## **Annual Report & Accounts**
**Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023 Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)**
**Company number 145932 Charity number 219055**
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
**Page**
## **Contents**
Report of the Trustees incorporating the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2023 ...... 3 Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees & advisors ......................................... 3 Aims, objectives & activities ................................................................................................................... 4 Review of achievements and performance during the year .................................................................. 5 Financial review .................................................................................................................................... 17 Plans for future periods ........................................................................................................................ 18 Structure, governance & management ................................................................................................ 20 Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements......................................................... 22 Disclosure .............................................................................................................................................. 22 Independent auditor’s report to the members of Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated) ................... 23 Statement of financial activities ........................................................................................................... 26 Balance sheet ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Statement of cash flows ....................................................................................................................... 28 Notes to the financial statements ........................................................................................................ 29
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## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES INCORPORATING THE STRATEGIC REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023**
The trustees are pleased to present their annual report of the trustees, together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and financial statements for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011; the Companies Act 2006; the Memorandum and Articles of Association; 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).
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES & ADVISORS**
|Charity Number:|219055|
|---|---|
|Company Number:|145932|
|Operating Name:|Lifewords|
|Registered Office:|1A The Chandlery|
||50 Westminster Bridge Road|
||LONDON|
||SE1 7QY|
|Independent Auditor:|Forvis Mazars LLP|
||2ndFloor, 6 Sutton Plaza|
||Sutton Court Road|
||Sutton|
||SM1 4FS|
|Principal Banker:|Royal Bank of Scotland plc|
||Drummond House, 1 Redheughs Avenue|
||EDINBURGH|
||EH12 9RH|
|Investment Manager|BNY Mellon Fund Managers Ltd|
||Client Service Centre, PO Box 366|
||DARLINGTON|
||DL1 9RF|
## **Key management personnel: Trustees and Directors**
The Trustees of the charity are the Directors for the purposes of company law and throughout this report are referred to as “the Board” or “the Trustees”. Board members serving during the year were as follows:
Directors and Trustees Robin Baker Liz Heyburn (Chair) Mark Hurley Jo Jowett Bev Thomas Danielle Welch Company Secretary Eduardo Juan Harris
**Key management personnel: Executive Team**
Creative & Communications Director Steve Bassett Finance & Operations Director Eduardo Juan Harris Global Bible Resources Director Jarek Jankowski
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## **AIMS, OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES**
The Charity is an inter-denominational Christian organisation, formed to take the Christian gospel worldwide by the creation and predominantly free distribution of Scripture products and programmes. This is achieved through an International and UK Office in London, which also has close links with legally separate organisations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and USA. Our Global Bible Resources programme is managed and run from Poland. Orders from USA are processed from the UK or Poland.
## **AIMS**
Working with partners around the world and with the church at large, the Charity works so that everyone, everywhere may have the opportunity to experience the Bible’s life words as good news for their lives, and for the world. We do this by creating opportunities for life words to be shared and lived out. All our programmes, resources, literature, and digital tools invite people to explore the Bible for themselves – and to share life words with others. We build bridges across languages and cultures, creating new ways into the Bible’s good news for all.
Our aims are achieved by:
- Creation and free (or for donation) distribution of Bible literature, providing ways into the Bible in many languages and for different audiences and cultures.
- Partnerships with a wide range of organisations to provide specialist Bible-based programmes, training, and resources for communities-at-risk.
- Provision of digital tools and resources to engage younger generations with the Bible’s life words on a regular/daily basis, as a way of life and practice.
- Ongoing research and development of new resources and programmes to engage specific communities and cultures with the Christian scriptures, for positive change.
- Engagement with individuals, churches, trusts, and other organisations – providing ways for people to support the work of the Charity around the world.
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty per the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on Public Benefit.
## **STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FOR 2023**
Our strategic objectives for 2023 were to be diligent stewards of the ministry and to outwork a vision for the mission of Lifewords that remains fruitful, transformative, and sustainable.
In delivering this strategy, we faced the ongoing challenges of finances, income generation, church activities, supporter engagement/nurture, and capacity, all in the context of global mission and Bible work. Our priority was always to nurture the most effective engagement with the Bible, the best collaborative partnerships, and the most appropriate infrastructure, with high-quality content and delivery. In 2023, we aimed to do this in part by maintaining the ongoing development, growth and delivery of our core, regular mission offerings.
## **Bible Resources**
We are proud of our Scripture Gift Mission heritage of a core range of Bible literature in multiple languages that equips Christians all over the world in their evangelism, discipleship, and proclamation of the gospel. In line with this, we continued to deliver Bible resources in relevant languages while also investing in digital delivery to augment print. We worked to refresh our existing library and extend the range of languages year-on-year to achieve our initial target of at least two core titles (print and digital versions) in 50 languages by the end of 2023.
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## **Digital**
We strived to adapt to the dynamic changes in the digital and online environment, ensuring accessibility of our existing resources alongside new, authentic digital engagement with Scripture that engages youth and teen content creators with the Bible.
## **Marketing/communications**
We planned to increase ministry awareness to uplift impact of our resources – extending profile through church-focused and culture-facing resources/programmes/projects/initiatives.
## **Church engagement**
We continued networking with churches, communities, and partners to raise awareness of the ministry within UK churches as a go-to producer of resources that bring the Bible’s message to people in all walks of life, and as a ministry to global needs and contexts. We worked out of our heritage to continue producing materials that empower, equip, and engage people with the Bible’s life words.
## **Bible Engagement projects**
We refined our larger scale projects and programmes (Bible Resources, Pavement Project and NINE BEATS), ensuring the most fit-for-purpose shape, and seeking to identify practical and financial partners.
## **Pavement Project**
We embedded a new trainers’ app and online training, alongside in-person counselling. The “train the trainers” model continued, with growth in more regions.
## **NINE BEATS**
Our beatitudes-based project looked to more partnerships and networks, and to assess scale/funding opportunities and development. We connected with churches and the wider culture.
## **Funding**
Seeking new funding sources, nurturing existing trusts and individual donors, and approaching new funders for the ministry across traditional, core, and new digital and “entrepreneurial” donors remained vital. We put effort into growing UK networks for impact and support, and worked with other Lifewords organisations outside the UK to engage more people in this work of sharing the Bible around the world.
## **STRATEGIC REPORT**
## **REVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE DURING THE YEAR**
## **Providing ways into the Bible**
2023 was a year of moving forward and looking ahead. While there was still much despair in this world, we found hope and comfort in the Light that is far more powerful than the darkness.
In the UK, we introduced the _Little Book of Jesus –_ the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection in the Bible’s own words. We also started work on the next Little Book in the series for release in Q1/24, _Little Book of Joy_ .
Our colleagues in Poland, Brazil, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand continued to hold out the Bible’s words of life in their own contexts – through Pavement Project, printed booklets or digital resources. We have worked alongside and partnered with a variety of organisations and churches, and we have enjoyed meeting supporters and introducing our resources in person at events, assemblies, and celebrations. In October, our team in Poland completed our three-year 50 Languages project. By revitalising Bible resources in 50 pivotal global languages, we have created materials in languages that are spoken globally by over 5 billion native speakers, rising to 8 billion with second-language speakers. We give thanks for this tremendous – and potentially very impactful – milestone.
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## **WAYS INTO THE BIBLE – core audiences**
## **LITERATURE**
During the year our Global Bible Resources Team in Poland distributed over 421,000 printed booklets in 55 languages. Furthermore, over 340,000 printed booklets have been sent out in over 40 languages within the UK.
## **Global ordering website**
- **44 different Bible resources** in **27 languages** , including **19 new titles**[1] , **10 revisions** , and **15 highdemand reprints** .
- **2,420 orders** processed from **61 countries** .
- **421,790 items** distributed in **56 languages** .
- Compared to 2022, orders stay the same, countries 13% up, items sent 10% up, languages 6% up.
## **Impact and reach**
In 2023, we printed 44 different Bible resources in 27 languages. This included 19 new titles, 10 revisions, and 15 high-demand reprints. We created and launched 38 new animations[2] in 19 languages.
Throughout the year, we processed 2,420 orders and distributed 421,790 printed Bible resources in 56 languages. The most widely distributed languages included: English, French, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese Brazilian, Portuguese European, Spanish, Tamil and Ukrainian. These resources were freely provided to individuals, churches, and mission organisations across 61 countries. The top ten recipient countries were Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
## **Partnership project with Missão Novas Tribos do Brasil (MNT)**
_Jesus Christ Has Power to Save Us_ was produced in Yanomami Xiriana language (in which only the Gospel of Mark exists) in partnership with Missão Novas Tribos do Brasil, who prepared the manuscript, while we typeset the booklet and provided the files. The title was printed locally in Brazil (MNT covered the print cost) and is ready for use among the Xiriana people.
_“The Xiriana are a very remote people group living in the jungle. They have had very limited access to discipleship and evangelism, and are in desperate need of materials to help them grow spiritually and expand the reach of the gospel. We are extremely grateful to Lifewords and their partnership with us in reaching the Xiriana.”_ Missão Novas Tribos
## **50 languages**
We completed our three-year 50 languages project to extend and refresh our catalogue of global Bible resources. The two core titles are _An Invitation_ , a popular evangelistic resource, and _Finding Hope_ , our global, pastoral “bestseller”. Both titles are available for the global audience as booklets and as digital animations for download (and use in individual digital outreach or online church presence), and on YouTube.
## **Other titles**
Apart from _Finding Hope_ and _An Invitation,_ we offer other titles for global use in evangelism and pastoral ministry, available in selected core languages. The most popular are: _You Matter_ (a conversation starter popular among younger audiences), _The Way to Life_ (a popular outreach title) and _Day by Day_ (a
> 1 These figures for new resources include new translations of existing titles – e.g. “19 new titles” will include new languages for existing resources as well as new titles. 2 See footnote 1.
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devotional resource for new Bible readers). All titles were developed or redesigned especially for the global audience and with efficient global distribution in mind (so versions differ from the UK).
_“We received your booklets with joy, and took them up to the north-east desert region of Brazil. It is a region with lots of illiterate people, and so the vibrant illustrations have been a blessing. Many people have actually heard the story, but to be able to show them the pictures, tell the story and then explain it, has been a blessing.”_ Supporter who ordered from the Global Bible Resources website, Brazil
## **DIGITAL (GLOBAL)**
- Animations of _An Invitation_ and _Finding Hope_ were played **1.3 million times** on YouTube.
