The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies (CFPSS) Registered charity number 233778
ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2025
Trustees:
Dr Santha Bhattacharji (President) until 5 September 2025
Rev Cannon Rose Maria Drew from 12 February 2025 (President from 5 September 2025)
Mrs Vicky Jeffs, (Chair) Ms Cherry Simpkin, (Hon Treasurer) Rev Neil Broadbent Mr Ian Fordyce Mr Andrew Cort Rev Andrew Fisher Dr Mark Fox Mr Paul Fisher Rev Dr Margaret Gilley Mrs Judith Harvey from 11 October 2024 Mrs Eileen Hughes from 12 February 2025
Independent Examiner: Bowers Fleming & Co Ltd, 90 Risegate Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 4EY
Solicitors: Porter Dodson, Telford House, The Park, Yeovil, Somerset, BA20 1DY.
General Secretary
Mrs Joanne Arnold
Office Address
Office 8, The Creative Suite, Mill 3, Pleasley Vale Business Park, Mansfield, NGl9 8RL
1. Structure, Governance & Management
The governing document of the trust is a Constitution amended by resolution on 1 April 1963, 8 September 2017 and 11 October 2024. Under the Constitution the charity is governed by a Council consisting of the President, a Vice President, a Chair, 2 Vice Chairs, an Honorary Treasurer, up to 3 representatives of local and special interest groups and up to 6 others.
Members of the Council are elected by the members of the charity at an AGM, the President to serve for 5 years and all others to serve for 3 years. All Council members are eligible for re-election.
The Council has the power to co-opt up to 3 trustees to serve until the next AGM, when they will be eligible for election by the members. It may co-opt trustees in the event of casual vacancies to serve for the remainder of the term of the person replaced.
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The Council may also appoint a paid General Secretary and any other staff as they see fit. Remuneration and duties of all staff shall be determined by the Council. At present, the charity's only member of staff is the General Secretary. The Editor of the charity's magazine The Christian Parapsychologist receives an honorarium.
The CFPSS does not hold any funds as a custodian trustee on behalf of others.
2. Objectives of the Charity
The objects of the Charity are to encourage the study in a Christian context of spiritual, paranormal, psychological and other scientific phenomena and to try to assess their validity and their relevance to the Christian faith.
3. Public Benefit
In setting objectives and planning for activities, the Council has given due consideration to general guidance published by the charity commission relating to public benefit.
Membership of the CFPSS is open to all those who belongto a recognised Christian denomination or are themselves in sympathy with the Christian faith. Within that framework, we welcome all adults regardless of personal circumstances. The minimum annual donation for membership is determined by General Meeting from time to time but the Council has the power to reduce such sum in cases of hardship or other reasons as the Council sees fit. The Council may also grant bursaries as appropriate to enable members with limited resources to attend CFPSS events.
The CFPSS provides a forum for discussion on subjects such as the healing and deliverance ministry, religious experience, paranormal phenomena, mysticism and prayer, particularly in terms of their relevance to the Christian faith. In doing this, it seeks to foster a general understanding of these subjects and to contribute to academic research.
The CFPSS offers a safe meeting place where members and enquirers may share and explore their experiences in these areas, in an open atmosphere of love and acceptance. Many people value the help A they have received when they have experienced spontaneous gifts of the Spirit, the pain of bereavement or simply a call to deeper spiritual understanding, especially when they have found little encouragement or support from elsewhere.
The CFPSS takes seriously its duty of care towards Trustees, Staff, Members and the general public. It discourages any form of abuse for whatever reason. The Trustees regard their safeguarding responsibilities in respect of vulnerable adults particularly important since the nature of the charity's
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objectives may lead those in mental and spiritual distress to seek its help. The Charity is not involved with children.
4. Achievements and Activities
The Charity's use of online platforms has grown over the year.
There are two WhatsApp groups, an open discussion group and a monthly prayer group specialising in praying for the dead.
There are 305 people in the Facebook group, an increase of 40 from our last AGM. The number of people following the Facebook page has grown by a huge 125 to a total of 503.
There 413 subscribers to the YouTube channel, an increase of 77 on the previous year.
The emailed newsletter audience has increased slightly to 248.
