Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
Scottish Charity No.SC015535
South Leith Baptist Church
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 March 2024
Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Ba tist Church p
Contents of the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 – 3 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 4 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 5 |
| Statement of Balances | 6 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 7 |
Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Ba tist Church p
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024
The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the Church for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Principal and registered address Bankers 5a Casselbank Street Bank of Scotland Edinburgh PO Box 17235 EH6 5 HA EH11 1YH
Tel no: 0131 553 2344 Email: treasurer@southleithbaptistchurch.com Web address: www.southleithbaptistchurch.com
Status of Charity and Governing Document
South Leith Baptist Church is established by Constitution. It is a registered Scottish Charity (No. SC015535).
Aims and affiliation
South Leith Baptist Church is an autonomous member of the Union of Baptist Churches in Scotland. The Church’s mission statement is: ‘This church seeks through God’s Grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, to glorify God by introducing people to Jesus and welcoming them into a fellowship of supportive and caring relationships, nurturing Christ-like maturity and equipping them to serve God in His church and the world.’ The Church also participates in global mission through prayer and financial support for Baptist World Missions, formerly known as the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) founded by , and a number of other overseas missions.
Trustees and Office Bearers
The church is congregational in policy and its day to day running is undertaken by the Office Bearers (the Trustees) and the Deacons Court. The Office Bearers who served during the year and to the date of this report were as follows:
Trustees:
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(Elder/Trustee) (Deacon/Trustee) (Treasurer/Trustee) (Deacon/Trustee) (Treasurer) (resigned January 2024)
Title deeds to the properties owned by the Church are held in the names of the Trustees of the Church.
Appointment of Trustees
The election of Deacons takes the form of a paper ballot of nominations made by the members. Any election process will involve the communicant membership of the congregation only. Members are free to nominate any member who has been a member for more than a year. The name of any nominated member, with their agreement, is put to a vote at a meeting of the church members. At present there is no fixed term for serving as a Deacon. It is expected that a Deacon would be a mature believer and have been known to use their God given Gifts in the service of His church and would be familiar with the Church’s values, its aims, mission and objectives as well as its day to day operations.
Achievements and performance
We have faced many challenges this year. Both of our Pastors who were also office bearers announced their resignations on 14 September 2023. This was unexpected. Their departure along with all of our large Brazilian congregation to start another Church saw us having to refocus our efforts on our core calling of reaching our local community and I’m pleased to say that this has gone well. The Baptist Union of Scotland has been a great help and resource for us during this transition period and as we focus our efforts on regaining stability and rebuilding.
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South Leith Ba tist Church p
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024
Achievements and performance (cont’d)
Meetings
We now have meetings and community outreach events five days per week and these are bearing fruit and reaching our neighbours and some very needy people. Our weekly events are as follows:
Sunday – Church service Tuesday – Men’s meeting Wednesday – Community café Thursday – Church prayer meeting Saturday – Community outreach
Our Tuesday men’s group regularly engages with people from recidivist and addiction backgrounds and it has been a joy to see many of these men now free from addiction and turning their lives around. We successfully gained access to rehab for some of these guys using our contacts in both Bethany and TC Edinburgh and they have successfully undertaken detox and are now contributing back into society.
Our free community café now reaches around 50 – 80 people every week. Many of these people are very vulnerable and often in addiction and so our café always has volunteers to chat and offer help where possible. We are on course to serve around 2,500 meals over the course of a year.
Volunteers
We have several new people who have come to SLBC and are now helping in our groups. We continue to have vision to build our community through engaging with local people, showing love and practical support and engaging with other agencies for the betterment of our community.
We also retain strong links with Bethany Christian Trust (who was born out of South Leith Baptist Church) and TC Edinburgh whom we collaborate with in helping people to break free from addiction. Both of these organisations regularly use our building for meeting, training and staff events.
Church services
The numbers attending regularly our church services fell away significantly after 57 people left to start a Brazilian church and although this was a worrying time we prayed and kept moving forward. I am happy to report that our numbers have increased again with many new people attending. A large number are from our local community and they represent many different Nationalities. It is very encouraging.