- The most popular language versions were: **Bengali, Croatian, Czech, French, Gujarati, Italian Malayalam, Marathi, Polish,** and **Spanish.**
## **Life Changing Words (LCW)**
Life Changing Words has been delivering daily Bible passages in twelve world languages for 21 years as an email service and for 11 as an Android/iOS app. In 2023, we launched a brand-new app, refreshed the email service, and improved the website. The new app offers a more user-friendly experience, and more ways of interacting with the Bible.
With this change, user growth significantly increased – registering an average of 6,000 new installations per month. We also noted a monthly average of 3,400 interactions with the Bible text (tags assigned by users to the daily passages) and 6,000 shares of Bible verses on social media.
- **61,359 new app installations** (145,414 total number of all-time app installs).
- **47,687 interactions** (tags assigned by users to Bible verses).
- **56,771 shares** (text messages and images, all channels).
- **23,864 active users (in 202 countries)** of the LCW email service on the 31[st] December 2023.
## **UK**
In the UK, we continued working with churches and organisations to resource them in their specific ministries. Our ongoing church engagement strategy saw us meeting with a range of churches, networks and organisations. We made new contacts and strengthened existing partnerships at events and exhibitions. Building partnerships with chaplaincies in prisons, hospitals, army settings and a variety of unique contexts was a developmental opportunity throughout 2023.
We distributed our new resource, _Follow Me_ , and began work on new additions to our Little Book series. _Little Book of Jesus_ was highlighted across supporter communications, media and social media.
The UK office welcomed two new members of staff to the Lifewords UK Team: Wing Lee, as Supporter Relations Assistant, and Clare Doughty, as Supporter and Communications Executive.
- **340,268 Bible resources** distributed.
- **3 new exhibitions** , building partnerships with Army Chaplains, the Church of God of Prophecy and the Baptist Union.
- **10 press releases** , gaining a variety of media coverage, including 5 radio interviews.
- **72,046 Christmas resources distributed** .
- In the 10 years since our replica _WW1 Active Service St John’s Gospel_ was released, **over 1 million** ( **1,001,068) copies of the WW1 Gospels have been distributed.**
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## **Partnerships**
Lifewords became a member of Churches Together England (CTE) in October, opening opportunities to develop partnerships with churches, organisations and charities across this 750+ strong network. There is potential for our resources to be shared through CTE’s communications, raising Lifewords profile among mission organisations.
Through attending the Baptist Assembly and the Church of God of Prophecy’s 70[th] Jubilee Convocation, we engaged with a range of church contexts, bringing our resources into many local churches. We maintained and grew regular contact with other denominations and para-church organisations, including the United Reformed Church, the Evangelical Alliance, The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.
## **Community-facing churches**
Our relationship with individual supporters continued to strengthen connections with church communities across the UK. For example, Matt Currey, Lifewords UK Development Manager, was invited to speak and share our resources at Christ Church Peckham. The church made a donation and ordered resources for use across a range of their ministries and outreach work.
_“Many of the young Arabic-speaking mothers are some of the most socially isolated in our area, they often feel forgotten and alone, and many have found the [Who Cares About Me] booklet to be very moving._ ” Paul Wilson, Parkhead Nazarene Church, working with refugees and asylum seekers
## **Army chaplaincies**
We continued to work alongside army chaplains, padres, and Army Scripture Readers to provide Bible resources to individuals in the armed forces. In May, we attended the annual army chaplains’ conference in Tidworth, Wiltshire, where 150 army chaplains gathered. We enjoyed good conversations with chaplains – some regular users of our materials, others discovering Lifewords for the first time.
One chaplain commented that _Daily Strength_ was a vital and life-giving booklet during their training at Sandhurst. They continue to use it, with many soldiers finding it helpful and comforting. On a bigger scale, our friends at The Naval and Military Bible Society ordered 2,500 copies of _Daily Strength_ to share across their network.
In 2023, 22,472 _WW1 Active Service St John’s Gospels_ were distributed, which is the most since 2019. In the 10 years since the resource was released, over 1 million (1,001,068) copies of the _WW1 Gospels_ have been distributed in total.
_“I’m always carrying around the_ WW1 Active Service John’s Gospels _and other resources like Little Book of Chaos in my pockets. It’s great to have these resources with me and ready to use when the opportunity appears. Just as in 1914 many sailors, soldiers and airmen found peace when they were afraid, strength when they were under pressure, and comfort even in the face of death, so is the same hope shared through these little books today.”_ ASR Gavin Dickson, The Soldiers & Aviators Scripture Readers Association (SASRA)
## **Hospital chaplaincies**
We provide resources to hospital chaplains in a variety of UK healthcare situations. Our pastoral resources, along with booklets designed for specific contexts like _Little Book of Chaos_ , proved particularly popular. The Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains Association ordered 3,600 _Daily Strength_ and a few hundred other booklets.
Our resources were made available in a number of mental health hospitals and services. Melissa Jack, a mental health chaplain with Kent and Medway Partnership Trust who has used Lifewords resources over the past three years, shared about the impact:
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_“These resources, which are available to stretched budgets for free, provide bite-sized comfort and reassurance for our patients, and are good talking points about faith and spirituality within their recovery. They are accessible at a time when people may feel too overwhelmed or confused to engage with larger texts. They allow individuals to engage at whatever level they are able to, and are perfectly aimed for those of our patients who are seeking a deeper meaning to life.”_
## **Ministry opportunities**
Our resources are regularly used in prisons, schools, hostels, among those working with homeless individuals, and in other ministry settings – encouraging conversations about the gospel and giving individuals something they can hold on to that shares the good news.
“ _As I meet with the 140 people living here and we talk together about their life experiences, hopes and fears, and personal faith, a Lifewords booklet invariably seems just right as a little reminder and stimulus for further personal exploration.”_ John, voluntary chaplain at One YMCA homeless hostel
## **Exhibitions and Church Networks**
## _Big Church Festival_
Our focus at Big Church Festival in May was _Ninefold Path_ , and NINE BEATS. Our interactive display (including sweets, booklets and even an electric drum!) was popular.
## _Baptist Assembly_
In June, the Baptist Assembly’s vision to talk about mission in the life of Baptist churches provided a good starting point to engage with our own mission and vision on our stand.
## _Church of God of Prophecy Convocation_
In October, we attended the Church of God of Prophecy’s 70[th] Platinum Jubilee Convocation in the West Midlands. Lifewords trustee, Rev Bev Thomas, introduced us to this network and attended the event. We showcased Lifewords resources, and emphasised our wider work and mission – resulting in positive conversations and some potentially significant connections.
## **New resources in the UK**
2023 saw the distribution of _Follow Me_ , a new evangelistic booklet. Over 32,000 (32,212) copies were distributed in the year.
We introduced a new addition to the Little Book series, _Little Book of Jesus_ . This resource seeks to engage people of all faiths and none with the life story of Jesus. Between August and December, 8,950 copies of _Little Book of Jesus_ were distributed. A second print run was required to meet demand. Matt Currey was interviewed about the resource on UCB Radio.
_“The new Follow Me booklet has proved extremely popular. It’s beautifully produced, both in its message and graphics. Brilliant!”_ Cathryn Read
## **Easter**
For Easter, emphasis was placed on _Believe the Women_ and _The Easter Journey._ We ran a promotional campaign with eden.co.uk to profile Lifewords and enable Eden customers to sign up for a Lifewords resources pack (which included _Believe the Women_ , _Follow Me, Daily Strength)_ . We achieved 300 signups for the pack within two weeks, and the overall campaign had a comparatively high sign-up rate of 2.12%. Easter resources were advertised in print alongside _Ninefold Path_ in the March _Christianity Magazine_ and _Woman Alive_ .
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## **Christmas**
We promoted four Lifewords Christmas resources: _OUTSIDE/IN_ , _The True Light_ , _Meet the Cast_ and _A Story for the Whole World_ . We amplified reach by inviting audiences to share the Christmas story with their communities. 72,046 Christmas resources were distributed in 2023.
Alongside a new version of our _OUTSIDE/IN_ animation, this time with subtitles, animated videos designed to publicise _Meet the Cast_ , _The True Light_ and _A Story for the Whole World_ were posted on TikTok, and two videos digitising _Little Book of Jesus_ were shared on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Four new blog posts relating to _Meet the Cast_ , _The True Light_ , _OUTSIDE/IN_ and _Light Up_ were published on the Lifewords website.
_“Advent and Christmas bring the highest attendance in church by the general public, and we seize the opportunity to let everyone leave with a booklet as a memento of their visit.”_ Helen, St Paul’s Macclesfield
## **UK digital and social media**
- **YouTube** : **1,160** subscribers; **287** videos; **2,069,485** views
- **Facebook** : **2,022** followers; **2,500** page visits
- **X (Twitter)** : **1,317** followers
- **Instagram** : **403** followers, **350** page visits
During 2023, we revitalised the blog on the Lifewords website, publishing seven blog posts between September and December. This enabled us to further diversify our communications, to encourage more traffic to our website, and to communicate and partner with those using our resources. Upgrading the current website structure to gain deeper data and understanding of user engagement is something that will be prioritised, alongside accessibility, functionality and appearance, in the next redesign of the site.
Lifewords YouTube channel now has 1,160 subscribers and holds 287 videos. The videos currently on the channel have received over 2 million views (2,069,485).
We strengthened our social media content, building engagement with supporters and new audiences across Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and more recently, TikTok. On Facebook, X and Instagram we have 2,022, 1,317 and 403 followers respectively. Throughout 2023, Lifewords Facebook page received around 2,500 visits, while the page’s posts have reached over 100,000 people in total. The Facebook posts with the most engagement were an Armistice Day video (8,700 impressions and a reach of 4,700), and our post advertising vacancies in the UK office (7,900 impressions and a reach of 3,900), both of which were boosted as paid advertisements. Lifewords Instagram profile received significant engagement with 350 visits. Profile visits to both Lifewords Instagram and Facebook pages have increased significantly in comparison to 2022, with an increase of 86% on Instagram and almost 120% on Facebook.
