Mothenvell South Parish Church Mothenmell South Parish Church, Mothenmellu (Church of Scotland) Annual Report & Accounts for year ending 31st December 2024 Charity Number: SC008601 Congregational Number: 171133 Motherwell South Parish Church of Scotland Trustees. Annual Report Year ended 31 December 2024 The trustees present the annual ￿pOrt and accounts for Motherwell South Parish Church of Scotland for the year ended 31st Detrmber 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting poliaes set out in pages 15 and 16 and comply with the General Assembly Regulations for Congregational Finance, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scouand) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Prattl￿ appliCat￿e to charities preparing their accounts in accordan￿ with the Financial Reportlng Standard appllcable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published on tst January 2019. Objectives and Activities The Church of Scottand is Trinitarian in doctrine, Reformed in tradition and Presbyterian in polty. It exists to glorify God and to work for the advan￿ment of Chrisys ￿ngdoM throughout the world. As a national Church, it aCkno￿edgeS a distinctive oll and duty to bring the ordinances of ￿ligIOn to the people in every parish of Scotland through a territorial ministry. It ctroperates wtth other Churches in various ecumenical tjodies in Scouand and beyond. The parish of Motherwell South extends to mver the south side of Motherwell, tordering both Hamilton, W15haw and Larkhall. Motherwell South ParÉsh Church (MSPC) is governed by a Unitary Constitution. The Vlsion Statement for the congregation is as follows: ision otherwelL South: reaEhiiJg i reachina out The vision cascddes into a Mis￿On statemenL f￿sing on key areas of the church's ministry and mission. Mission Mott,iervvell Stiuth. Is a church: whère worshiping Christ is centrAI to OUF Ilfé, sThaping us, worship is,impotsnL It. should be alive and ffièahingfvl- We also seè the'ii)Iport.ance of We will.enablè,pe@p'te tè,wse the" gifts they havé in seNiMg.Jesus,iTh this (thurch.. WÈ will iély on t,he power of prayer to dIr￿t us, ari(* we will r£ac. k out im the name @f Jèsus to Every activty that the congregation undertakes is rne35ured agalnst a set of core objectives in order that our vision can be r￿liSed and that as a charity we make an impact in our local community and beyond in the furtheran￿ of religion (thristian fatth)- Achievements and Performance In our endeavours to keep moving forward as a thurch, the Trustees of Mothewell South Parish Church continue to reach out to the local communty so that everyone knows Motherwell South is 'their' church a5 well a5 '0urf church, as well as "thrisvs Church.. Faith and Worship The main SerVI￿ of worship takes place at 11am on Sunday mornings. While this is an in-person Se￿￿, the same Servi￿ is live streamed and heavy investment has been made in thi5 technology to enhan￿ the experience for those watching online. The use of front facing CaMe￿S was augmented in 2024 with the prowsion of speakers on the chancel area to assist WFth sound Improvements for those leading or facilitating worship. Attendan￿ on Sunday moming5 range5 from 150 and 190 people in the sanduaryi with over 300 watching our live stream or recordings most W￿ks. Additional services of worship tske pla￿ throughout the year. on￿ a month the santtuary is opened for Quiet Day Worship, when people drop into the church for reflettion - there are usually several stations carefully designed around the sanctuary to ftcilitate meditation and contemplation. In 2024 we continued to host the annual Chrtsknas Remembrance servi￿ with local Funeral Dlrector Dundas Fyfe. This continually eX￿ed$ expectation5 with over 120 attendingi many of whom have no church connertion, but who gmpty wish to mark the death of a loved one. In October 2024 we came together with St Margareys Churth fvr a joint sewi￿, ￿lebrating Communion. This was arranged wtth a Mew to the Presbytery Mission Plan which states that we are to unite wlth St Margareys thurch. The seryitr was a marked 5ucce55 with participation from the office bearer5 of both congregations. It should also be noted that MotherweIl South has a very good partnership with another local church who use our sanctuary and premi%5 for their worship. 