Our postal intercessory prayer group continues to flourish and is greatly appreciated by those who have requested prayer. A list of those requiring intercessions is sent out to the group by post and email.
A residential retreat was held at Ampleforth Abbey from 1- 3 July 2024.
The Annual Conference was held at Loxton in Somerset in from 11 to 13 October 2024.
The Charity continued a nationwide tour to promote the work of the CFPSS holding a number of meetings throughout the UK. These were well attended and brought new members.
The CFPSS published two editions each of its two magazines The Christian Parapsychologist and The Fellowship Review. Articles from past magazines are freely available on the CFPSS website and are well read.
The CFPSS library continued to be well used. The library holds over 1500 books and booklets and 500 audio recordings and is free to use (subject to paying postal costs). The library is available to members through the website or by contacting the general secretary.
The Publications Committee continues to work producing new publications, in particular, a book on Talking About Spiritual Experience , was published in September 2024.
CFPSS Groups continue to meet regularly, either in person or on Zoom. The increasing use of Zoom has enabled those who find it hard to travel to attend meetings.
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A new Committee was set up to review and make recommendations on the charity’s policies on an ongoing basis.
5. Safeguarding
The Council policy on safeguarding is reviewed annually. Eileen Hughes continues to act as the Safeguarding Officer. The Council has established that all trustees do not need to be DBS checked.
6. Data Protection
The Council's data protection policy is in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
In order to keep email and paper data private and safe the CFPSS uses two documents,
a. The CFPSS privacy notice informs members or public what information is held and for what purpose, how long it is kept and deleted. Their rights are also explained. This Notice is displayed on the CFPSS website.
b. The CFPSS Consent Form which has to be filled in to authorise consent for personal information to be held. This can be done by email or paper. This form must be returned to the General Secretary. If it is not, any information held is deleted.
Mrs Eileen Hughes is the Trustee responsible for GDPR. Mrs Joanne Arnold, the General Secretary, is the main data user.
The CFPSS is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office for Data Protection.
The CFPSS has never had a data breach but knows how to report one, should it happen.
7. Financial Review
Going concern
The trustees have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt a going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
Overall results
During the year ended 31 March 2025 the Charity made an operating loss of £(9,310) compared to loss of £(8,714) in 2023/24. With investment losses of
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£1562, there was an overall loss of £10872, compared to a gain of £1,242 in 2023/24.
As at 31 March 2025 investments were valued at £175,999 (2023/24: £207,561)
Total net assets at 31 March 2025 were £235,719 (2023/24: £246,591).
Trustee expenses
Trustee expenses during the year amounted to £235 for 1 Trustee (2023/24: £944 for 6 trustees). No trustees received any remuneration for work as a Trustee.
Reserves
Trustees aim to maintain reserves at a sufficient level to ensure our financial resilience and sustainability, including protecting the charity against identified risks. The Trustees aim to strike an appropriate balance between ensuring a sustainable financial position and using our available funds to fulfil our charitable mission. The Trustees aim to retain sufficient unrestricted funds to cover a year's running costs.
The charity has no long-term liabilities.
Investment Policy
The Charity's main sources of income are donations and legacies from members. It also receives returns on investments and interest on cash deposits and some income from the sale of books and copies of the Christian Parapsychologist to non-members.
The Charity's policy is to mitigate the risks presented by stock market volatility and the economic uncertainty by spreading its investments over a number of different types of funds and to move investments between funds from time to time to maximise returns. The funds are managed by the CCLA.
Risk Management
The Trustees have continued to assess the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are working to ensure that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate our exposure to them. Our risk assessment policy is reviewed twice-yearly.
During the year, the Charity set up a Risk Register, which will be reviewed annually.
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8. Future plans
In 2025-26, the Trustees plan to:
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a. publish two editions each of its two magazines The Christian Parapsychologist and The Fellowship Review;
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b. publish new books and booklets currently being worked on by the Publications Committee;
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c. hold an Annual Conference
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d. hold an online conference to celebrate the 50[th] Anniversary of the founding of The Christian Parapsychologist magazine.
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e. hold a residential retreat
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f. support and increase the in-person and online group network and special interest groups
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g. seek ways to get the CFPSS better known, including a tour round the UK.