Through building engagement we aimed to reach a younger audience. The distribution of TikTok users by age group appears to be the opposite of Lifewords current supporter demographics – this provided us with an opportunity to build a more diverse supporter demographic and to grow our understanding of how to best engage with younger audiences. During the Christmas period, a TikTok stop motion video based on _Meet the Cast_ garnered 250 views, while a shorter “teaser” video for _The True Light_ gained significant traction with 848 views, suggesting that short, sharp videos – that can be viewed with or without sound – perform better on this platform.
_“Loving all of these posts during Advent my friends @lifewords_uk”_ @matthewnash1 on Instagram
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## _**Other resources**_
## **WAYS INTO THE BIBLE – unique mission opportunities**
## **PAVEMENT PROJECT**
- Lifewords developed Pavement Project in **25 countries** through **325 partners** and **631 educators** .
- • **5,207 counselling sessions** with at-risk children in 2023.
- **28 training sessions** in **14 countries** trained **151 workers** from **61 partner organisations** .
- **28 active trainers** and **15 trainee trainers** covering **12 countries** .
In addition to the bespoke resources used in the Pavement Project “green bag” activity, our partners (churches in the majority) used other Lifewords resources to share God's love and helped children (and families) make good choices in life using Choose Life in group settings.
_“I waited ten years to learn how to use the green bag. … I see the truth changing the child's life in each counselling session. It also transforms my life.”_ Ana Cristina, Mozambique
## **New regions**
## _Amazonas_
In July, we equipped our partner MEAP (Evangelical Mission of Assistance to Fishermen) to train ten missionaries who work in communities along the Purus River, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon. In December, the staff of three new partners, the Association of Riverside Women, The World for Christ Church in Nova Floresta, and the Methodist Church in Mutirão in the Amazonas were also trained.
## _Guinea-Bissau and Panama_
We launched Pavement Project in two new countries where the need to alleviate children's suffering is significant. ALEM Guinea-Bissau (Wycliffe) and Iglesia Mision Visión Discipulado in Panama, successfully empowered their educators. So far, 34 children have been helped by Pavement Project.
## **Green bag app**
We launched a new version of this app, its enhanced features giving a better experience for educators and children. This includes a new interactive screen and a dedicated page for securely recording, monitoring, and editing children's information. Educators were informed through video tutorials. Gradually, educators are transitioning from the old app to the new one. 2024 will see the release of a smartphone app, allowing broader access without requiring a tablet purchase.
## **New trainers**
Three new trainers were welcomed: Nely Molina (Colombia), Noemí Zapata (Chile), and Jane Nyongesa (Kenya).
## **LATIN AMERICA (BRAZIL)**
In Brazil, we continued to work with partners to reach young people and their families through Pavement Project. _Choose Life_ was built on a successful pilot period, with more organisations using the resources to educate, mentor, and support young people.
## **Connecting with partners**
Lifewords strengthened connections with partners supported by Mission Alliance in Rio de Janeiro. Casa Semente, Casa Cruzeiro and Pavement Project are three organisations in Rio de Janeiro that receive funding from Mission Alliance. They promote impact and transformation for children in two neighbourhoods dominated by trafficking and violence (Morro da Providência and Jardim Gramacho). Three meetings during the year brought together the three organisation’s employees, volunteers, and council.
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We held three online meetings for Pavement Project workers, with 109 participants from 11 Latin American countries. Trainers shared their experiences in training others to listen to children and introduce Jesus; they also heard the testimony of two young women counselled by Pavement Project as teenagers. The workers prayed together and shared the achievements of their organisations in the care and protection of children.
## **Choose Life**
- **22 churches and social projects** used Choose Life with more than **620 children** .
_“The majority of our children live in Mutirão, a very poor and violent place, close to our church. Some have parents and brothers in prison for different reasons. Alcoholism, drugs, unemployment … leave them very vulnerable. The church has fought to provide a more dignified life for each of them using Choose Life. During the_ Choose Others _module we realised that caring about others, and respecting and loving others and oneself are seeds being planted in their lives, minds and hearts. During classes and at the end of the module they showed more care and respect for their classmates, avoiding rude words; they listened to me more attentively when presenting the content as well.”_ Cleide Alabarce, Baptist Church in Santa Cruz, Cascavel, in southern Brazil.
## **Kid Talk for Brazil**
Kid Talk (a Lifewords partner) provides a methodology to support work done by faith communities and social projects linked to Pavement Project and others in Brazil. The programme helps children aged 6–12 deal with the pain of losing a close family member, with a focus on the emotional processes of the child. Using a mutual support approach, small groups of grieving children go through workshops guided by two facilitators following a specific curriculum. By the end, children undergo a “farewell process” that integrates emotional and spiritual support, a conscious understanding of losses, and empowerment to face life's challenges. They are able to express their emotions healthily, have gained knowledge about grief, and developed resilience skills. In 2024, we will conduct testing of the material that has been translated, adapted, and formatted to resonate well with the Brazilian target audience.
## **AUSTRALIA**
Churches, and chaplains and ministries in hospitals, prisons and schools continued to order our pastoral resources. Work began on a new Plain English version of _Daily Strength_ for Indigenous Australians.
- **10,260** pastoral resources distributed, 65% of these went to hospital and prison chaplains.
- **4,200** seasonal booklets distributed, including WW1 gospels which remain highly popular.
- **3,850** resources used with high school students – WW1 Gospels and _Little Book of Help_ .
- **12** community Ninefold Path Learning Lab events
## **Aboriginal** _**Daily Strength**_
This is a partnership project with Wycliffe to help Indigenous Australians to more easily access the Bible and read it in a way that is culturally meaningful. The newly translated Plain English Version (PEV) of _Daily Strength_ will be shared across regional Australia.
_“In juvenile justice, many boys carry heavy shame and low self-esteem. You Matter is a powerful story, and it is not complicated to read and understand the themes of acceptance, reconciliation and Jesus’ grace. The prodigal son is so relevant._ You Matter _may have been designed for a younger audience, but our boys love it as it’s easy to read. These booklets are our best way into conversations about Jesus.”_ Mike Clark, prison chaplain, Cobham Youth Justice Centre, Sydney
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## **AFRICA (KENYA)**
The team in Kenya continued engaging people with the Bible through booklets, Pavement Project, and Choose Life. They also developed relationships with partners across Africa.
## **Bible resources and partnerships**
- **50,293 copies of printed literature distributed** in English, Swahili and local languages in **13 African countries** : Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somali, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
_“Through your prayers and support over 5,000 young people have been reached with a gospel booklet in Kenya and beyond. ‘An Invitation’ has been a powerful tool for evangelism to us. One remarkable testimony is that of a gang leader to whom l gave the tract a few months ago, little did l know the Holy Spirit would convict him to give his life to Christ. He is totally transformed and serves as an usher in one of the churches here in Nairobi. We give God all the glory!”_ Pastor Salano, Kenya
## **Pavement Project Africa**
- **2,839 children were counselled by our partner organisations** .
- Active in **8 countries** : Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and DRC, through **196 trained workers** from our **88 partner organisations** .
- **9 Pavement Project trainers** conducted **6 training sessions** . They trained **39 new workers.**
_“I invited Mary* [14 years old] for a session with the [Pavement Project] green bag. Her response was a wide smile, she loved playing with the paper play and reading the Bible text on it. … Mary trusts me with her issues, and she shares her challenges. … Mary still lives in the [children’s] centre. She worries about her family’s safety and prays her mum could move from the risky place she lives. Mary has influenced her sister, and she, too, is in the rescue centre. Mary leads prayers and is the Christian Union leader in her school. She wants other girls to be helped too. She loves Pavement Project, and says, ‘That bag spoke to me!’. Thanks for giving towards Pavement Project work! Many physically and emotionally wounded teenagers, like Mary, need to hear the voice of God. Your donation helps us to train more workers to find more Marys to exchange their tears of uncertainty for healing smiles.”_ Pavement Project worker in Kenya. *Name changed
## **Choose Life**
- **866 young people** from Kenya went through the programme after engaging with the 5 booklets: _Choose Others_ , _Choose Right_ , _Choose Peace_ , _Choose Love_ and _Choose Freedom_ . **571 young people** graduated by the end of 2023.
- **2 training sessions** , **25 teachers trained** , including 1 new trainer for Western Kenya.
Chrisco Church School from Kibera in Kenya started the implementation of the Choose Life Curriculum with a new class of 120 pupils. They collected 120 copies of _Choose Others_ booklets to start them off.
## **Story gathering**
Creative Director Steve Bassett joined Clara Ngobolia and a local Kenya team to gather stories, testimonies, photographs and videos. They visited communities in Kariobangi and Dandora slums, witnessed an outreach to children and the sick, and visited street children in Dandora. They also joined the sports outreach ministry of Pastor Salano, attended the Street Children’s Church, and witnessed a widows’ group meeting led by Pastor Mary. All the activities offered us great interactions. Stories were released via _Interact_ , video and online.
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## **INDONESIA**
The team continued to take mobile missions to several places, and to conduct Lifewords Kids Ministry, retreats, seminars, and conferences.
## **Mobile missions**
The team connected with and trained different communities in how to use TVS, flipcards, and other Lifewords resources, and also how to train others to use the material. They have trained pastors, church leaders, Sunday school teachers and Bible college students, some from very rural communities.
## **Lifewords Kids Ministry**
Lifewords Kids Ministry continues to engage groups of children all over Indonesia with the Bible using games, songs, and Bible stories. The aim is to talk to the children about Jesus and encourage them to respond, while also investing in them for the future.
## **INDIA**
The many and regular inquirers for resources are generally guided to our global resources website. A small quantity is distributed from the India office, especially requests from rural areas and other urgent needs.
## **Bible resources**
- **6,400 resources** distributed, including around 3,000 copies of old Tamil titles.
- Assisted in the **proofreading of animations** of _An Invitation_ and _Finding Hope_ of three Indian languages (Telugu, Tamil and Bengali).
- Coordinated the **translation and proofreading** of Telugu _Way to Life_ .
_“Lifewords provides me with the best booklets. People like to look at your books and it is easier to strike conversation with Lifewords booklets.”_ John – hospital evangelist
## **Pavement Project India**
- **1,279 children** were counselled by our partner organisations across **16 states** in **8 languages** .
- **60 partner organisations** with **138 active workers.**
- **5 training workshops** by 3 trainers in 4 languages.