'Momentum' ts a youth church that meets 4 times annually and which hosfs 150 teenage￿ and young aduits for worshlp, This is an eX￿ptionallY unique circumstance, and one that we are very proud of, as it demonstrates the openness of the Trustees to be indusive and sUPPOrtive of other church gmups. e Kirk Session took the decision in 2024 tr) hold our Christma5 Natsvtty outdoors with donkey, hor5e5 and a cast of tfjng5, Shepherd5 and Angels. A proce55ion of several hundred people round part of our parish was a reFnarkable event, attracting many from within the community and was followed by a Short nativity play in the sanctuary and a than￿ to sample the food delights of the Bethlehem Bazaar. This initiative has the tM)tential to grow ￿ther in future years. Giring Throughout the church year, spelial offertngs of food, gtfts or donation5 are made, and these are given to local chartties such as Reach Ou¢ thristian ￿d, Ersknne and Women s Ald. In addition, we hosted our annual Christmas ReMemb￿n￿ sdvI￿ in partnership wtth Dundas Fyfe. and we hosted a fabulous fundraising Brunch in partne￿[p with our Boys, Brigade Company to help them with their Camp Trip to Aviemore. Our links with Reach Out have continued. Reath Out aims to provide foc(t and friendship for those who are horneless or who are tdcing challenging arcufflstances in their lives. Guests are served a 2 course meal every Wednesday wth 15-40 attending. We help to resource this by provldlng provisions through our Harvest Thanksgivtng service and a Christinas Gift Servi￿. Minister and Elder5 continue to phone and vi5tt people in their own homes and in hospital, and due to the additional strain on manyi M5PCs link wth extemal coun5elling agents has sadly been utilised on several occasions this past year. We have observed great commitrnent by some of our ￿derS who not only provide pastoral visitatlon to people in the parish, but who additsonally drive people to h05Pital appointments, tske the elderly out for day trtps, and care for those livtng locally who have the greatest needs. In addition, our commitrnent to griemng familie5 15 supported by those Efders who asstst with all the rine details of the ￿neral such as flowers, arranging a Welcome Team and liaising with Funeral Dlrectors. The support offered by these Etders is greaty valued by the bereaved. UpN)n the anniversary of a bereavement, MSPC sends a card to the ftmily or next of kin - 90 people received a card in the past 12 months. The church also leads a monthly worship Servi￿ at the local Sheltered Housing complex, much to the delight of residents. The residents provide a supper and the churd) looks after the worship - it is an eX￿1]ent example of outreach, pastoral ￿re and worship wtthin the heart of the community. Sadlyf funerals and bereavements have been a significant element of ministy throughout 2024. 49 funera15 took pla￿ vwthin our parish. The chart below shows that 8 deaths of churth member5 in 2024 represents ? significant impact on the congregational roll of Motherwell South. In addition, 41 parish funerals indicate an increasing trend of requests for fvnerals from local residents who are not church connected. This is possibly a measure of the church s mini5ty locally and the connection local people fed to Motherwdl South Parish (Thurdi. Funerals 60 4.1, 28 16 20 io 15 2016 Z017 2021 2022 2023 2024 Music and song in w0￿h1p is enhanced greatly by our mU￿C Director and thoir and we continue to add a number of modern hyrnns and songs to enhan￿ all-age worship. Our Prayer Group continues to meet online, and iwo House Group5 for study and discussion Blso meeL One group meets out-with the parish on a Y￿ekly basis in the home of a member, and another group meet In the churd) on a Friday nM)ming. 2 people joined the church by profession of faith in 2024, with one of that Cohort asking to join in early 2024. In addltlon, 4 joined by transFer of certtficate or by Resolution of the ￿rk Session. Our new church members mntinue to thrNe, and we give thanks to God for His go￿neSS and generosity in this. .r.ansfer 2016 2018 2019 2021 12 12 2023 2024 111. Servlng It IS the belief of all within the Kirk Sesslon that the churth exists to offer the o)mmunity somewhere to encounter God, to worshipi to gather and grow closer as a communtty. Throughout 2024, footfall within the church halls remains eXten￿ve with almost 100% Ca￿aty usage in the evenings, and significant use during the day also. thurch organisations such 35 Boy5. Brigade, Girf Guides Brownles, Rainbow5, Men's Club, Guild, Youngish Women's Group, Cinema aub, Chix with Stix, Carpet Bowltng, Masterchef, Tots of Rjn and the Walking Group have b￿￿ attentive in bringing in new members. A new group provlslonally named 'Younger Than Youngish Women, and aimed at wotnen in the 20130 age group was formed during 2024 and filled a gap in provtsion. Our flower ministy continues to be recognised as )￿tallY importan( with people recelvlng flowers from