Lay Delegate Summary Report 2023
The annual Lay Delegate report is structured around eight characteristics in the life of the Free Methodist Church which we believe make up a healthy Church. These are approved by Conference and can be found in the Free Methodist Church UK and Ireland Handbook.
- 1) A Healthy Church Worships in Spirit and Truth - Nothing can fully heal our souls, emotions and relationships more thoroughly than true worship of God.
- 2) A Healthy Church Prays Without Ceasing - Prayer takes us beyond ourselves and emphasises our dependence on God.
- 3) A Healthy Church Constantly Reaches the Lost for Christ - Statistics show that over 75% of those who become Christians do so because of the testimony, deeds and encouragement of someone they trust.
- 4) A Healthy Church is an Enfolding Community that Produces Fully Devoted Disciples - We want everyone to feel that they belong and know that they have a place. We value small groups within the church as an effective environment for the discipleship and care of all believers.
- 5) A Healthy Church Grows through Multiplication - Within the church, we should regularly see the reproduction of disciples, leaders, groups and congregations.
- 6) A Healthy Church Ministers to the Poor and Disenfranchised - People who feel disconnected with society because of their condition, ethnicity or status need to both hear and see the good news of God’s grace.
- 7) A Healthy Church Engages in our World Missionary Movement - Every local church is encouraged to participate in our world missionary movement by praying, supporting or going.
- 8) A Healthy Church Organises around its Mission - We are committed to placing mission ahead of method. When a church understands its mission, making decisions about structure and function becomes clearer.
We believe God has called us at Heysham Free Methodist Church to be a passionate and compassionate family of believers, reaching out to our community with the love of Jesus. With this heart, our Church Vision Statement is: “Helping People Find and Follow Jesus”
As we reflect on this year of ministry let’s remember the Goodness of God and the many Ways He has worked through the lives of every believer here at the Church to help others on their journey toward Faith in Jesus Christ.
We continue to pray and support Heart Church. It continues to be our privilege to be in partnership with our Church Plant as it grows in the heart of Morecambe.
This year we have seen many ministries blossom and grow within church life at Heysham FM:
Alpha courses, Discipleship groups, Fellowship Lunches and Sunday at 5pm gathering for worship, teaching and sharing.
The Heysham WhatsApp group continues to help people stay connected and the daytime and evening Growth Groups bring us together mid week.
The Monday Community Coffee morning reaches out each week. We have had Sunday Lunch picnics together after the morning service and community outreaches that have taken place - Litter Picking and Barbecue on the Beach.
The Netball team meet during the season every Wednesday evening in the league and always share a Gospel message. Our Parent, Baby and Toddler Group called ‘Little Fish’ meet every Friday in the church. On Sunday evenings there is a growth group here at church for young people.
During the Sunday morning service Crèche and Sunday School faithfully provide ministry for our young children. The music group and worship leaders continue to lead us close to God in worship and we have journeyed together through several sermon series’s. The cafe area has provided a place to fellowship and build friendships and we are thankful for all those who cater for this in the kitchen and behind the scenes with cleaning and maintaining the church building and the manse. The Leadership Team continues to meet fortnightly for prayer and to seek God’s Vision for His Church.
To be a multiplying church we recognise the need to encourage one another in prayer. We have a Tuesday morning prayer meeting, a prayer chain for specific prayers, a prayer meeting before the morning service and a prayer ministry team available after the morning service. The growth groups also meet to pray in smaller groups.
The Men’s Conference and the Ladies Christmas dinner were both held again this year. There was Christmas Carol singing at Heysham Christmas market and doorstep Carols with our Nativity Trailer around the Heysham community. We now have a new Church Logo, Branding and Church Suite in progress. As we move forward in our internet world we are grateful for modern technology and our younger leaders who can manage it all! As well as those who faithfully keep up with all the changes on the sound desk.
Let’s not forget the wonder of our world and celebrate the wild garden we are in the process of growing on the front lawn and the cross looking so wonderful as it stands out in the long grass in the turning circle.
I am sure I have not covered all our amazing ministries that are blossoming and growing this year. But thank you to you all, God knows you by name. May I leave you with this thought. The Church that gets down in the mess of the wounded and weary and holds out their hand to lift someone up, is the Church through which Jesus is miraculously working. May we continue, with the Lord’s help and presence in our lives, to be that kind of Church.