- **37 workers trained** from **6** organisations.
- **3 trainers; 6 trainee trainers** .
- **Translation** of workers’ resources in **2 languages – Telugu** and **Gujarati** .
- **Translation** of pocket cards and paper play in **Oriya** , initiated by one of our new partners.
## **New partnership with Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM)**
IEM have had long time association with Lifewords for Bible resources and translations as they mainly work among unreached groups. They have 700 missionaries across India, with 42 daycare centres for children and vocational training centres for young adults and women. We reconnected with them during an India Forum of Bible Agencies (FOBA) meeting. IEM is keen to train their daycare centre staff, as well as local church volunteers. and so we started the training of four new trainee trainers.
## **Kannada resources**
Unused 2004 Kannada Pavement Project resources were put to use by the children’s ministry team of South India Assemblies of God (SIAG) – Karnataka and Goa region. They created an eight-week programme from which some 10,000 children from Karnataka and 2,000 children from Goa are estimated to benefit. The resources will then be passed on to other churches. 40 Kannada green bags for Karnataka and five English materials for Goa were handed over to the SIAG Children’s Ministry team. The picture cards and
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the coloured dividers from the Kannada bags were donated to Diyaghar, an NGO with nursery and daycare centres for children of migrant workers and children from the slums.
## **Pavement Project training**
A third training session with Navajeevan Seva Mandal (NSM) took place in May in Chottagagiri, Jharkhand. 17 staff from 13 projects attended. Pavement Project will reach around 1,500 children through these 17 certified workers. It is good to work with NSM and their parent organisation, Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), in these remote places where there is minimal development. The children from the projects in Jharkhand are from two tribal communities – Santhal and Malto – that worship nature and follow their own religion. The children from all the projects belong to economically weaker sections and are living in vulnerable and unstable families.
“ _I have attended counselling courses in the past. I am simply amazed at how effective the Pavement Project is. The step-by-step process gives children the opportunity and the confidence to easily share their traumas and challenges. To see them confirming their true identity in Christ and being empowered is the most incredible quality of Pavement Project. I believe this is a programme directly from God.”_ Raju, Pavement Project worker, India
## **WAYS INTO THE BIBLE – Reaching and engaging new generations**
Lifewords continues to engage with different communities – including young people, those exploring the Christian faith and a wide variety of church contexts – through key projects and campaigns. Through VerseFirst, NINE BEATS and Ninefold Path we were able to reach new audiences through live events, digital platforms and media coverage.
- NINE BEATS presented the way of the beatitudes with the 6-location “Sunfire, Muscle and Bone” UK mini-tour working with local churches and faith communities, funded by a grant from Jerusalem Trust.
- The tour was featured across 7 media channels.
- 2 campaigns took place on VerseFirst’s Instagram and Facebook channels: “The Easter People” and “Christmas Journeys”.
- VerseFirst’s Christmas campaign had a reach of 405,000 and generated 9,000 profile visits.
## **VERSEFIRST**
VerseFirst saw increased development in how it reaches new audiences on social media with a number of different strategies, including an increased advertising of posts which extended the reach of content beyond established followers.
- The best-performing VerseFirst post on Instagram received **3,967 likes** and 16 comments, was saved by 183 people, and had a reach of 78,911 people.
- The “Do you see this woman?” video, which was shared on VerseFirst’s social media channels on International Women’s Day, was **watched by 813 individuals** .
## **Campaigns**
Alongside posting stand-alone verses throughout the year, we ran two campaigns in the build-up to Easter and Christmas, “The Easter People” and “Christmas Journeys: Travellers, Outcasts, Refugees and Kings…”. The aims of both campaigns included engaging an online audience with the Christmas and Easter stories, increasing engagement of the Bible with new social media followers, and continuing to build a new generation of supporters and donors.
“The Easter People” focused on characters on the edge of the story in a similar way to the Christmas resource _OUTSIDE/IN_ . The Instagram post quoting Luke 21:1-3, “Out of her poverty put in all she had to
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live on,” received 533 likes and another, captioned “Weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears,” was liked 818 times.
VerseFirst’s campaign “Christmas Journeys: Travellers, Outcasts, Refugees and Kings…”, performed particularly well. 10 posts highlighted the journeys and relationships of characters of the Christmas story, based on the culturally iconic “how it started/how it ended” social media meme. Some of the most popular Instagram posts focused on Jesus, Mary, Simeon, Elizabeth and Zechariah. The first two had a reach of 78,911 and 99,342 respectively. The post about Jesus received 3,967 likes and 183 saves, while the one about Simeon received 2,763 likes and 168 saves. The Zechariah post contributed to a total of 1,168 profile visits and 371 new followers. The response was overwhelmingly positive and we will seek to maintain similar levels of engagement in future campaigns.
_“I just want to truly say thank you for investing creativity to make scriptures from the Bible become so impactful.”_ A new VerseFirst follower
## **NINE BEATS**
Through NINE BEATS we continued to encourage engagement with the words of Jesus in the beatitudes, offering an accessible invitation to explore the wisdom of the Bible and the way of Jesus. 2023 saw live events through the “Sunfire, Muscle and Bone” UK Tour.
- NINE BEATS held **6 live performances** in a range of churches, music venues and cafés.
- The UK Tour was featured across **7 media channels** including 4 interviews: Premier Christian Radio, BBC Radio Sheffield, The Hopeful Activists and BCB Radio.
- In the month of September 2023, when the majority of social media publicity around the Sunfire, Muscle and Bone tour took place, **3,867 accounts were reached on Instagram** .
- The Instagram post with the most reach was the advertisement for the tour, which had a **reach of 2,726** , left 3,065 impressions and generated 17 website visits.
## **UK events**
In the autumn, six NINE BEATS events took place, funded by Jerusalem Trust. These events saw us connecting with networks and groups keen to work out their faith through the exploration and application of “the beatitudes”. Together with events held in 2022, the Jerusalem Trust grant has enabled 10 events, including an online presentation.
The tour, featuring “music, spoken word, and thought-provoking conversation around the ancient spiritual wisdom of ‘the beatitudes’ _”_ made its way through Norwich, Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and London. Colorado-based contributor Heatherlyn joined UK Collective members, with practical support from UK staff.
The events were built on relationships nurtured either directly through NINE BEATS, Ninefold Path, or our church engagement networking. Each was tailored to the needs of the local community, very much a partnership that meshed local context, church and strategy. This is a good model for hybrid events and meant that some events were delivered by as few as two people, some by a full Collective roster.
_“I’m beginning to realise that the Beatitudes are one of the only things that make sense in this crazy world.”_ Peter, one of the Sheffield organisers
_**“** The event was absolutely brilliant! It was the first time I had heard the Collective live, and it was a baptism of explosive joy!”_ Noel Moules
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## _Media_
NINE BEATS Collective members Heatherlyn, Steve Bassett and Rob Taylor featured in broadcast interviews on a number of radio stations and podcasts, including BBC Radio Sheffield, Premier Christian Radio, The Hopeful Activists and BCB Radio. Two interviews were focused on the event in Leeds, one on the event in Sheffield, and one on the overall UK tour.
## _Social Media_
NINE BEATS social media platforms increased engagement during 2023. The two Instagram posts that received the most response reached 32,200 individuals and 23,700 individuals respectively, with 263 and 168 likes. In September, when most social media publicity for the tour took place, posts reached 3,867 accounts on Instagram. On Facebook, there was a reach of 8,600 during this month, an increase of 195% on the previous month.
## **Church engagement, funding and partnerships**
NINE BEATS and Ninefold Path continue to provide a connection point for numerous networks and groups. The tour also provided a great opportunity to strengthen existing partnerships and to grow a number of new collaborations. We partnered with St Stephen’s Church Norwich as part of their Community Festival, which was run by the church with support from Norfolk County Council.
_“Thank you so much for bringing NINE BEATS to Norwich. I have heard nothing but positivity from those who were there. I think that many had not experienced such professional musicianship before and were simple bowled over, not only by the message of the beatitudes, but also the simply incredible music, singing and storytelling. Many thanks once again – it was a very special evening.”_ Ian Fifield, Curate at St Stephen’s Norwich
## **Ninefold Path**
The _Ninefold Path_ resource continued to be promoted as a resource for churches and groups to encourage engagement with the words of Jesus. On-the-page and online ads were run with _Reform_ , _Premier Christianity_ , _Idea_ , _Church Times_ , _Keep the Faith_ and Baptist Assembly. Two blogs were featured on Premier Christianity’s website, as well as another on Premier’s youth platform, NEXGEN.
The focus for Big Church Festival was _Ninefold Path,_ which garnered a lot of interest as a different way of engaging communities around the Way of Jesus.
We used _Ninefold Pa_ th during a visit to Christ Church Peckham to explore the beatitudes. A number of churches continue to use this resource for Bible studies and other church gatherings to encourage one another in engaging with the Bible and growing in their faith.
_“It’s a really helpful, easily accessible tool to get to deep things really quickly. I use the Ninefold Path learning lab guide every time I come to prepare services or small group discussions because there are loads of good nuggets of helpful, practical truth that are easy to share, especially with people who are new to faith or thinking what it means to be Christian.”_ Vicki Price.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
Income from donations and grants was £804,434, a decrease of £117,953 on the previous year [2022: 922,387, an increase of £42,414 on 2021]. Total income was £1,331,894, a decrease of £1,263,905 (-49%) on the previous year [2022: increase of £1,176,082]. This reflects lower legacy income (a decrease of £1,147,211 on the previous year). The financial statements show that 60% of income came from donations and grants [2022: 36%], 37% from legacies [2022: 63%], and 3% from literature sales, investments and other income [2022: 1%]. Total expenditure was £1,544,325 – an increase of £97,416 (+7%) on the previous year [2022: increase of £74,125 on 2021]. The Charity spent 92% of its total expenditure on developing, producing, and delivering products and programmes in the UK and overseas [2022: 93%]. 8% was spent on raising funds [2022: 7%].
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During the past financial year there was a deficit on ordinary activities of £212,431 [2022: surplus of £1,148,890]. The net movement in funds in 2023, which includes other recognised gains and losses, produced a deficit on the total funds of £348,495 [2022: surplus of £2,054,288]. This deficit includes FRS102 actuarial losses on the defined benefit pension scheme of £190,000 [2022: actuarial gains of £947,000].