the congregatton on a weekly basis- this has brought great delight to the rwipients. Ukewlse, a team of bakers deliver freshw baked goods around the parish, often incorporating a doorsiep vlsit again bmnglng great 5UPPOrt to those who are alone, bereaved or vulnerable. Our TLJesd3y café remalns so vibrant eath week, and is a hub for conversation, care and friendshlp. stepJei dovJn from the organisation of this after almost 15 years, and we were deligilted when ffered to tske this over. iv. Future Planning In April 2024 the Presbytery of Forth Valley and aydesdale approved the Presbytery Mi55ion Plan, thus complwng wlth the General Assembly 2021 instruction to redu￿ the number of ministries in the Church of Scotland. The Kirk Sesson conducted a due diligence process to evaluate how the prowsals will affed the ministy of Motherwell South, and we have entered into discussion with representatives from MothenNell: St Margarevs about a Basis of Union. At the time of writing, the Trustees of both congregations awatt the findings of an independent prDpety suryey into the condition of the present St Margaret's bulldlng, induding any proJected expendlture on that building fhls will be a key document in ascertaining future diredion. several years ago, the Klrk Session chose to Invite extemal consultsncy from his remtt was to attend tarf( Sesslon meettngs and ftdcllltate a strategic revtew. He has aLhieved this by utilising a biometric testing method tttled, -Natural Church Development" (NCD). NCD Invltes churth leaders to identify their skills, and how these being utilised to fvrther the mini5ty, mission, outreach, education, evangelTsm and dlsdpleship of the local thurth. Likewse, NCD helps to identify areas where the local church is not perfomiing as well as It mlght and addresse5 what Strategies may be put Into practice to Impro￿ these areas. as continued to lead the tark Session in thi5 venture in 2024. To date, we have identified that welcome and worship scrKe ex￿ptionallY well, but that our small group identity could be devek)ped to progress spiribjalty within the (])ngrwJation. stewardship Stewardship Incorpora￿ fiJndrai%ng, the gtving of bme, talpnts and money, and pruden￿ in expendrture. Fundraisng has been exceptional in 2024 wth events such a5 our ￿riStmaS Fayre which r7ised over £5.000 - a recnrd, and a rernarkable achievement. These initiatives have Incorporated social activities tr)0, suth as the Hogmanay Ceilidh which provided an oppothnity for people to ￿lebrate the new yeèr one another inside Motherwell South Parish Church. The Trustees have also been proacttve in pursuing hall lets and it is hoped that in 2025 we may be able to progress our well-developed plans to enhan￿ the halls to a higher standard of 5Uitability for user groups. This Nll involve 5ub5tantial reconstructton and development of current facilities. fundraising efforts have already ex￿eded the estrmated budget for the projecL We simply await approval from the General Trustees, and we hope this work might commentr in the summer of 2025. Expenditure continues to be monitored with pruden￿ by all office beare￿, and a priorit￿ing of essential outgoing5. We remaln vlgiiant to increased expencFitAire through energy costs, Presbytery dues ond the Glvlng for Growth t31culations. Likewise, any proposed ￿trUctUre ft)r the church in the Mi55ion Planning proce55 will require a vtable and susialnable business case prior to decisions being finalised. In short, the church is well positioned finanaally, with rese￿￿ and levels of giving that are above projections. The ￿nan￿al Report that follows will expand this. Welcomlng The TnJsteÉs strive to er￿Ure Motherwell South is a welcoming and indugve churth where all can feel at home. We wdcome people of any gender. ethnicty, ratr. age, 5exualty. nationality. cultural or political opinion. We wdcome newborn babies and are proud that some of our people are over ItHJ years old. We welcome ordlnary people, extraordinary people, and everyone in between. We welcome people who Nyant to know Glxt, people who vrdnt to heip others, and people who just want a break from the world outside. We wejcome beginne￿ who arent sure, old hands who know the score and tenLitlve enqulrers who would Ilke to look and se& We weicome people of our faith, any faith and no faith. Motherwell South Parish Church of Scotland Trustees. Annual Report Year ended 31 December 2024 Financial Review As mentioned in the Trustees rekKJr( the numbers attendin9 worship on a Sunday Th)rning are steady which 15 reflect￿ in the levd of giving. In additTon, the congregation have continued to ensure that they fijlfil their