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2025-09-30-accounts

Strangers Rest Mission Report and Accounts Year ended 30 September 2025

Registered Charity number 209117

STRANGERS REST MISSION

CHARITY INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

Trustees Mr Mark Mullins Mr Keith Burden Mr John Hayward (appointed 2 July 2025) Rev Edward Malcolm Rev Peter Ratcliff Mr Thomas Yates (resigned 2 July 2025) Secretary Mr Keith Burden Management Committee Mr Mark Mullins (Minister) Mr Ernie Amurao (Assistant Minister) Governing Document Trust Deed dated 5th October 1917 Scheme dated 18th September 1995, 19th December 2019 and 3rd October 2020 Charity Registration 209117 Principal Office 131 The Highway, London, E1W 9BP Independent Examiner Neville Reid, 19 Mills Grove, London, E14 0RH Bankers National Westminster Bank

CONTENTS

Page
Charity Information 1
Trustees’ Report 2–4
Independent Examiner’s Report 5
Statement of Financial Activities 6
Balance Sheet 7
Notes to the Accounts 8–11

1

STRANGERS REST MISSION

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 2 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

Objectives of the charity

The Trust Deed of Strangers Rest Mission (SRM) requires the trustees to permit on the premises, “evangelical Christian work by persons holding the tenets set forth in the schedule hereunto among the people of the district generally or otherwise, for the encouragement and furtherance of such objects and purposes as may be approved by the Trustees.”

The church's object ive s are to glorify God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of Shadwell and wider afield, and to build up those who are believers so that they may grow to maturity in their understanding and obedience to the Word of God. The church also supports missionaries working overseas and gives assistance to those who are in financial hardship. The policies adopted in furtherance of 3 of these objects are to preach the Word of God, to pray, and to encourage believers to build each other up. There has been no change in these objects during the year.

The Trustees have considered these objectives and believe that the Charity is fulfilling these objectives in its actions and activities.

The Trustees confirm that they have considered the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and are of the opinion that this is achieved through the advancement of religion.

Governance

The trust is governed by Mr Mark Mullins (Chairman), Mr Keith Burden (Secretary and Treasurer), Rev. Peter Ratcliff, Rev. Edward Malcolm and Mr John Hayward.

The policy decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees. The Chairman of the trust is the Minister at Strangers Rest Evangelical Church. The Secretary/Treasurer's children attend meetings most weeks, and he keeps in close contact with the Church Administrator, Angela Baker. The trustees meet three times a year on Zoom.

2

Review of Activities

During the year the church continued to hold services of worship on Sunday mornings and evenings, pre-service prayer meetings on Sunday morning and evening, a Bible Club for young people on Friday evenings during the school term time, prayer meetings on Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings by Zoom and Bible studies on Wednesday evenings. The Wednesday morning ladies' prayer meeting continued during the reporting period. Zoom and YouTube have continued to allow flexibility for those unable to attend the Church in person and to promote the work wider afield. Meetings for the Bible Club took place both in person at the Church and by Zoom. Sunday School from 3-4pm was both in person and online from January 2025. Preaching on Sunday mornings has continued to be through John’s Gospel in the morning and generally Proverbs during the evening services.

During the year the Bible Study themes included finishing a series on baptism, completing a series on marriage/divorce and beginning a series on the Covenants using Nehemiah Coxe's excellent book on the subject. Church worship continued to be exclusively Psalm singing. Numbers attending services in person were fairly steady, with attendance fluctuating between about 20 to 30 in the morning meetings and on average 15-18 in the evening.

In January 2025 Mark Mullins and David Cooke, pastor of Banbury Evangelical Free Church, visited Sri Lanka in order to speak at a conference organised by Muralee Kanagalingam in the Hill Country and continue to investigate Jeyakanth Selvarajah, a pastor resident in the UK who was receiving heavy financial support from churches in the UK for his mission work in Sri Lanka. A supplementary report was produced. During the period Muralee Kanagalingam again visited the church and preached.

Throughout the year evangelism took place with another evangelist when this was possible. Tracts were also handed out on Sunday afternoons. We held an evangelistic violin concert on Easter Monday. We also maintained links with a nursing home in Stepney and again held an Advent evangelistic service there in December.