## **Reserves policy**
The Board has a formal reserves policy which is to hold in reserve sums to cover nine months’ planned expenditure (currently calculated at £1.3m) in order to respond to any (unforeseen) change in circumstances and levels of income. Through the approval and management of appropriate budgets the Charity also ensures it is in a position to maximise investment opportunities. Free reserves at 31 December 2023 (calculated as net assets, excluding restricted funds, the pension reserve, property & fixed assets and stock) were £1,921,970 [2022: £2,267,692]. This is above the reserves policy level (taking into account legacies recently notified, and also plans for future use of Ministry Development funds) and is considered adequate to meet the needs of the Charity.
## **Investment policy and review**
The Trustees pursue an investment policy on behalf of the Charity which provides a balance between income and capital growth, with a medium level of risk over the longer term, thereby enabling the Trustees to meet their objectives in respect of the requirements of the charity. Designated funds have been invested in the Newton Growth & Income Fund for Charities in line with the above policy. The net performance of the Newton Fund during the year was 8.6% against the comparative index of 9.3% [2022: performance of -5.3% against the comparative index of -6.7%]. During the year the Fund underperformed its comparative index by 0.7% [2022: outperformed by 1.4%]. The fund remains ahead of the index over three, five and ten years. At the end of the year the investments in the Newton Fund showed cumulative unrealised gains of £526,432 [2022: unrealised gains of £472,496]. The Trustees are satisfied with the current return on capital.
## **Pension fund**
The Charity has two pension schemes. One is a defined contribution scheme with Aegon which is currently open to new members and meets the requirements of auto-enrolment. The second is a defined benefit scheme invested with Legal & General and administered by Barnett Waddingham LLP, which has been closed to new members since 25 March 2003 and closed to new accrual since 23 May 2012; and which, for the purposes of FRS102, showed a funding deficit of £666,000 [2022: deficit of £619,000]. The corresponding asset / liability does not result in an immediate cash flow impact on the Charity. In September 2014 the Trustees put in place a contingent asset security agreement with the trustees of the defined benefit pension scheme (on a property currently valued at the book value of £695,907) to strengthen the employer covenant and to give the pension trustees greater financial security over the assets of the employer. During the year the triennial valuation as of 6 April 2022 was finalised and a new Recovery Plan agreed (£170,000 per annum increasing on each 6 April by 2% until November 2033, replacing the previous Recovery Plan of £170,000 per annum increasing on each 6 April by 2% until July 2034). Contributions to the pension scheme are met through additional contributions from the Charity. The pension liability is therefore excluded from the free reserves calculation. Details of the retirement benefit schemes are disclosed in Note 19 to the financial statements.
## **PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS**
We live in a world that has many problems, in which Bible ministry is presented with new challenges and opportunities every day. In this landscape, we plan ahead with the posture of being diligent stewards of the ministry, as we work out a mission vision that remains sustainable, fruitful and transformative.
Our core priorities for 2024 remain the management and application of our finances, income generation, expanding and deepening church activities, supporter engagement/nurture, all in the context of global mission and Bible work that meets the needs of Christians and communities worldwide. We will do this
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through the best collaborative partnerships, most appropriate infrastructure, best content/delivery and most effective engagement with the Bible that we can muster. At the same time, we will constantly assess, review and respond to challenges in a considered and prayerful manner.
In 2024 we will do that in part by maintaining the ongoing development, growth and delivery of our core, regular mission offerings:
## **Bible Resources**
In line with our Scripture Gift Mission heritage we will continue to deliver Bible resources in relevant languages, while adding to this range and investing in digital delivery to augment print. Having completed our project to refresh our existing library and extend the range of languages and achieve our initial target of at least two core titles (print and digital versions) in fifty languages, we will look at new titles and opportunities in 2024.
## **Digital**
We will continue to adapt to the ever-changing digital and online world. We will work to ensure accessibility of our existing resources in digital formats and create new digital engagement with Scripture, whilst assessing skillsets and capacity to do this effectively.
## **Marketing/communications**
We will look for channels to increase ministry profile to uplift impact of our resources – extending profile through church-focused and culture-facing resources/programmes/projects/initiatives.
## **Church engagement**
We will continue networking with churches, communities, and partners to increase presence and profile within UK churches and church networks – presenting Lifewords as a ministry that bring the Bible’s message to people in all walks of life. We will continue to position ourselves as a forward-looking ‘heritage brand’, producing materials that empower and equip, inspire, and engage people with the Bible’s life words.
## **Bible Engagement projects**
We will refine our larger scale projects and programmes (Bible Resources, Pavement Project and NINE BEATS), ensuring the most fit-for-purpose shape, and seek to identify partners, both practical and financial.
## **Pavement Project**
We will embed a new educator’s app and offer online counselling and training to complement our inperson counselling resources. The “train the trainers” model will continue, with anticipated growth in the regions where we provide the counselling resources to our partners who help vulnerable children.
## **NINE BEATS**
We will continue to generate this broad collaboration sharing the beatitudes/Sermon on the Mount as a key text for our time through more partnerships and networks, and online/in person events. We will continue to assess scale/funding development within the overall work of Lifewords.
## **Funding**
We will continue to seek new funding sources, nurture existing trusts and individual donors, and approach new funders for the ministry across traditional, core, and new “entrepreneurial” donors. We will grow UK networks for impact and support, and work with other Lifewords organisations outside the UK to better engage more people in this work of sharing the Bible around the world.
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## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT**
## **Governing document**
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated) is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 30 December 1916, and altered by subsequent special resolutions, the most recent being dated 23 June 2011. Anyone over the age of 18 can become a member of the Company and at the accounting date there were 57 members [2022: 61], each of whom agrees to contribute £1.05p in the event of the winding up of the Company.
## **Organisation**
The Board administers the Charity and meets at least four times a year. To facilitate effective operations, the Board has established an International Executive Team to lead the Mission and who have authority, within terms of delegation from the Board, for operational matters including finance, employment, and programme-related activity. The International Executive Team consists of the international directors: Steve Bassett (Creative & Communications), John Harris (Finance & Operations), Jarek Jankowski (Global Bible Resources), Clenir dos Santos (Pavement Project), and Dan Hardie (Australia/New Zealand). The dayto-day operations in the UK are overseen by Steve Bassett & John Harris with Jarek Jankowski in constant contact.
The Charity is the leading member of the Lifewords global family of organisations. The other members are separately incorporated companies in their respective countries. In 2023, there were agency agreements with member organisations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Kenya, India, Indonesia, and USA. Our Global Bible Resources programme is managed and run from Poland. Orders from USA are processed from the UK or Poland.
## **Appointment of trustees**
Trustees are appointed by the Board or by Ordinary Resolution of members for a three-year term and are eligible for re-election on two successive occasions only. A trustee cannot serve for a period of more than nine years, save with approval by unanimous vote from the Board.
## **Trustee induction and training**
An introductory pack for potential trustees is in use. A programme of preliminary meetings with the Executive Team and Board members (including the Chair) precedes an invitation to attend a Board meeting, prior to an invitation to join the Board. Trustees are offered the opportunity to attend trustee training courses such as those provided by the National Charity Voluntary Organisation (NCVO).
## **Related parties**
The Charity has two wholly owned dormant subsidiary companies in which the share capital is unpaid. Only Lifewords Ltd is likely to be used for the purpose of servicing future commercial needs. This company remained dormant during 2023.
The Finance Director and Company Secretary acts as trustee for the charity Radstock Trust CIO which gave grants to the Charity during the year totalling £350,000 [2022: £350,000].
Jadan Reeves-Bassett, son of the Creative Director, was paid £7,150 for design services [2022: £5,075].
The aggregated total amount of donations received without conditions from key management personnel during the year was £1,355 [2022: £370].
## **Pay policy for senior staff**
The Trustees consider the Board of Trustees (who are the Company Directors) and the senior staff with International Office responsibilities, comprise the key management personnel of the charity in charge of
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directing, controlling, running, and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis. All Trustees give of their time freely, and no Trustee received remuneration in the year. Details of Trustees’ expenses are disclosed in Note 9 of the financial statements.
The pay of all staff, including senior staff, is reviewed annually and normally increased in line with (CPI) inflation, if funds allow. If funding is under pressure, preference is given to lower-paid staff when making any pay awards. Senior staff pay is benchmarked against pay levels in similar organisations (religious/Christian charities of a similar turnover and size) using information from Third Sector pay surveys (published by ACEVO and Global Connections). The remuneration benchmark is the mid-point of the range paid for similar roles. Salaries were last benchmarked in September 2019.
## **Fundraising practice**
The Charity is committed to ensuring all fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical and godly manner. The Charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and adheres strictly to their Code of Fundraising Practice and all legal obligations. We proactively monitor revisions to this code to ensure all our fundraising activities remain fully compliant. We confirm that we received no complaints regarding our fundraising activities or practices during this year or the previous year. We do not sell or swap data with other charities or organisations or make any cold telephone calls to the general public. In 2023 the Charity did not contract the services of professional fundraisers as defined by section 58 of the Charities Act 1992. We encourage all feedback, whether positive or negative, and we regularly monitor and analyse what people tell us to make sure we are continuously improving our procedures. If we become aware of any vulnerable people on our database, we ensure that they do not receive any appeals and ensure that any requests for details to be updated or deleted from our database are handled quickly. We have signed up to receive suppressions under the Fundraising Preference Service.
## **Risk management**
The Trustees acknowledge that they have overall responsibility for ensuring that the Charity has an appropriate system of controls, financial and otherwise. Board members are also cognisant of the requirement and responsibility for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and have taken steps towards the implementation of an ongoing process of risk assessment.
The risk management strategy includes:
- An annual review of the risks the Charity may face
- The establishment of systems and procedures to mitigate identified risks
- The implementation of procedures designed to minimise any potential impact on the Charity should these risks materialise
The key risks facing the charity are identified as (a) reliance on legacy income; (b) deficit position of the charity’s Defined Benefit Pension Scheme; (c) loss of key management personnel; and (d) loss or damage to reputation (and subsequent loss of support). The Trustees and senior staff have sought to address these risks in 2023 through ongoing review of long-term financial strategy; ongoing management of the Pension Scheme; ongoing development of local Boards and personnel in the associated organisations outside the UK (increasing capacity and reducing the risk of losing key personnel in the UK); and ongoing oversight of creative development, particularly in new areas, with a view to safeguarding reputation.