financial commitM￿t to the churth, whetrw they are attending on a Sunday morning Dr not. More than 50% of the offerings received are by strdnding order ensuring a regular income independent of actual Sunday morning attendan￿. Athough the numbets attending worship have r￿nained steady, overall, our offerings We￿ still over £2,000 Eetter than budget. The most signifiGint increase, again, is in the o￿n plate offerings whlch. dwite an increase in budgeL were still almost I90￿ greater than budgeL We continue to receive a numlkr of ontroff donations fr(Mn our on-llne y￿￿hap￿S. Halls lets have remained a significant sounE of and have £5,400 additional income compared to last year. Qur funds continue to benefit from hTrgher Interest raiEs. We reLthed over £25,CKMI in interest from the Church of Scottand s Investor5'Tru5L OveBII, for the year. the total income in the Generat FuTrJ wa5 E9WW better than b￿￿get8￿. On the opposite side of the inCc￿e statan¥ our gKEEndtture was E800 low￿ than budgeted. There were savings Cleaning, Minisws eX￿nSeS and CongrBJational o￿an1￿tionS. The surplus income from some of our soaal events is put into a restricted fund for Children's ministy, therefore costs that were previously met frC￿ the General Fund are now met from the Chilldren's Ministy Fund. The increased costs were mainly in fuel and Fabric Repairs. The Inuease in Fab17c Repairs were due to a krge repair c05t for the Stsnnah lif Taken overall, the Generdl Fund'5 sU￿lUS for 2024 was Ixjdgeted at £14,747. The actual surplus recorded is £24,667. To record a surplus at all in another detnanding year, when costs are risirKJ, never mind a surplus of this magnitude, is a huge and signikant achievement which underlines the generosity and faithfulness of the entire congregation and the continuiThJ hard work of those help with fund-rai5iThJ. Thank you alll The Trustees rerx)rt also mentM)ned that it 15 hop&1 Phase 2 of the Wstone wll go ahezd this year. An additional £80,01)J wa5 added to the fvnd in 2024. In addition to tEgular giwng a recent pledging appeal raised E19,000. The generosity of the COng￿gatIon continue5 to ensure that the church me* its financial obligation5, and the efforts of all members are great￿ appreciated. The finan￿ Team rr￿ regularly to ensure all expendibjre is authori5ed and controlled. Our Ministry and Misslon contributions are remW monthty by tsnding order b Church of Scotland headquarte￿ arKI are fully paid for 2024. To compty the Charitte5 Accounts (Scodand) Regulations 2006 (as amended), these accuunts are prepared on a Fully Accrued basis, meaning that all income and expenditure shown relates to the finan(ial year rnther than what was paid or recetved in the financial year. The figures also indude the income and exFendtture of the church organt5ations shown in note 15, Mothenmell South Parish Church of Scotland Trustees. Annual Report (cont.) Year ended 31 December 2024 Risk Management For a number of years, we have stated that our main finanaal risk is the potential1055 of incotne, which can change at any time, and that we must react promptty to any reduction in income. The pandemic wa5 certainly unforeseen, and we did react prompuy, whith 15 refietted in our account5. We will continue to respond promptly to any further changes in circumsknces and hopefully minirnise the impacL As with rnost churches we rely on a large team of volunteers to run the church, rnany of whom now fall into the older age brad42e Y¥,*9 fj3J 14 VoluDtqaws vthu gl¥e Ik¥r znd t3knfs￿1fflgrIf0[ if¢ r*onth8 ￿VU￿rteents{1￿￿￿Y•K1wa￿2￿ernd be Itnuttr tr otheTh¥ell South Parish Church of Scotlavd ote910mtiThJ p4rtofthefir*ndal f6rtheyear•ndod 3XDecember2024 15 MDwewÈntiTr Fun¢ts At31 PCG s￿ Leg sped￿ ETllEfgErty Fund 550 Re5trfctedfund5 ryku￿lINwMllr Benevolent Ftm GLU 612 1,079 61S 1.170 L161 M*tsOJb Jndty L&gJroaub To 412 412 240 518 37a 314 934 Streawdw EcyJlk¥nert DÈvÈlupmÈrtDDrthi Youthminstry woTthip COffeeMor￿ Prestrrty Grant 6¢014 L474 1944 1755 I.L4D 764 L186 L4 1117181 11818 430￿?& Sports￿d￿ra￿ Hal 51 Unrthlct¢d fun(L% cFund FL I￿nFUnd 182 iJ73 IL59 23J 49240 i.go8 8.831 61.ni 2.973 133a86 11,46e Gene￿1 Fwxi I￿.569 124 114 Totsl 551.019 133J68 143.850 SpeJ¥ ￿￿1￿)71 MaryJU&IM)moAITns FU Tobe TO 1wefftt￿ tr*dx Y¢ungi*Wornen's¢> men¥C￿b dittyj &DwdrlKnert￿lld YoLifMMlrtsty Fu Stwmiry &AV DevelutyM￿cWt Vior CoVeEMW Pre5Wv GRnt Sp￿tsand Urmty Mal These fundswtre ￿ftEd fortr￿ l￿ r& 17is 9T￿ be￿JforYrthtJ￿ TDt5 Fabric F￿% Organ Fund FufKJ otheTh¥ell South Parish Church of S¢otland 2U24 16 CDllettionslorTrlrd Partte5 1713 374 ]REF LK 518 Mode*s tr*l•iJE. 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