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h. continue to look for new venues for conferences in order to vary where they are held and thus make them more accessible to members in various parts of the country.
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i. increase its presence on social media platforms
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j. find new ways to raise funds, increase membership and operate cost effectively
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k. further amend the CFPSS Constitution to allow electronic voting and enable overseas members to vote
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l. Change our accounting year end to 31 December.
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and
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application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees' report above.
Signed on their behalf:
Rev Canon Rose Maria Drew
Date: 16 January 2026
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The Chu¢8 Fellow8hlp lor Psychkal and Spifftual Studies Independed Examiners R&port to th¢ Tru81¢9s of The Churches Fellowship for Psychlcal and srItual Studles I reFMyi lo the chanty IruslèÈs or) my examInatK of the ac¢(wnts ol Ihe company for thè year ended 31st March 2025 which are set wt on pages 9 to 14. Respgn$lbllllkn$ and bas1$ of r•port s the charity Irustoes of Ihe company land also its dire(lors lor thè purwses of company lawl you are responsible for thè p¥8para.0n of the acrounts in ardance ilh the requirements the Companies Act 2006 1'lh8 2006 Act'i. Having s3tisf18d mysem that the acrx>unts ol Ihe Ix)rnpany are n?t required to be auditeLI uftder Parl 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for Independent exanatIOn. l Tep01 in respeu ot my examinaiion of your company's accounts as carried oul under secbon 145 of the Charits"es Act 2011 I'lhe 2011 Acl'l. In cafrying Dui my examination I have followed the Directions glven by the Charity Commis$M under sect+on 1495llbl of the 2011 Aci. Indopendent exomin•rfs statennt I have Completed my examinaticffj. I confimi that rKJ mattws have to my att8nticffi in connec11 1th thè examination giving me cause to belwe thal in any rnaterial respect 1.accountinq recL¥ds IK)t kepl In rewct of Ihe company as reouired by sect¥Jn 386 of the 2006 Act. 01 2 the accounts do not a¢cryd wththose rerAYds: or 3. the accounts do nol cOmY th Ihe cwnty"ng requirerrents of s8ctson 396 of ltte 2006 Acl other than any reouiremènl that the ac£Jnts give a'twe aThJ faw whith is not a matter ¢ow4ered a5 part of an ¢ndependont 8X8rn1nation'. or 4. the accounts have been twepargj in aCcordar 1th the meihods and pnn¢iples of the Statement of Recomrnended PraCce lor accounbng a1 p0th"r0 by charities appli(3ble to charities preparing their accounts In accordance the Financjal RerKKty'ThJ Starklard ap2e in the UK and RepuNic ol Ireland IFRS 1021 I have rrf) rAJncems and have rxxne across other matters in ¢(On Wih the èxaminth.on to %thich attenbon should be drabvn In thts rep(Nt in to enae a woper understsndirg of the %counts to be reached. 8owern Flomlng & Co Ltd IKJoil2C)2 Risegale Road Gosbfjrn Ris8gal8 Spalding nulnshire PE114EY
The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Income Cost of operating activities Gross income Interest received Expenses Wages, salaries and other staff costs Car, van and travel expenses Rent, rates, power and insurance costs Repairs and renewals of property and equipment Telephone, fax, stationery and other office costs Advertising and business entertainment costs Bank, credit card and other finance charges Accountancy, legal and other professional fees Depreciation and loss/(profit) on sale Other business expenses Loss Realised and unrealised (loss)/gain on investments |
2025 £ 46,593 14,652 31,941 669 28,675 670 4,981 337 5,541 97 15 1,152 318 134 41,920 (9,310) (1,562) (10,872) |
2024 £ 43,253 17,389 25,864 - 21,786 1,111 4,257 35 5,497 - - 1,296 191 405 34,578 (8,714) 9,956 1,242 |
|---|---|---|
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The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2025
| Notes Fixed assets Equipment, machinery and motor vehicles 3 Other fixed assets 4 Current assets Stock and work in progress Bank/building society balances Cash in hand Other current assets and prepayments Current liabilities Amounts due witin one year Net current assets Net assets Funds Unrestricted - General and HQ Restricted - Regional Fund |
12,367 45,346 78 4,360 |
2025 £ 1,272 175,999 177,271 58,448 235,719 230,051 5,668 235,719 |
12,944 29,455 56 1,000 |
2024 £ 763 207,561 208,324 38,267 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
62,151 |
43,455 |
|||
3,703 |
5,188 |
|||
| 246,591 | ||||
| 240,923 5,668 |
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| 246,591 |
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 16 January 2026 and signed on their behalf by
President - Rev Canon Rose Maria Drew
Treasurer - Ms Cherry Simpkin
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The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
1 Accounting basis
The accounts have been compiled on a basis that enables profits to be calculated in accordance with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice and that provides sufficient and relevant information to enable the completion of a tax return.