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## **TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
The Charity Trustees (who are also the Directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law 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 charitable company. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS102)
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
- state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.
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 Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
## **DISCLOSURE**
The Trustees confirm that, so far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Charity’s auditors are unaware, and that they have taken all reasonable steps as charity trustees to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Charity’s auditors are aware of that information.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by:
Liz Heyburn Chair of the Board Date: 9 July 2024
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## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF SCRIPTURE GIFT MISSION (INCORPORATED)**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated) (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows, and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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## **Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the Report of the Trustees which includes the Directors’ Report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the Directors’ Report included within the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Directors’ Report included within the Report of the Trustees.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime, and take advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the Report of the Trustees.
## **Responsibilities of Trustees**
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 22, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. Based on our understanding of the charity and its activities, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to the Charities Act 2011, the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, UK tax legislation, pensions legislation, employment regulation and health and safety regulation, anti-bribery, corruption and fraud, money laundering, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation
24
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
of the financial statements, such as the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.
We evaluated the trustees’ and management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) and determined that the principal risks were related to posting manual journal entries to manipulate financial performance, management bias through judgements and assumptions in significant accounting estimates, in particular in relation to use of restricted funds, and significant one-off or unusual transactions.
Our audit procedures were designed to respond to those identified risks, including non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) and fraud that are material to the financial statements. Our audit procedures included but were not limited to:
- Discussing with the trustees and management their policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations.
- Communicating identified laws and regulations throughout our engagement team and remaining alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout our audit; and
- Considering the risk of acts by the charity which were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.
Our audit procedures in relation to fraud included but were not limited to:
- Making enquiries of the trustees and management on whether they had knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud;
- Gaining an understanding of the internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud;
- Discussing amongst the engagement team the risks of fraud; and
- Addressing the risks of fraud through management override of controls by performing journal entry testing.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of irregularities including fraud rests with management. As with any audit, there remained a risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of the audit report**
This report is made solely to the charity’s members as a body in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s members as a body for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Nicola Wakefield (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Forvis Mazars LLP**
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor
6 Sutton Plaza, Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4FS Date: 10 July 2024
25
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
**for the year ended 31 December 2023**
|**STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**
**for the year ended 31 December 2023**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Notes**
**Income**|**Unrestricted F**|**unds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**|**Total**
**Total**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**|
||**£**
**Revaluation Reserve**
**General Fund and**|**Funds**
**Designated**|||
|Donations and grants|343,792|-|460,642|804,434
922,387|
|Legacies|397,386|-|96,092|493,478
1,640,689|
||741,178|-|556,734|1,297,912
2,563,076|
||||||
|Investment income
3
Other income
4|30,050
3,932|-
-|-
-|30,050
22,274
3,932
10,449|
|**Total income**|**775,160**|**-**|**556,734**|**1,331,894**
**2,595,799**|
|**Expenditure**
5|||||
|**Costs of raising funds**
**Expenditure on charitable activities**
Providing Bible resources
Enabling programmes for communities-in-need
Strengthening capacity of branches & partners|132,970
488,078
208,551
28,100|-
150,000
50,000
-|-
443,205
43,421
-|132,970
95,337
1,081,283
1,034,060
301,972
293,244
28,100
24,268
1,411,355
1,351,572|
||724,729|200,000|486,626||
|**Total expenditure**|**857,699**|**200,000**|**486,626**|**1,544,325**
**1,446,909**|
||||||
|**Net (expenditure)/income before gains and losses**|**(82,539)**|**(200,000)**|**70,108**|**(212,431)**
**1,148,890**|
|Realised & unrealised gains on property assets
11
Realised & unrealised gains/(losses) on investment assets
12|-
53,936|-
-|-
-|-
30,000
53,936
(71,602)|
|**Net (expenditure)/income**|**(28,603)**|**(200,000)**|**70,108**|**(158,495)**
**1,107,288**|
|**Other recognisedgains and losses**|||||
|19
Remeasurement (losses)/gains on defined benefit pension
scheme|(190,000)|-|-|(190,000)
947,000|
||||||
|**Net movement in funds**|**(218,603)**|**(200,000)**|**70,108**|**(348,495)**
**2,054,288**|
|**Reconciliation of funds**|||||
|Funds brought forward 1 January 2023|2,119,338|425,000|825,182|3,369,520
1,315,232|
||||||
|**Funds carried forward 31 December 2023**|**1,900,735**|**225,000**|**895,290**|**3,021,025**
**3,369,520**|
All income and expenditure in each of the above two years are derived from continuing activities. There are no other recognised gains or losses relating to either year.
26
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **BALANCE SHEET**
## **at 31 December 2023**
|**BALANCE SHEET**
**at 31 December 2023**|**BALANCE SHEET**
**at 31 December 2023**|
|---|---|
|**2023**
**2022**
**Fixed assets**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**||
|Tangible assets
10
Investment property
11
Investments
12|823,556
841,218
30,000
30,000
968,045
914,109|
|**Total fixed assets**|**1,821,601**
**1,785,327**|
|**Current assets**||
|Debtors
14
Stock
Short-term deposits|1,472,474
1,639,596
16,209
24,428
253,972
152,411|
|Cash at bank and in hand|283,200
468,499|
|||
|**Total current assets**|**2,025,855**
**2,284,934**|
|**Liabilities**||
|||
|15
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year|(160,431)
(81,741)|
|||
|**Net current assets**|**1,865,424**
**2,203,193**|
|**Net assets excluding pension liability**|**3,687,025**
**3,988,520**|
|Defined benefit pension scheme liability
19|(666,000)
(619,000)|
|**Total net assets**|**3,021,025**
**3,369,520**|
|**Represented by:**||
|**Restricted funds**
16
Unrestricted funds
16
General fund
Designated funds
Revaluation reserve (property investment)
Pension scheme reserve deficit
19
**Total unrestricted funds**|**895,290**
**825,182**
1,631,235
1,802,838
1,130,500
1,330,500
30,000
30,000
(666,000)
(619,000)
**2,125,735**
**2,544,338**|
|**Total charity funds**|**3,021,025**
**3,369,520**|
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The notes on pages 29 to 38 form part of these financial statements.
Approved by the Trustees on 3[rd] July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
Liz Heyburn Chair of the Board Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated), Company number 145932 Date: 9 July 2024
27
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS at 31 December 2023**
|**STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS**
**at 31 December 2023**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**2023**|**2022**|
|**Cash flows from operating activities**||**£**|**£**|
|Net (expenditure)/income as per SOFA||(348,495)|2,054,288|
|Adjustments for:||||
|Depreciation|10|31,825|30,236|
|(Gains)/losses on investments|11/12|(53,936)|41,602|
|Investment income|3|(30,050)|(22,274)|
|Decrease/(increase) in debtors|14|167,122|(1,231,723)|
|Inventories|BS|8,219|672|
|Increase/(decrease) in creditors|15|78,690|(67,273)|
|**Net cash (used)/provided by operating activities**||**(146,625)**|**805,528**|
|**Cashflows from investing activities**||||
|Purchase of property plant and equipment|10|(14,163)|2,039|
|Investment income|3|30,050|22,274|
|**Net cash provided by investing activities**||**15,887**|**24,313**|
|**Cashflows from financing activities**||||
|Movement in defined benefit pension scheme|19|47,000|(1,083,000)|
|**Net cash provided by/(used) in financing activities**||**47,000**|**(1,083,000)**|
|Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period|20|(83,738)|(253,159)|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting period|20|620,910|874,069|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the reporting period**|**20**|**537,172**|**620,910**|
28
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 31 December 2023**
## **1 LEGAL STATUS OF THE CHARITY**
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee having no share capital. At the accounting date there were 57 members [2022: 61]. Each member undertakes to contribute such amount as may be required in the event of the winding up of the Charity up to a maximum of £1.05 (one guinea) each.
## **2 ACCOUNTING POLICIES**
## **a) Basis of preparation**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The trustees have reviewed detailed cash flow projections to 31 December 2024 and have agreed detailed budgets for the year ending 31 December 2024. Both sources of income and types of expenditure have been reviewed. Whilst one of the main charitable purposes of the Charity is to help people everywhere to experience the Bible as good news for their lives through programmes, resources, literature, and digital tools, the level of this needed expenditure is at the discretion of the Trustees and can be adjusted during the year. The Trustees have also considered the Charity's working capital and capital expenditure requirements. As a result of the foregoing the Trustees are satisfied that it is appropriate to prepare the accounts on a going concern basis.
The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
## **b) Fund accounting**
Unrestricted Funds are funds which are available to use at the discretion of the Board in furtherance of the Charity’s charitable objects. There are two designated funds, the first of which is a fund of £905,500 with a corresponding long-term liability of the same amount designated as security against the deficit of the defined benefit pension scheme, giving a balance at year end of £nil [2022: £nil]. The second fund of £225,000 is a capital fund for new ministry development [2022: £425,000]. These designated funds were established following the surrender of the lease of the Charity’s former offices in 2010. Restricted Funds are funds which are used in accordance with restrictions expressed by donors or which have been raised for specific purposes. The details of the appropriate funds in the accounting year are shown at Note 16.
## **c) Income**
All income is reflected in the financial statements when the Charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. For legacies, entitlement is the earliest date of the Charity being notified of an impending distribution or the legacy being received. No value is included where the legacy is subject to a life interest held by another party. No amounts are included in the financial statements for services donated by volunteers.
## **d) Expenditure**
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the Charity’s charitable activities. Where possible, all direct costs have been allocated to the appropriate activity. All other costs have been assigned as support costs.
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
## **e) Allocation of support costs**
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the Charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include general management, finance and IT, premises and facilities, governance costs, and administration costs for the defined benefit pension scheme. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in Note 6.
29
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **f) Depreciation**
The basis for charging depreciation is that assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis to write off the cost of those assets over their estimated useful lives in the Charity’s activities.
