BOARD REPORT for 2022
This extract from a letter sent by Mary Baker Eddy to the Christian Science church in Lawrence is very apt for the progress witnessed by Woking church during this last year, “He will dig about this little church, prune its encumbering branches, water it with the dews of heaven, enrich its roots, and enlarge its borders with divine Love”.
The first thing I would like to mention is how thrilled we were to welcome Irene into our church family this year and she is already proving to be a great blessing to us.
The Board is profoundly grateful to our church members for their dedication and willingness to readily act and “afford proof its utility”. When the opportunity arose to avail ourselves of an offer made by the Westminster Fund to extend our Reading Room hours, we immediately expressed our interest and a beautiful enfoldment ensued which our Librarian will describe in detail in her report.
With further outreach in mind, we decided that we should review our contract with Kimberley Hancock, who manages our presence in the media. After consultation with her and careful consideration, we decided that we should continue to use her expertise. As this would entail considerable expense, we contacted Trust Brit and enquired whether funding would be available for the venture. To our delight, Trust Brit generously made funds available for us to continue to employ Kimberley Hancock, who now manages our website and ensures that Woking church has a presence on both Facebook and Instagram.
For some time it had become increasingly apparent that our church’s heating system was inefficient and that a radical update was necessary. Yet again when Trust Brit was approached for financial assistance, they readily came to our aid, enabling us to completely renew the system, which should result in a significant reduction in our electricity bills. This system enables one of our members to control the heating remotely and we are very grateful for the care she takes to ensure a warm and comfortable church.
We really appreciate the generosity of Trust Brit and the Westminster Fund which has enabled us to move forward over the last year. The Board would also like to express its gratitude to our beloved membership for the unity and willingness shown in support of our decisions to increase our outreach and ensure that the church building is a place that offers a warm welcome both physically and spiritually to seeker of the Truth.
As hymn 82 says, “God is working His purpose out as year succeeds to year.
Andy Mitchell Chairman of the Board
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Woking
| Statement of Receipts & Payments for | the Year to 31st December 2022 | the Year to 31st December 2022 | the Year to 31st December 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Fund | 2022 | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Receipts | ||||
| Collections and Donations | £1,959.55 | £2,202.21 | ||
| Gift Aid | £11,691.74 | £10,422.36 | ||
| Car Park Rental | £11,850.00 | £8,505.00 | ||
| Church Hire | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
| Interest and grants | £11,899.13 | £488.75 | ||
| Total income | £37,400.42 | £21,618.32 | ||
| Reading Room a/c - increase/decrease | -£944.43 | £974.89 | ||
| Total Receipts | £36,455.99 | £22,593.21 | ||
| Payment: Church Expenses | ||||
| Music | £4,289.70 | £3,294.00 | ||
| Payment for Services | £2,132.50 | £2,514.00 | ||
| Electricity and Water | £6,964.82 | £6,097.81 | ||
| House, Garden, Insurance | £17,309.71 | £3,389.27 | ||
| Telephone and Advertising | £1,668.45 | £3,058.39 | ||
| Lectures, Reading Room, Web maintenance | £8,486.85 | £4,896.86 | ||
| Donations*, Building Work | £1,805.00 | £3,484.00 | ||
| Total | £42,657.03 | £26,734.33 | ||
| Total Payments | £42,657.03 | £26,734.33 | ||
| Net Receipts for the Year | -£6,201.04 | -£4,141.12 | ||
| Bank Balances brought forward | £39,246.20 | £43,387.32 | ||
| Bank balances Carried forward | £33,045.16 | £39,246.20 | ||
| Monetary Assets | ||||
| Bank Balance Current | £2,257.00 | £7,513.61 | ||
| Transfers from C/A | -£10,000.00 | -£20,000.00 | ||
| Transfers to C/A | £30,000.00 | £22,257.00 | £20,000.00 | £7,513.61 |
| Interest earning Account | £30,000.00 | £30,000.00 | ||
| Transfers from D/A | -£30,000.00 | -£20,000.00 | ||
| Transfers to D/A | £10,000.00 | £10,000.00 | £20,000.00 | £30,000.00 |
| Bank Balance Reading Room | £788.16 | £1,732.59 | ||
| Closing Reserves | £33,045.16 | £39,246.20 | ||
| Liability to The Christian Science Publishing Society | ($124.17) | $1441.10 |
Page 1 of 2 - signed - R Newth…......................................P Woolston…..................................................
| Asset and Donations statement Reading Room Stock Value of Buildings Contents Organ Sound and Computer Systems Other Details Donations Joint CSRR UK donation Auxilliary Committee Donation Mini Focus Pension Trust CS nurses donation Visiting Nurse Service donation Aid Fund CS need nursing donation Hawthorne Trust donation Whitehaven Trust donation Mountlands Trust donation Prison Chaplains Committee The Mother Church FCCS Reading Easter Camp Focus Total Insurance Lecture Legacy* |
2022 1,999.34 995,803.00 56,823.00 78,641.00 9,098.00 500.00 750.00 195.00 1,445.00 1,334.26 2,729.71 |
2021 2,148.45 922,029.00 53,606.00 74,189.00 8,583.00 184.00 |
|---|---|---|
| 184.00 | ||
| 1,316.99 1,846.62 |
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees:
As trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and you consider that the audit requirement of Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of the procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under Section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.
I have examined the books and records of 1st Church of Christ, Scientist, Woking together with the information, documents and explanations provided. I hereby certify that the above Balance Sheet & Income & Expenditure Account, and the attached Asset & Donations statement present a fair representation of the financial activities of the Church for the year ended 31 December 2022 and of its financial position as of 31 December 2022. Signed:
____ ____ Roger Newth - Independent Examiner Pete Woolston - Treasurer
Page 2 of 2
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Woking:
I report to the Charity trustees on my examination of the accounts for the above for the year ended 31 December 2022.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act'). I report in respect of my examination of the accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement - matters of concern identified and recommendations
I have examined the books and records of 1st Church of Christ Scientist, Woking together with the information, documents and explanations provided. I hereby certify that the Balance Sheet & Income & Expenditure Account and the attached Asset & Donations statement present a fair representation of the financial activities of the Church for the year ended 31 December 2022 and of its financial position as of 31 December 2022.
In completing my examination, I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept as required by section 130 of the Act: or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records.
However, there are certain matters that I feel require comment/action as follows in future:
- I have discussed various matters with the Treasurer and suggested changes to some processes, which will be considered and taken forward with the Board.
I confirm that there are no other matters to which your attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed…………………….................(Independent Examiner)
Roger Newth – 8 February 2023