We held our Anniversary Service to celebrate 148 years since Strangers Rest was founded. Martin Erdmann was the Guest Speaker.

Volunteers continue to make an important contribution cleaning the church, providing refreshments, helping with the children and taking services.

Church Flat

The church flat was occupied throughout the period with rent being paid.

Financial Review

Income from donations and gifts was £22,978 higher than the preceding year. The total level of expenditure was £32,162 higher than the previous year. The overall result for the year was a deficit of income over expenditure of £15,536. There was a net decrease on the General Fund of £24,034, after loss in value of investments, leading to a closing balance of £258,333.

Reserves Policy

The Charity holds significant financial reserves as investments in order to generate income to maintain its aims and objects.

3

Risk Statement

The charity is not exposed to any major financial risk. The most significant area of uncertainty relates to the downward trend of reserves over recent years, but the legacies received in recent years replenished reserves sufficiently to cover foreseeable deficits that might arise in the next few years.

Responsibilities of the Trustees

The charity trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the Trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website in accordance with legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on 14 May 2026 at their AGM and signed on their behalf by:

Mark Mullins Chairman of Trustees

4

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF STRANGERS REST MISSION

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 30 September 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”).

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

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that, in any material respect:

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

Neville Reid ACA

19 Mills Grove Poplar London E14 0RH

14 May 2026

5

STRANGERS REST MISSION

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

Note
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:
Donations and legacies
3
Charitable activities
Investments
Total income and endowments
EXPENDITURE ON:
Charitable activities
4
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure)
before investment gains
Net gains/(losses) on investments
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 2025
2024
£
£
44,106
21,128
13,591
12,205
7,635
6,875
65,332
40,208
80,868
48,706
80,868
48,706
(15,536)
(8,498)
(8,498)
17,104
(24,034)
8,606
282,367
273,761
258,333
282,367

Movements on reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown above.

The notes on pages 8–11 form part of these accounts.

6

STRANGERS REST MISSION

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
9
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
10
Investments
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
11
NET CURRENT ASSETS
TOTAL NET ASSETS
FUNDS OF THE CHARITY
General funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 2025
2024
£
£
13,145
18,476
9,585
4,418
217,780
226,277
21,590
34,481
248,955
265,176
(3,767)
(1,285)
245,188
263,891
258,333
282,367
258,333
282,367
258,333
282,367

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf on 14 May 2026 by:

Mark Mullins Chair of the Trustees

Charity number: 209117

The notes on pages 8–11 form part of these accounts.

7

STRANGERS REST MISSION

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

1 Basis of Accounting

The accounts have been prepared under the historic cost convention, with the exception of investments which are included at fair value. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the 2019 version of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP (FRS 102)), and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), and with the Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern. The most significant area of uncertainty relates to the downward trend of reserves over recent years; this is addressed in the Trustees’ report.

2 Accounting policies

The following are the accounting policies which have been applied in dealing with material items.

a) Recognition of income:

Donations and legacies are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:

b) Tax reclaimed on donations and gifts:

Gift Aid receivable is included in income at the same time as the cash donations to which they relate, when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be unrestricted income unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

c) Settlement of insurance claims:

Insurance claims are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met, and are included as an item of other income in the SoFA.

d) Volunteer help:

The value of voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the Trustees’ report.

e) Investment gains or losses:

This includes any realised or unrealised gains or losses on the sale of investments and any gain or loss resulting from revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.

f) Liability recognition:

Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources, and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.

g) Governance costs:

This includes the costs of preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of trustee meetings, and any cost of legal advice to Trustees on governance or constitutional matters.

8

STRANGERS REST MISSION

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

h) Church property:

In so far as consecrated property is excluded from the statutory definition of “charity” by section 10(2)(c) of the Charities Act 2011, such assets are not capitalised in the financial statements. All expenditure on the building is charged to the SoFA in the year in which it is incurred. The church flat is included as it is integral to the building and designated for the minister when he requires accommodation in London.

i) Fixed assets and depreciation:

Fixed assets acquired for use by the charity are capitalised and depreciated over their estimated useful life unless they cost less than £2,000 when they are written off on purchase.