Office long-term lease – over 50 years
Office purchase costs and irrecoverable VAT – over 50 years
Leasehold improvements and refurbishment – over 10 years
Equipment, fixtures and fittings – over 5 years
Computers – over 4 years
## **g) Investment property**
The investment property, which comprises a half share in four freehold blocks of flats is shown at the valuation date of September 2022 (Note 11). At 31 December 2023 the investment property consists of the freehold as all apartments have now been sold [2022: freehold]. Ground rent is being received in respect of the 16 apartments. The investment property is being held jointly with another charity. No depreciation is provided in respect of this property. The rental income from the investment had been shown net after expenses, in view of the immaterial amounts involved.
## **h) Fixed asset investments**
Fixed asset investments are stated at market value at the accounting date. All unrealised gains and losses representing the change in value from the previous accounting date are charged against the appropriate fund.
## **i) Stock of Scriptures**
Printing costs are charged to production costs at the date of purchase, but no account is taken of the stocks of completed or incomplete publications at the end of the accounting period, as these will be given away free of charge (Note 13).
## **j) Other stock**
Stock of NINE BEATS albums, merchandise, and Ninefold Path resources is included at the lower of cost or net realisable value.
## **k) Operating leases**
Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all the benefits and risks of ownership remain the lessor’s, are charged against income as incurred.
## **l) Taxation**
As a registered charity, the Charity has no liability to United Kingdom taxation on its charitable activities.
## **m) Pension**
The Charity operates a funded defined benefit pension scheme based on final pensionable salary, which is now closed to new employees and to further accrual. This has been replaced by a defined contribution scheme with Aegon based on individual personal pension funds for new employees. The assets of both schemes are held separately from those of the Charity, being invested with the above insurance companies. Contributions to both schemes are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities so as to spread the cost of pensions over employees' working lives with the Charity. The contributions to the defined benefit scheme are determined on the recommendation of a qualified actuary and to the defined contribution scheme by agreement between the Charity and its employees.
In accordance with FRS102, the SOFA includes: the cost of benefits accruing during the year in respect of current service (charged against net income/(expenditure)); the expected return on the scheme’s assets and the increase in the present value of the scheme’s liabilities arising from the passage of time (charged against net income/(expenditure)); and actuarial losses recognised in the pension scheme (shown within net movement of funds). In accordance with FRS102, the balance sheet includes the deficit in the scheme, taking assets at their yearend market values and liabilities at their actuarially calculated values discounted at year-end AA corporate bonds yield curve. Further details regarding the scheme are disclosed in Note 19.
30
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **n) Foreign currencies**
Foreign currencies have been converted to £ sterling at rates of exchange approximating to those ruling at the Balance Sheet date.
## **o) Significant management judgements**
The following are the management judgements in applying the policies of the Charity that have the most significant impact on the amounts recognised in the financial statements:
- Accrued legacy income: The Charity has made an assessment as to whether the conditions recognition of legacy income are met on a case-by-case basis, specifically in respect of the measurement of the amount due. In making these judgements, management considered the detailed criteria set out in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102).
## **3 INVESTMENT INCOME**
The Charity’s investment income of £30,050 [2022: £22,274] arises from dividends from fixed asset investments (£22,560 [2022: £20,514]) and interest-bearing deposit accounts (£7,490 [2022: £1,760]).
## **4 OTHER INCOME**
The Charity’s other income of £3,932 [2022: £10,449] arises from literature sales, some church display rack sales, and the sale of NINE BEATS albums, merchandise, and Ninefold Path resources.
## **5 ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
|**5**
**ANALYSIS OF TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Direct**|**Support**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**Costs**|**Costs**|**2023**|**2022**|
|**EXPENDITURE**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Costs of raising funds**|84,756|48,214|132,970|95,337|
|**Total cost of raising funds**|**84,756**|**48,214**|**132,970**|**95,337**|
|**Expenditure on charitable activities**|||||
|Providing Bible resources|846,414|234,869|1,081,283|1,034,060|
|Enabling programmes for communities-in-need|276,258|25,714|301,972|293,244|
|Strengthening capacity of branches & partners|15,473|12,627|28,100|24,268|
|**Total expenditure on charitable activities**|**1,138,145**|**273,210**|**1,411,355**|**1,351,572**|
|**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|**1,222,901**|**321,424**|**1,544,325**|**1,446,909**|
## **6 ANALYSIS OF SUPPORT COSTS**
|**6**
**ANALYSIS OF SUPPORT COSTS**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Premises,**|**DB pension**|||||
||**General**|**Finance**|**admin, legal &**||**Governance**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**management**|
**& IT**|**finance**|**Depreciation**|**costs**|**2023**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Costs of raising funds|10,196|17,942|10,333|4,267|5,476|48,214|28,473|
|Providing Bible resources|48,941|86,118|53,041|20,483|26,286|234,869|182,672|
|Enabling programmes for communities-in-need|5,438|9,568|5,511|2,276|2,921|25,714|16,611|
|Strengthening capacity of branches & partners|3,399|5,981|-|1,422|1,825|12,627|9,527|
|**Total support costs**|**67,974**|**119,609**|**68,885**|**28,448**|**36,508**|**321,424**|**237,283**|
Cost allocation includes an element of judgement and the Charity has had to consider the cost benefit of detailed calculations and record-keeping. To ensure full cost recovery on projects, the Charity adopts a policy of allocating costs to the respective cost headings through the year. This allocation includes support costs where they are directly attributable. Therefore, the support costs shown are a best estimate of the costs that have been so allocated. The defined benefit pension administration and finance costs include elements from both the General Fund and the Defined Benefit Pension (FRS102) Fund.
31
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **7 ANALYSIS OF GOVERNANCE COSTS**
|**7**
**ANALYSIS OF GOVERNANCE COSTS**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Total**|**Total**||
||**2023**|**2022**||
|**GOVERNANCE COSTS**|**£**|**£**||
|Auditors' fees|19,266|11,453||
|Professional and legal fees|3,900|2,099||
|Strategic management|10,820|9,867||
|Trustees' expenses|2,522|651||
|**Total governance costs**|**36,508**|**24,070**||
Auditors' fees include £15,070 for Audit services [2022: £11,453] as well as £4,196 related to a prior year underprovision [2022: £nil].
## **8 STAFF COSTS**
|**8**
**STAFF COSTS**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Total**|**Total**||
||**2023**|**2022**||
|**Staff costs**|**£**|**£**||
|Salaries and contracted staff|377,833|359,962||
|Social security|25,955|32,172||
|Pension|31,779|31,195||
|Other staff costs related to staff based overseas|254,264|211,748||
|**Total staff costs**|**689,831**|**635,077**||
Pension costs are allocated to activities in proportion to the related staffing costs incurred and are wholly charged to unrestricted funds. Other staff costs refer to staffing costs paid by Lifewords offices overseas. During the year, two employees (2022: none) received total employee benefits between £60,000 and £69,999, with pension costs being £12,089 [2022: £11,525] in respect of these two employees.
The key management personnel of the Charity, comprise the Trustees, Creative Director, Finance Director and Global Bible Resources Director. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the Charity were £177,559 [2022: £162,744].
The average number of employees during the year, calculated based on headcount, was as follows:
|**Staff (headcount)**|**2023**|**2022**||
|---|---|---|---|
|UK staff|8|8||
|Staff based overseas|13|13||
|**Total staff (headcount)**|**21**|**21**||
The average number of employees during the year, calculated based on full-time equivalents, was as follows:
|**Staff (full-time equivalents)**|**2023**|**2022**||
|---|---|---|---|
|UK staff|7|7||
|Staff based overseas|11|11||
|**Total staff (full-time equivalents)**|**18**|**18**||
In the way that our global family of organisations operates, senior staff (key management personnel) in the UK are also responsible for facilitating and supporting work in the other six Lifewords centres in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Australia, Kenya and USA. All other national or functional directors report to the International Executive Team, as part of a global leadership team. Together as a global family we have 20‐25 volunteers outside of the UK making a significant contribution to training and coordinating our Bible programmes. A further 50+ volunteers serve as facilitators (peer mentors) for Pavement Project initiatives.
During the year the Charity transferred £168,966 to the defined pension scheme as part of the Recovery Plan [2022: £165,648] and £nil in respect of accrual of benefits [2022: £nil] in accordance with the Schedule of Contributions.
## **9 TRUSTEES**
The Board members were not paid and did not receive any other benefits from employment with the Charity during the year or previous year. The aggregated amount of expenses reimbursed to three Board members during the year was £2,522 [2022: one Board member £651]. No Board member received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity during the year or previous year.
32
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **10 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**
|**10 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Equipment,**||||
||**fixtures**|**Office**|||
||**and fittings**|**leasehold**|**Total**||
|**Cost**|**£**|**£**|**£**||
|At 1 January 2023|105,269|1,072,864|1,178,133||
|Additions|2,474|-|2,474||
|VAT adjustments|-|11,689|11,689||
|Disposals and written off|(6,312)|-|(6,312)||
|**Cost at 31 December 2023**|**101,431**|**1,084,553**|**1,185,984**||
|**Depreciation**|||||
|At 1 January 2023|99,955|236,960|336,915||
|Charge for the year|3,159|28,666|31,825||
|Disposals and written off|(6,312)|-|(6,312)||
|**Depreciation at 31 December 2023**|**96,802**|**265,626**|**362,428**||
|**Net book value**|||||
|**At 31 December 2023**|**4,629**|**818,927**|**823,556**||
|**At 31 December 2022**|**5,314**|**835,904**|**841,218**||
All the above assets were used in direct furtherance of the Charity's charitable objects.
The Trustees have granted a first legal charge over the office leasehold to the trustees of the defined benefit pension scheme to strengthen the employer covenant and to give the pension trustees greater financial security over the assets of the employer.
## **11 INVESTMENT PROPERTY**
|**11 INVESTMENT PROPERTY**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2022**||
|**UKproperty**|**£**|**£**||
|Value at 1 January|30,000|30,000||
|Revaluation|-|-||
|**Value at 31 December**|**30,000**|**30,000**||
The investment property at 31 December 2023 consists of a half share in four freehold blocks of flats [2022: freehold]. Ground rent is being received in respect of the 16 apartments already sold. The investment property is being held jointly with another charity. The freehold was valued in September 2022 by C Hennessy MRICS Registered Valuer. There are no charges over this property or restrictions on its use. The trustees consider the value of £30,000 in September 2022 to be a true value as at 31 December 2023.
||**2023**|**2022**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Revaluation Reserve balance**|**£**|**£**||
|**At original valuation at 31 December**|**-**|**-**||
|**Revaluation reserve balance (Note 16)**|**30,000**|**30,000**||
The original valuation was the market valuation at the date of death, as the property was acquired as a legacy.
