Lay Delegate Summary Report 2025
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.
A healthy church consists of:-
1) A church that worships in Spirit and Truth
2) A church that prays without ceasing
3) A church that constantly reaches the lost for Christ
4) A church that produces fully devoted disciples
5) A church that grows through multiplication
6) A church that ministers to the poor and disenfranchised
7) A church that engages in our World Missionary Movement
8) A church that is committed to placing mission ahead of method
God has called us together at Heysham FM to be a passionate & compassionate
family of believers who reach out into our community with the love of Jesus. Our church vision statement is “Helping people find & follow Jesus”
It has been a very fruitful year here at Heysham FM. We have journeyed through some sermon series’s in our morning and evening services:-
Journeying through the Gospel of Mark and Christmas and Easter series in the morning. A series in 1 John, ‘The Bible Course’ by Andrew Ollerton, the Seven Churches of Revelation series and the Book of Psalms series in the evening services.
Our weekly church outreach groups continue to thrive. Monday community coffee morning, Alpha courses and Friday mornings baby and toddler group (Little Fish) are all well attended.
The Heysham WhatsApp group helps people stay connected online. The prayer meetings continue to lead us close to God and many prayers have been answered this year. We are thankful to be able to pray for one another through the difficult times as well as the times of celebration.
The cafe area continues to provide a sanctuary and place for building friendships.
There are day time and evening Growth Groups. We meet together to study Gods Word, share together and support one another. We believe that life is done best when we are part of a smaller community within the larger community of the church.
We continue to be inspired by our growing HFM Youth Group. As they meet on a Sunday evening for fellowship and worship and as they serve in the church and help to lead the service on occasions and fellowship together in other social activities. As they discover a relationship with Jesus and grow in their walk with Him let us continue to pray from them and encourage them. We believe that young people are not just the ‘future’ of the church, they are an integral part of the church right now.
We are excited about the Ministry Sunday services that are getting underway to be a catalyst for encouraging people of all ages to discover their God given gifts and use them to serve the Lord and others.
We had a fruitful eight day outreach into our community. We were joined by several students from Capernwray Bible College for this. The week included visiting a local Care Home, Coffee Morning, Prayer Meetings & Devotionals, a Youth Service, Prayer Walking in our community, Litter Picking, a Community Car Wash and a Treasure Hunt in the neighbourhood. It didn’t stop there, we had a Children's Pancake Party, Ladies Bowling & Supper Night, a Mens Curry Night and a Movie Night for the young people. There was even an afternoon of ‘Giving of Gifts’ to Community Workers in our area to say thank you for all they do.
We continue to give 15% of our Church Income to our Mission Partners. We have regular updates online and sometimes in person from CAP (Christians against Poverty), Open Doors for the persecuted church worldwide, NISCU for the work of Christians in our schools, Stand By Me, Christian Concern, West End Impact and others. Our Harvest Sunday Offering went to the work of Tearfund in South Sudan. Over 20 bags of groceries, along with bags of fruit & veg from our Harvest display were taken down to West End Impact.
We continue to be Salt and Light to our community as we seek to share the Love of Jesus with everyone. This Church year we had a ‘Light Party’ which was our Halloween Alternative. It was a well attended outreach with 70-80 people there as we focussed on Jesus as ‘The Light Of The World”
The Leadership Team continues to meet fortnightly for Prayer and to seek Gods Vision for His Church. We have all benefited from the vision meetings we have had together in the social area. We are having an increasing number of people worshipping with us on Sundays. Let us seek God together as we see Him moving in our midst.
Being in church on Sunday continues to be a time of blessing. The Baptismal services have been an inspiration to all of us.
The Sunday School & Crèche Teams, the Prayer Groups, Stewards, Catering, Admin & Maintenance, Tech Teams, Worship Group, those who Counsel, Preach, Listen and the many who work behind the scenes! We are truly blessed to serve God together. It is good to be reminded at the end of our working church year just how much we need each other and how blessed we are to serve God together in our community.
We thank God for Pastor Marks faithful ministry and Pastoral Care in the last year. Let us continue to pray together as we seek Gods guidance for an Associate Pastor to come alongside Mark and help us see others finding and following Jesus.