Yours In Christ
Sandra Parker Lay Delegate HFM
## **Morecambe & Heysham Free Methodist Church Income & Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 December 2022**
|**INCOME**
General Offerings
Gift Aid Offerings
Gift Aid (Refund)
**Other Income**
Acts 2 Fund
Harvest
Church Revitalisation Trust
Drum Fund
Dishwasher Fund
Keswick Convention (Funeral)
Loop Fund
Love Christmas
New Microphones
Videoswicther
Ukraine
Gift Day Fund
Ladies Dinner
**Funds from Heart Church for their share of expenses:**
Faithlife
CCLI
Training
Child protection
Insurance
Dan's Tax & NI
Dan's Pension
Dan's Death in service policy
Heart Church share of expenses netted off expenditure
**Total Operating Income**
**HFMC Income and Expenditure: Page 2**
**EXPENDITURE**
**Church**
Water
Electricity
Fire/Gas Safety Testing
Gas
Gardening|46,006
41,031
15,245|**2022**
39,890
50,519
14,638
102,282
1,666
2,190
1,750
600
2,150
380
660
820
65
545
-
-
-
12,254
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
10,288
(10,288)
**114,535**
130
997
969
1,671
877|39,890
50,519
14,638|**2021**
105,047
10,826
-
-|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||516
1,658
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
360
9,498
222||
1,666
2,190
1,750
600
2,150
380
660
820
65
545
-
-
-||
||101
650
388
297
625
5,505
1,965
757||
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-||
||278
2,122
1,101
4,392
939||||
|||||**115,873**|
|||||
|
|Telephone & Broadband
Cleaning
General Maintainance
Window Cleaning
**Manse**
Rates
Telephone
Maintenance
Water
**Pastor**
Pension
Net Salary
Death in service policy
**Assistant Pastor**
Pension
Net Salary
Death in service policy
**Total Tax and National Insurance**
Note 1
**Groups**
Creche
Little Fish
Sunday School
**HFMC Income and Expenditure: Page 3**
**Other Expenses**
Community/Fellowship Events
Conference
Printing & Stationery
External Mission Allocation (15%)
Assistant Pastor Travel
Assistant Pastor Study
Publicity
Licences
Note 2
Child protection
Pastoral & Contingency
Sundry Expenses
Insurance
Gocardless Churchsuite
Evangelical Alliance
Payroll software
Mailchimp
Independent examination fees
Training
Discretionary funding of Heart Church|750
691
2,786
1,980
3,489
4,611
200
200
**16,056**
**12,125**
1,833
1,764
701
706
1,712
195
677
670
**4,924**
**3,335**
3,132
3,050
22,145
21,549
1,112
-
963
2,852
7,544
22,481
363
-
**10,289**
**11,041**
**45,548**
**60,974**
-
170
285
29
649
612
**934**
**811**
**Expenditure (continued)**
2,455
965
4,716
4,632
272
82
10,695
14,645
131
344
199
365
416
185
(231)
2,228
406
166
460
467
2,108
5,498
2,587
2,660
318
318
126
116
172
165
165
43
570
510
1,724
-
4,875
-
**32,165**
**33,389**|
|---|---|
|**Restricted Funds**
Acts 2 Fund
Harvest
Heart Church
Dishwasher Fund
Drum Fund
Keswick Convention
Loop Fund
Love Christmas
New Microphone
Revitalisation Trust
Ukraine
Gift Day Fund
**Total operating expenditure**
**Operating surplus/(deficit)**|860
1,660
3,351
-
-
-
-
-
-
750
360
7,731|
**14,712**|2,001
2,190
1,298
2,146
600
380
660
1,322
65
-
-
-|
**10,661**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||
||
|||**114,339**||**121,295**|
||||||
|||**196**||**(5,422)**|
**Notes:**
1. Tax & National insurance expense is £4,184.29 higher than it should be due to Employment Allowance being claimed after the year end.
2. Licences is net of £750.90 from Heart Church towards Faithlife & CCLI. CCLI covering the period ended 31 January 2023
## **Heart Church**
## **Income & Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 December 2022**
|**INCOME**
General Offerings
Note 1
Gift Aid Offerings
Gift Aid (Refund)
**Total Operating Income**
**EXPENDITURE**
**Church**
Rent & Room hire
Ministry Budgets
**Pastor**
Pension
Net Salary
Death in service policy
**Tax and National Insurance**
**Other Expenses**
Printing & Stationery
Pastor Travel
Pastor Study
Visiting Speakers
Publicity
Ministry Learning
Copyright licences
Child protection (CCPAS)
Pastoral & Contingency
Sundry Expenses
Insurance
Gocardless Churchsuite
Evangelical Alliance
Training
New Equipment
Tithe
**Total operating expenditure**
**Operating surplus/(deficit)**|29,517
17,940
3,358|**2022**
50,815|3,318
5,225
1,298|**2021**
9,841|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||3,948
1,772||
300
-||
|||**50,815**||**9,841**|
|||
**5,719**
**23,608**
**13,109**||
**300**
**-**
**11,181**|
||1,965
15,381
757
**5,505**||
-
-
-
**-**||
||107
572
62
265
2,007
1,296
751
297
100
2,545
625
72
45
388
3,476
500||
-
-
-
-
492
-
-
-
-
1,317
-
-
-
-
9,372
-||
||||
||
|||**42,436**||**11,481**|
||||||
|||**8,380**||**(1,641)**|
**Notes:**
1. General offerings includes £4,875 of funding from HFMC. £6,000 per year to be received, for a period of 3 years.
**Independent Examiners’ Report to the Members of**
## **Morecambe & Heysham Free Methodist Church**
I report on the income and expenditure account of the charity for the year ended 31[st] December 2022
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is required.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a `true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statements below.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: (i) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
- (ii) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act;
- have not been met; or
- (b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
S P Slater Taylor, Robertson & Willett Limited Chartered Certified Accountants 95 King Street Lancaster Lancashire LA1 1RH
17 May 2023
## **Independent Examiners’ Report to the Members of**
## **Heart Church**
I report on the income and expenditure of the Heart Church bank account for the year ended 31[st] December 2022. This report is supplementary to my report on the income and expenditure account of Morecambe & Heysham Free Methodist Church.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is required.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a `true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statements below.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: (i) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
- (ii) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act;
- have not been met; or
- (b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
S P Slater Taylor, Robertson & Willett Limited Chartered Certified Accountants 95 King Street Lancaster Lancashire LA1 1RH
17 May 2023