33
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **12 FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS**
|**12 FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS**||
|---|---|
||**2023**
**2022**|
|Market value at 1 January
Change in value in the year|**£**
**£**
914,109
985,711
53,936
(71,602)|
|||
|**Market value at 31 December**|**968,045**
**914,109**|
|Historical cost:
At 31 December|441,613
441,613|
Listed investments are represented by 584,992 units in Newton Growth & Income Fund for Charities at a book value of £441,613 [2022: £441,613]. The cumulative unrealised gains on these investments are £526,432 [2022: £472,496].
## **13 STOCK OF SCRIPTURES**
Stocks of Scripture publications held for future distribution, which have not been included in the assets on the Balance Sheet as these will be given away free of charge, have been valued by the Charity at 31 December 2023 at the sum of £91,500 [2022: £110,000]. This valuation has not been subject to audit.
## **14 DEBTORS**
|**14 DEBTORS**||
|---|---|
|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**||
|Legacy debtors (unrestricted)
547,224
775,224
Legacy debtors (restricted)
896,092
800,000
Taxation recoverable
5,497
8,799
VAT recoverable
-
34,032
Pre-payments and other
23,661
21,541||
|**Total debtors**
**1,472,474**
**1,639,596**||
## **15 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**
|**15 CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**||
|---|---|
|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**||
|Taxation and social security
7,882
7,351
Trade creditors
29,551
32,422
VAT liability
41,496
-
Other creditors
81,502
41,968||
|**Total creditors due within one year**
**160,431**
**81,741**||
34
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **16 MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS**
|**16 MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS**||
|---|---|
||**Balance at**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfers**
**Investment**
**Actuarial**
**Balance at**
**1 January**
**Gains/(losses)**
**Gains**
**31 December**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**|
|||
|**Restricted funds**||
|Providing Bible resources|-
418,242
(418,242)
-
-
-
-|
|Choose Life|-
834
(834)
-
-
-
-|
|Pavement Project
NINE BEATS|803,790
134,921
(43,421)
-
-
-
895,290
21,392
2,737
(24,129)
-
-
-|
|**Unrestricted funds**
**Designated**
Security against the deficit of the
defined benefit pension scheme
Ministry development
**Revaluation Reserve**
**General**||
||**825,182**
**556,734**
**(486,626)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**895,290**
-
-
-
-
-
-
425,000
-
(200,000)
-
-
-
225,000
30,000
-
-
-
-
-
30,000
2,089,338
775,160
(857,699)
-
53,936
(190,000)
1,870,735|
||**2,544,338**
**775,160**
**(1,057,699)**
**-**
**53,936**
**(190,000)**
**2,125,735**|
|**Total funds**|**3,369,520**
**1,331,894**
**(1,544,325)**
**-**
**53,936**
**(190,000)**
**3,021,025**|
The fund for providing Bible resources covers publications in a wide range of countries. Restricted income was also received and expended towards the development of the NINE BEATS project, aimed at engaging emerging generations with the Bible through the Beatitudes.
The funds for Choose Life and Pavement Project cover the current operation and ongoing development of these programmes (a values-based life-skills curriculum for teenagers, and the training & resourcing of workers in a Biblebased counselling process for children-at-risk, respectively).
There are two designated funds, the first of which is a fund of £905,500 with a corresponding long-term liability of the same amount designated as security against the deficit of the defined benefit pension scheme giving a balance at year end of £nil [2022: £nil]. The second fund of £225,000 is a capital fund for new ministry development [2022: £425,000].
## **17 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS**
|**17 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**General**|**Revaluation**|**Designated**|**Restricted**||
||**Fund**|**Reserve**|**Funds**|**Funds**|**Total**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Fund balances at 31 December 2023 are represented by:||||||
|Fixed assets|661,101|30,000|1,130,500|-|**1,821,601**|
|Current assets|1,130,565|-|-|895,290|**2,025,855**|
|Current liabilities|(160,431)|-|-|-|**(160,431)**|
|**Total net assets before pension liability**|**1,631,235**|**30,000**|**1,130,500**|**895,290**|**3,687,025**|
|**Long term pension liability**|**239,500**|**-**|**(905,500)**|**-**|**(666,000)**|
|**Total net assets**|**1,870,735**|**30,000**|**225,000**|**895,290**|**3,021,025**|
35
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **18 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS**
The Charity has two wholly owned dormant subsidiary companies in which the share capital is unpaid. Only Lifewords Ltd is likely to be used for the purpose of servicing future commercial needs. This company remained dormant during 2023.
The Finance Director and Company Secretary acts as trustee for the charity Radstock Trust CIO which gave grants to the Charity during the year totalling £350,000 [2022: £350,000].
Jadan Reeves-Bassett, son of the Creative Director, was paid £7,150 for design services [2022: £5,075].
The aggregated total amount of donations received without conditions from key management personnel during the year was £1,355 [2022: £370].
## **19 PENSION**
The Charity operates two pension schemes in the UK. The assets of both schemes are held separately from those of the Charity, being invested with separate insurance companies. One is a funded defined benefit scheme invested with Legal & General and administered by Barnett Waddingham LLP, and the other a defined contribution scheme with Aegon; the former having closed to new employees on 25 March 2003 and closed to further accrual on 23 May 2013, with the latter being open to all new employees. Contributions to the defined benefit scheme are assessed on the basis of the advice of qualified actuaries using the projected unit credit method.
|**Pension costs charged were:**
Defined benefit scheme (Recovery Plan)|**2023**
**2022**
**£'000**
**£'000**
169
166|
|---|---|
|Defined contribution scheme|32
31|
|**Total**|**201**
**197**|
No amounts were owing at the year end [2022: £nil].
## **Additional FRS102 disclosures**
The valuation used for FRS102 disclosures has been based upon the latest full actuarial valuation at 6 April 2022 and updated by a qualified independent actuary. The major assumptions used by the actuary were:
|**%**|**2023**|**2022**|**2021**|**2020**
**2019**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Rate of increase in salaries
Rate of increase for pensions in payment and deferred pension
Discount rate
Inflation assumption - retail price index increase|n/a
3.00
4.60
3.10|n/a
3.05
4.85
3.20|n/a
3.15
1.85
3.30|n/a
n/a
2.85
2.90
1.25
2.05
2.95
3.00|
36
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **19 PENSION (continued)**
**The assets in the scheme and the expected rate of return were:**
|Legal & General funds|**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/22**
**%**
**2022**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/21**
**%**
**2021**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/23**
**%**
**2023**
**fair value**
**£'000**|**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/22**
**%**
**2022**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/21**
**%**
**2021**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/23**
**%**
**2023**
**fair value**
**£'000**|**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/22**
**%**
**2022**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/21**
**%**
**2021**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/23**
**%**
**2023**
**fair value**
**£'000**|**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/22**
**%**
**2022**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/21**
**%**
**2021**
**fair value**
**£'000**
**Long-term**
**rate of**
**expected**
**return at**
**31/12/23**
**%**
**2023**
**fair value**
**£'000**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|Managed Funds
Annuities|4.8
2.7|3,760
1,062|4.8
2.7|3,569
4.8
5,112
1,155
2.7
1,478|
|**Total market value of assets**||4,822||4,724
6,590|
|**Present value of scheme liabilities**||5,488||5,343
8,292|
|**Deficit in scheme being the net pension liability**||**(666)**||**(619)**
**(1,702)**|
|**Analysis of the amount charged against operating income**|||**2023**
**£'000**|**2022**
**£'000**|
|Current service cost
Past service cost
**Total operating charge**|||-
-
**-**|-
-
**-**|
|**Analysis of the amount credited to other finance income**
**or debited to other finance costs**|||**2023**
**£'000**|**2022**
**£'000**|
|Expected return on pension scheme assets
Interest on pension scheme liabilities
**Net return**
Losses on assets in excess of interest
Experience losses on liabilities
Gains from changes to demographic assumptions
**Re-measurements over the year**
**Re-measurements over the year**
(Losses)/gains from changes to financial assumptions|||121
(147)
**(26)**
**2023**
**£'000**
(22)
(124)
106
(150)
**(190)**|121
(151)
**(30)**
**2022**
**£'000**
(1,927)
(108)
2
2,980
**947**|
|Deficit in the scheme at beginning of year
Movement in year
Contributions
Interest on assets
Interest cost
Re-measurements over the year
**Deficit in the scheme carried forward**
**The movements on the scheme deficit during the period for FRS102 purposes**|||**2023**
**£'000**
(619)
169
121
(147)
(190)
**(666)**
**are:**|**2022**
**£'000**
(1,702)
166
121
(151)
947
**(619)**|
37
Scripture Gift Mission (Incorporated)
## **19 PENSION (continued)**
## **History of experienced gains and losses**
|Total amount recognised in SOFA (£'000)
Percentage of the present value of the scheme liabilities
Difference between actual and expected return on scheme assets (£'000)
Percentage of scheme assets at end of year
Experience gains/(losses) on scheme liabilities (£'000)
Percentage of the present value of the scheme liabilities|**2023**
**2022**
**2021**
**2020**
**2019**
**2018**|
|---|---|
||(22)
(1,927)
374
228
410
(253)
(0.5)
(40.8)
5.7
3.7
6.8
(4.7)
(124)
(108)
-
45
40
-
(2.3)
(2.0)
-
0.5
0.5
-
(190)
947
976
(843)
(617)
159
(3.5)
17.7
11.8
(9.3)
(7.6)
2.3|
## **Volatility of FRS102**
It should be noted that the methodology and assumptions prescribed for the purposes of FRS102 mean that these disclosures are inherently volatile, varying greatly according to investment market conditions at each accounting date.
## **20 NOTE TO THE CASH FLOW**
|Cash at bank
Cash on deposit
**Net cash**|At 1
January
2023 Cash flows
At 31
December
2023
468,499
(185,299)
283,200
152,411
101,561
253,972
620,910
(83,738)
537,172
**620,910**
**(83,738)**
**537,172**|
|---|---|
38