Yours In Christ
Sandra Parker (Lay Delegate)
Morecambe & Heysham Free Methodist Church Income & Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 December 2024
| INCOME General Offerings Gift Aid Offerings Gift Aid (Refund) Other Income Pastor's Contingency (previously Acts 2 Fund) Harvest Love Christmas Gift Day Fund Ladies Dinner Teen Challenge Children's worker Open Doors Saltmine Sunday School Tear Fund Funds from Heart Church for their share of expenses: Faithlife CCLI Note 1 ThirtyOne Eight Insurance Note 1 Dan's Tax & NI Dan's Pension Dan's Death in service policy Heart Church share of expenses netted off expenditure Total Operating Income |
47,324 53,335 19,970 2,200 1,289 - - 530 423 11,777 327 61 151 - - - 26 - 5,870 3,343 - |
2024 120,629 16,758 9,239 (9,239) 137,387 |
45,820 43,519 18,383 536 1,139 390 3,400 450 - - - - - 879 100 700 75 700 4,319 3,089 - |
2023 107,721 6,794 8,983 (8,983) 114,515 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Heart Church Income & Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 December 2024
| INCOME General Offerings Gift Aid Offerings Gift Aid (Refund) Restricted Funds Other income Orchard conference Alpha book donation Love Christmas Xcel conference Total Operating Income EXPENDITURE Church Rent & Room hire Ministry Budgets Pastor Net Salary Pension Death in service Tax and National Insurance Other Expenses: Publicity New Equipment Sundry expenses Pastor Travel Pastor Study Ministry Learning ThirtyOne Eight Licences Insurance Visiting Preachers Stationery Pastoral Gocardless Churchsuite Evangelical Alliance Tithe Independent examination fees Orchard conference Community & fellowship events Xcel conference Be Still Course Website & emails Love Christmas Total operating expenditure Operating (deficit)/surplus |
25,633 21,213 5,408 1,180 - 4,040 562 4,988 842 26,315 3,343 702 5,867 1,671 1,614 971 368 1,731 230 26 - - 800 63 183 225 108 3,600 552 1,226 941 1,325 112 458 7,075 |
2024 28,670 29,315 2,895 52,254 1,680 21 5,258 - 5,782 58,036 4,853 979 5,829 24,200 3,089 747 4,294 36,227 1,668 299 1,082 584 313 450 87 700 700 977 338 500 178 108 2,500 600 1,632 1,357 - - 350 7,488 23,277 65,333 (7,297) |
2023 60,879 6,959 67,838 5,832 32,330 21,911 60,073 7,766 |
|---|---|---|---|
- General offerings includes £6,000 of funding from HFMC.
Notes:
HFMC Income and Expenditure: Page 2
EXPENDITURE
| Church Water Electricity Fire/Gas Safety Testing Gas Gardening 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 2 Groups Creche Little Fish Sunday School HFM Youth/ Teens |
255 2,674 986 4,482 1,491 935 3,395 5,058 212 19,487 1,998 689 981 282 3,950 3,453 24,190 681 (22) - - 5,740 34,043 250 - 777 312 1,339 |
333 2,108 1,159 4,127 1,283 877 3,174 1,386 212 14,661 1,910 757 280 792 3,738 3,268 23,901 721 - - - 3,477 31,367 11 320 711 159 1,201 |
|---|---|---|
HFMC Income and Expenditure: Page 3
Expenditure (continued)
| Other Expenses Child Protection (CCPAS) Community/Fellowship Events Conference Licenses External Mission Allocation (15%) Insurance Pastoral & Contingency Printing & Stationery Publicity Sundry Expenses Pastor Sabbatical Gocardless Churchsuite Evangelical Alliance Discretionary funding of Heart Church Iris Payroll Mailchimp Independent examination fees Restricted Funds Acts 2 Fund Gift Day Fund Harvest Heart Church Love Christmas Tear Fund Teen Challenge Total operating expenditure Operating surplus |
229 3,275 4,618 1,418 16,372 3,485 1,782 719 299 2,449 - 318 126 6,000 209 200 840 - 2,174 1,289 5,408 - - 423 |
42,338 9,294 110,452 26,935 |
259 2,355 4,728 807 12,045 2,748 533 501 115 2,149 613 318 126 5,625 193 206 840 778 2,993 1,139 7,466 500 879 |
34,162 13,755 98,883 15,632 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Notes:
- No Licences or Insurance contributions deemed necessary from Heart Church this year. 2. Employment allowance claimed this year.
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 2024.
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.
J V Beckett Taylor, Robertson & Willett Limited Accountants 95 King Street Lancaster Lancashire LA1 1RH
29 April 2025
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 2024. 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.
J V Beckett Taylor, Robertson & Willett Limited Accountants 95 King Street Lancaster Lancashire LA1 1RH
29 April 2025