safe to use and a good deal of time is given by its volunteer members to achieve this. If we were to mention names, the list woukl be thg, but special thanks is given to Phillip Stapleton for managing the property fettlngs vthich produced nearly 29% of our incoEne. The economic value of time given by volunteers is not included in the accounts but their value to FMC is prirkless ! FINANCIAL REVIEW We are so grateful to God for his bountiful blessirvJs and we are especially thankful that we have sufficient funds and resources to enable our mission to continue viithoul having to be too concemed at this stage about our legal and financial obligations. INCOME - Total unrestricted income for the year amounted to £82.698 (2024 £137.783). £43,481 (a slight reduction compared with 2024) was from personal giving whi¢h included tax reclaimed through gfft aid. Propety lettings continue to be a very valuable source of income and amounted to £23,740 (2024 £24,257). Inthile Ét is FMC policy to ensure that sufficient funds are available at short notice for reguL9r and unexpected expenditure, a majority of churd) funds are invested on deposbt and interest received during the year amounted to £5,828 (2024 £3,009). Re$tritXed income £8521 {2024 £5,440) relates to CAP and other specific charities and organisations and includes a transfer of £89 from the General Fund to a fund set aside for the appointment of a new youih bvorker due to additional sperKling on advertising. Recruitment into this role had not been achieved during year but we are hopeful that this will be more successful in the near future. EXPENDITURE General expenditure was £82,698 (2024 £80,985). The circuit assessment accounts for nearly 45% of our general expendrture £40,410 (2024 £39,935). Major roof and heating ￿paIrS accounted for £18,340 while energy costs £8.007 were dovm compared wilh 2024 {£7,682) which was probably the result of a wamer than usual spring and summer season. Our worship now benefits from the purchase of new Hymn technology whid) cost £2,650 and is supported by annual subscriptions for the appropriate licences. Expenditure from restricted funds £6,126 (2024 £6,698) and the balances will continue to be passed on to those organisations for whom we hold funds. Page 4 The eX￿s$ of expenditure over income on General Funds was £7,113 (2024 Surplus £56,797 due to a legacy received in that yearl. This deficit was lower than forecast by £2670, and although expendilure was higher than budget by £5,600 (mainly due to roof and heating costs), we did re￿¢ve some unexpected income of £6,305 in the fom) of refunds from the Methodist Church (Great Britain), the Circuit, and a contractor to whom we had paid a deposit for work he was unable to ¢omplete. The balance of funds hekl at 31 ¥t August. 2025 was £150,205 of which £8,383 is reserved for restricted use. The accounts for the year ended 31 August, 2025 have been prepared on a Receipt$ & Payments basis, and have been examined by Peter Baldwin FCCA, of Peter Baldwin & Associates, Unit J1 Durban Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, P022 9QT. We are 9rateful to him for the service he has provided. CONTINGENCIES The quinquennial report (June 2025) has made recommendations for remedial work to be attended to, some of which is more urgent than others. It is therefore our intention to set aside funds for this work to be completed within suggested time frames and the surveyor proposed that the expected costs will be in the region of £37,000 although just over £1,000 has already been spent for this purpose. We are also pursuing the appolntment of a youlh worker, the cost of which will be funded equally from Methodist District, M8thodist Circuit, and FMC ov8r a minimum period of 3 years, It is expeded that FMC'S share ol the cosls will be about £40,000. TONGAYI MATAMBA MINISTER FELPHAM METHODIST CHURCH 118 FELPHAM WAY. FELPHAM, WEST SUSSEX, P022 8QL Signed.... Date...... 12th Novemb8r, 2025 CHURCH RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS THE METHODIST CHURCH STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS FELPHAM METHODIST Church FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025 WEST SUSSEX Coast & Downs Circuit Circuit no. 36108 Reglstered Charlty - Charlty Registration number If not a registered charity His Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid number (The HMRC number is equivalent lo a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisation's chanlable status. Methodist chanties in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Ststutory Instrument 2014 No 2421 1211049 Minisler.. REV TONGAYI MATAMBA Church Stewards: MALCOLM LINDO PAMELA NORTH JUDITH LEE CHRISTINE HIDE Treasurer: JOH_N EVAINS SFA Church-r8c8lPts-and-paymenls-2025_Nomial 1of6 FELPHAM METHODIST ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 Church Unrestricted Reslricled Funds Funds Totsig this Total$ la¥t year SECTION A RECEIPTS Note 82 Offenn s and Tax recovered Bank and CFB interest and Investment income 107,919 a3 5,826 23,741 9.649 5,826 23,741 12,854 85,903 a4 Lettin 24,258 2,597 137,782 a5 Olhef receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS 3.205 a6 82.698 3,205 la7} SECTION b1 PAYMENTS b2 Circuit Assessment or Sha b3 Donations 1.898 2,232 b4 Re airs and Maintenance Utilities (Insuran￿s, water charges. heating & lighting. 8T) 29,984 29.984 10,909 b5 9,376 9.376 10,489 14,147 5,261 82,973 b7 Other payments TOTAL PAYMENTS 8.414 2.466 10,880 92,278 b8 89,812 2,466 Ib91 SECTION C NET RECEIPTSIPAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR 01 a6.b8 7,114 739 6.375 54,809 Total funds brought forward from lasl year 148,933 2.746 151,679 c6 96,870 Sub total c1+c2 141,819 3,485 146,304 161.679 Transf8rs and ad'uslmenls 89 89 c7 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR {c3+¢41 141.730 3.574 145,304 IG81 1S1.679 Ic61 SECTION D FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS Ithèso amounts are not to be included In total receiptslpaymènts figures abovèl d1 Balance brou hl forward from last ear d2 Offenn sIGifts - ￿ceIVed for ext8mal or anisalions Note 10 5,316 5,440 d3 Offoring51Grfts - passed to gxtemal organ￿saIlOns Note11 3,659 4,711 d4 BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID {d1+d24131 Note 12 4,901 3,244 2of6 FELPHAM METHODIST h￿re* SUMMARY OF CHUY¢CH A D IMTERNALOR6AN NtsTtsTH SECThON E P￿aSe the Guldance Notes to GOM te thls Summary ol Chwc* lor ￿ y*ar @nd8d 31 Au9USt 20￿ Int@mal Orga￿s3￿D￿S toth8Church C(yJnuVChufeh Noti trat th&lufKYS of Intsfflal OrgaTrw*Onw￿￿d n(ThiaNy b8 R8strict8&fwth ￿n￿sS rtCDuW cl8arty thatth8y c