2 Profit and loss account analysis
| Income Income - Conferences and retreats Income - Donations and Membership Income - Investment income Income - Legacies Income - Sale of Christian Psycholgist Income - Profit on books, tapes and cd's Income - sundry Cost of sales Cost of Sales - Conference expenses Cost of sales - Quarterly review and CP Decrease in stocks Other business income Interest receivable Wages, salaries and other staff costs Wages and salaries Pensions Employee costs - Honorarium CP Car, van and travel expenses Travel and subsistence Rent, rates, power and insurance costs Rent Rates Light and heat Repairs and renewals of property and equipment Repairs and maintenance |
2025 £ 8,579 6,476 6,626 22,404 81 1,708 719 46,593 10,917 3,158 577 14,652 669 24,633 662 3,380 28,675 670 3,304 88 1,589 4,981 337 |
2024 £ 12,689 5,990 7,616 15,674 72 1,185 27 43,253 13,136 3,645 608 17,389 - 20,569 617 600 21,786 1,111 - - 4,257 4,257 35 |
|---|---|---|
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The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Telephone, fax, stationery and other office costs Telephone and internet 710 Postage 961 Stationery and printing 513 Information and publications 129 Software 1,420 Other insurance costs 1,808 5,541 Advertising and business entertainment costs Advertising and PR 97 Bank, credit card and other finance charges Bank charges 15 Accountancy, legal and other professional fees Accountants fees 720 Other legal and professional 432 1,152 Depreciation and loss/(profit) on sale Depreciation 318 Other business expenses Subscriptions 35 Other expenses 99 134 Realised and unrealised (loss)/gain on investments Gain/(loss) on revaluation of current asset investments - Liste (1,589) Income - Gain/(loss) on disposal of investments 27 (1,562) |
474 1,450 - 49 1,778 1,746 5,497 - - 1,296 - 1,296 191 - 405 405 8,449 1,507 9,956 |
|---|---|
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The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
3 Plant, machinery and motor vehicles
| Cost At 1 April 2024 Additions At 31 March 2025 Depreciation At 1 April 2024 Charge for the year At 31 March 2025 Net book value At 31 March 2025 At 31 March 2024 4 Investments Market value brought forward at 01 April 2024 Disposals Realised and unrealised gains Market value carried forward at 31 March 2025 5 Debtors Conference prepaid Retreat prepaid 6 Creditors PAYE control Pension control Membership fees in advance Accruals Member loan |
2025 £ 207,561 (30,000) (1,562) 175,999 3,860 500 4,360 702 132 2,869 3,703 |
Office Equipment £ 6,509 827 7,336 5,746 318 6,064 1,272 763 2024 £ 217,605 (18,493) 8,449 207,561 1,000 1,000 599 120 595 1,874 2,000 5,188 |
|---|---|---|
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The Churches Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
7 Movement in funds
| Unrestricted General & HQ Designated Regional fund Comparative year 31.03.24 Unrestricted General & HQ Designated Regional fund gional balances East Anglia South West South East London East Midlands North West Total |
Balance b/fwd 240,924 5,667 246,591 Balance b/fwd 239,681 5,667 245,348 |
income 47,261 47,261 income 43,252 43,252 |
loss on investmeexpenses 5,478 56,572 5,478 56,572 profit on investmexpenses 9,956 51,965 9,956 51,965 2,025 2,024 179 179 846 846 1,783 1,783 1,486 1,486 239 239 1,134 1,134 5,667 5,667 |
Balance c/fwd 226,135 5668 231,803 Balance c/fwd 240,924 5668 246,592 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
8 Regional balances
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