Depreciation periods are as follows:

ation periods are as follows:
Kitchen fittings & equipment 7 years
Security fittings & equipment 7 years
Office equipment 3 years

j) Funds:

Unrestricted funds are donations and other income received or generated for the objects of the charity without specified purpose, and are available for purposes as directed by the trustees. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are amounts received where the donor has specified the purpose for which they should be used.

SRM currently has no designated or restricted funds.

3 Analysis of income

Donations and legacies:
Donations and gifts
Gift Aid tax refunds
Charitable activities:
Rent income
Income from investments:
Interest and other investment income
Total income		 2025
2024
£
£
38,448
19,854
5,658
1,274
44,106
21,128
13,591
12,205
13,591
12,205
7,635
6,875
7,635
6,875
65,332
40,208

In addition to the above, there were gains and losses on the market value of investments. These are shown separately in the Statement of Financial Activities.

9

STRANGERS REST MISSION

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

4
Analysis of expenditure
a
Direct Charitable Costs
Staff costs
Building maintenance
Depreciation
Catering
Church car
Church flat
Cleaning
External Ministry Conferences
Gas, electricity & water
Travel
Youth & children's work
Grants payable
Note 8
b
Support & Administration
Governance costs
Insurance
IT support
Telephone & internet
Other administration costs
Total expenditure on charitable activities
5
Fees for examination of the accounts
6
Staff costs
Salaries and wages
Pension costs (defined contribution scheme)
Total staff costs
Independent examiner’s fees
Other fees paid to the examiner:
Accounting system implementation		 2025
2024
£
£
12,599
7,944
3,325
3,397
5,331
5,331
472
343
3,410
2,966
2,696
1,979
1,421
898
245
3,876
6,047
5,876
911
807
2,445
150
31,356
9,307
70,258
42,874
1,100
1,050
1,883
1,941
3,986
658
622
571
3,019
1,612
10,610
5,832
80,868
48,706
2025
2024
£
£
1,100
1,050
525
-
2025
2024
£
£
12,069
7,560
530
384
12,599
7,944

In 2025 the charity had 1 permanent member of staff (2024: 1).

The Charities SORP requires disclosure of the number of employees with remuneration above £60,000. No employees were paid more than this amount.

Under their contracts of employment, the permanent members of staff are entitled to employer contributions to an occupational pension at 5.5%.

10

STRANGERS REST MISSION

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025

7 Trustees

The trustees received no payment or benefit from the charity in the year (2024: £nil).

The charity paid no remuneration to any Board member of the Trustee during the year, nor to any person connected to them; nor were they reimbursed expenses during the year (2024: £nil).

The Charities SORP requires disclosure of the aggregate amount of donations received from Trustees. Material donations were received from one of the Trustees, but the Trustees do not consider it necessary or desirable to disclose this amount.

8 Grants

Analysis of grants:
Gifts to visiting speakers and missionaries
Gifts to other ministries
Analysis of grants – Previous year:
Gifts to visiting speakers and missionaries
Gifts to other ministries		 Grants to
Grants to
Total
Institutions
Individuals
£
£
£
1,200
6,045
7,245
500
23,611
24,111
1,700
29,656
31,356
700
6,545
7,245
584
1,478
2,062
1,284
8,023
9,307

The institutional grants in 2025, including speaking fees, were £500 to Christian Compassion, £500 to the Christian Institute, £200 to London City Mission, and £500 to Unevangelized Fields Mission. In 2024 the grants were £750 to London City Mission, £150 to Unevangelized Fields Mission, £324 to Christian Heritage and £60 to Creation Research.

9 Tangible Fixed Assets

Fittings and equipment
At 1 October 2023
Additions
Depreciation charge for the year
At 30 September 2024
Depreciation charge for the year
At 30 September 2025
10
Debtors and prepayments
Tax recoverable
Prepayments
11
Creditors: liabilities falling due within one year
Accruals		 Cost
£
31,417
12,028
-		 Accumulated
Net
depreciation
book value
£
£
(19,638)
11,779
-
12,028
(5,331)
(5,331)
43,445
-		 (24,969)
18,476
(5,331)
(5,331)
43,445 (30,300)
13,145
2025
2024
£
£
6,006
1,025
3,579
3,393
9,585
4,418
3,767
1,285
3,767
1,285

11