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Franche Community Church, Chestnut Grove, Kidderminster, DY11 5QA
Registered Charity Number 701151
’ st – st Trustees Annual report for the period 1 January 31 December 2021
Franche Community Church is registered with the Charity Commission and governed by a Constitution. The Church is led by the Minister and an Elder, who chairs the Trustees, and they are continuing to develop a wider support team to assist them in the oversight of the growing work. They function through full consultation with the other Trustees and members of the Church.
The Trustees meet monthly to oversee all aspects of the charity and to receive reports from the Minister, Food Bank Manager, Treasurer and the Chair of the Trustees. During this unsettled period we have managed our responsibilities and can report that the Charity has continued in a good position throughout 2021, despite the ongoing uncertainty with regards to Covid-19.
The continued aim of the Charity is to serve the community in Franche by providing both spiritual and practical help, through support and guidance for its members and anyone within the wider Wyre Forest area of Kidderminster, Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn in the county of Worcestershire.
Some of those who view Franche Community Church as their church are actively involved and included as volunteers within a wide range of tasks, from simply providing a listening ear, to open advice, food box packers and distributors. We seek to offer support through our connections with various Franche, Marlpool and Habberley groups, and with County, District and Town Councillors and Council Officers.
Our Minister also seeks to pray and offer spiritual support (through the joy, hope and the blessing of the Christian Faith), within the Church and the wider community to anyone who requests this. He continues to work with the local schools, councillors, agencies and the wider community. He is increasing our connections with other charities working in our area, including this year agreeing to be a director for our local Home Start group. He continues to be involved in the operation of a “Messy Church” based at a local school, which is the joint effort of three local churches, and this is planned to recommence at Easter 2022.
We are a Church seeking to support everyone in the Wyre Forest through connecting and communicating with our local community. Our premises are located in the heart of the Franche estate adjacent to Franche Community Primary School. We have continued operating on Tuesday and Friday for the Food Bank distribution of food and bread, and have
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reopened the building for other events as permitted during the continuing Covid-19 outbreak.
Requests by referrals for Food Bank support have grown enormously and with the help and good enterprises of local schools, churches and businesses, personal contributions and regular collections from local supermarkets and working with the Kidderminster Food Bank, we have been able to sustain this work and distribute food as required, throughout the year.
During 2021, we have also received funding from The Intouch Foundation, the Wyre Forest District Council’s Covid Winter & Summer Relief Funds, WFDC Covid Recovery Grant, Worcestershire County Council’s Covid Relief Fund, Community Housing and directly from the Lottery Community Fund which has helped us to improve our infrastructure with improved food storage and the general running costs of the Food Bank.
Other significant financial support has come from All Churches Trust Fund, Bewdley Rotary Club, Grantham York Trust, Franche Community School, Hope Church, MB Distribution and Kidderminster Male Voice Choir.
Franche Community Church’s established Food Bank provides a unique distribution service to the community with emergency food boxes packed to meet individual and family needs, distributed only to those referred to us by the Community Housing Group, Citizens Advice, Job Centre Plus, WFDC Hub, Barnardo’s and Brookside Children’s Centres, Home Start, Onside Advocacy (and other NHS affiliates), St Basil’s Hostel, various churches and local schools, as well as other charities and community groups.
This year, we have altered our regular Sunday morning worship service, our vision has changed to include eating together, and creating a welcoming church family that is open to everyone. To make it all inclusive we have begun to focus on spreading the Christian message to families, young people and those who have never heard it or been to a church. Alongside which we continue to meet to pray on a weekly basis for the needs of our community, the nation, and the mission of the church, by using Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Zoom meetings; we seek to encourage the learning and practice of an evangelical, charismatic, Godly and Biblical lifestyle that can impact those who regularly attend, along with those who visit occasionally either online or in person.
We are looking to continually improve the facilities as funds permit. This year we have upgraded our lighting to LED’s and have improved our audio visual equipment (received from grants). This has enabled us to further our vision to provide facilities for the local community in a safe and friendly environment, and also connect with the wider community through
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social media. We also continue to offer off-road parking in an area of Franche that is often congested.
Given the current trends in donating to charities in general we are thankful for the support we receive from our members and other contributors, both individuals and organisations that faithfully support our work.
2021 has been another very difficult year for the Charity with so many unknowns making planning extremely difficult, with lockdowns, the closure of buildings, the restrictions on worship and an exploding demand for Food Bank support.
Restrictions have also meant that we have been unable to let the building for part of this year, thus reducing one of the regular income streams for the Charity, with a direct impact on the community at large.
Overall we have been surprised and delighted by the increased support we have received both financially and voluntarily. However this has placed an enormous strain on the team running the Food Bank.
We ended the year still in a place of limbo with no clear pathway out of the virus and thus are still finding it difficult at this stage to plan for the future. We have struggled to establish a budget or plan for the future; however we are confident that the Charity is secure going forward and will be able to recover the lost ground once all restrictions are lifted as we are maintaining communication with those in the community looking for suitable facilities.
Through the input of our independent Examiner we continue to revise our methods of accounting by improving our monthly spreadsheets which has enabled the Trustees to have a more transparent view of the Charity’s finances.
The Trustees of Franche Community Church are Sam Guille, Minister; Paul Guille, Chair; Richard Hague; Jayne Maclean and John Balcon, Manager of the Food Bank.
Treasurer is Mrs Barbara Guille.
Our independent Examiner is Mr. John Scott.
His report is attached with this report.
Franche Community Church is overseen by the National Pioneer Network of Churches.
The Church is also a member of The Evangelical Alliance.
Locally we are involved with ‘Churches Together in Kidderminster’ working with them and other ministers and churches in the Wyre Forest area to
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provide support to each other and in the community as our local area requires, and we are also connected with the Kidderminster and Husum Twinning Association participating in a currently Covid deferred visit from Germany, being re-planned for June 2022.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Paul Guille
FRANCHE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Summary of Financial Activities For the Period 1st January to 31st December 2021
| UnrestrictedRestricted funds funds Total funds INCOME Planned giving 6675 6675 Collections and undesignated giving 7515 7515 Gifts to Church 3354 3354 Other voluntary receipts 0 0 Gift Aid recovered 0 0 Investments 0 0 Food bank 58983 58983 Receipts from Church Hire 1953 1953 Total income 19497 58983 78480 EXPENDITURE Missionary and Charitable giving 482 482 Clergy and Stafng costs 17666 17666 Church Running Expenses 14478 14478 Food Bank 42984 42984 Total expenditure 32626 42984 75610 Net income/ (expenditure) resources before transfe -13129 15999 2870 |
Previous Year 10233 4174 15526 868 3470 0 39795 717 |
|---|---|
| 74783 872 15160 8736 30460 |
|
| 55228 |
Statements of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Savings Account Co-operative Bank Total Current Assets |
0 40710 |
|---|---|
| 40710 |
Signed on behalf of Trustees
Paul Guille (Chairman)
IndepeTrJent examiw's r¢port to the trustees of Fr(Ve Cornrnw¥ty Chwch
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Exomine the Occ0$ Secti 145 of the 2011 Act:
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