Future plans
The Church vision is to be a Christian family with a strong community focus and to reach and serve the Leith area and beyond. We will seek to love and serve all people with the Gospel message of redemption alongside working practically with anyone who seeks life change from poverty and addiction. We will continue to teach and mentor all who seek these changes.
We will develop our community cafe into a hub/safe space for anyone who needs help and feed a hot meal to all who come.
We will endeavour to equip the next generation of leaders to lead through serving and to develop their own ministries and roles under God’s leading.
We will seek to expand and grow our membership in line with our constitution.
Volunteers
As always, we are on the lookout for volunteers in different parts of the church life, and encourage all to participate, so that you can grow in many aspects of your own life.
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South Leith Ba tist Church p
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024
Results for the year
The financial statements for the year are set out on pages 5 to 7. The Receipts and Payments Account on page 5 reflects a deficit of £4,694 (2023: £35,660). General funds amounted to £22,355 (2023: £27,049). Total funds on page 7 at 31 March 2024 amounted to £22,355 (2023: £27,049).
Reserves policy
It is the policy of the church to maintain unrestricted funds, i.e. funds not committed or invested in fixed assets, at a level not less than three months unrestricted expenditure. The current level of reserves is slightly above the required amount but the Trustees are working on ways to increase the current level of giving. Total reserves held as at 31 March 2024 amounted to £22,355 (2023: £27,049).
The Trustees have discussed the reserves situation at length and agree that we need to find ways of reducing the deficit that we have suffered over the previous couple of years. We understand the need to reduce costs and increase the level of giving over the next 12 months to ensure that we can still operate as a going concern. The matter has also been discussed with the congregation, and everyone is in agreement with what is required.
Approved by the Trustees on 27 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
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Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Ba tist Church p
Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024
I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 5 to 7.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The Charity Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). 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 seeks explanations from the trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
-
Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
-
To keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended), and
-
To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended)
Have not been met, or
- To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached, except:
Innes & Partners Limited Chartered Certified Accountants
Innes House 18 Shairps Business Park Houstoun Road Livingston EH54 5FD
Date: 27 January 2025
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Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Baptist Church
Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2024
| Notes Receipts Offerings Gift Aid donations Non Gift Aid donations Gift Aid HMRC refund Donations Other income Total receipts Payments Staff costs 2 Settlement costs Minister costs (self employed) Church rented flat costs Church maintenance Utilities Equipment Consumables and cleaning products Telephone Legal and professional fees Donations 5 Independent examination Administration costs Miscellaneous expenditure Guest speaker costs Insurance Total payments Net (decrease) in cash for the year Cash balances brought forward Cash balances carried forward |
Unrestricted general fund £ 13,150 21,571 11,865 25,647 840 - |
2024 Total £ 13,150 21,571 11,865 25,647 840 - |
2023 Total £ 27,466 47,653 8,695 - 2,210 790 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73,073 | 73,073 | 86,814 | |
| 22,272 2,020 24,415 9,333 2,971 5,043 - 928 659 844 2,430 960 1,349 394 1,175 2,974 |
22,272 2,020 24,415 9,333 2,971 5,043 - 928 659 844 2,430 960 1,349 394 1,175 2,974 |
44,243 - 25,130 27,595 3,696 3,827 628 3,616 710 3,341 3,035 960 - 2,002 774 2,917 |
|
| 77,767 | 77,767 | 122,474 | |
| (4,694) 27,049 |
(4,694) 27,049 |
(35,660) 62,709 |
|
| 22,355 | 22,355 | 27,049 |
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Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Baptist Church
Statement of Balances as at 31 March 2024
| 2024 Opening (Deficit) Closing balances for year balance £ £ £ Bank and cash in hand 27,049 (4,694) 22,355 27,049 (4,694) 22,355 Represented by: Unrestricted funds £ General fund 6 22,355 22,355 Statement of assets at 31 March 2024 £ Gift aid due 2,157 Rental deposits - 2,157 Statement of liabilities as 31 March 2024 £ Independent examination fee 1,020 Outstanding wages - 1,020 |
2023 Opening (Deficit) Closing balance for year balance £ £ £ 62,709 (35,660) 27,049 |
2023 Opening (Deficit) Closing balance for year balance £ £ £ 62,709 (35,660) 27,049 |
|---|---|---|
| 62,709 (35,660) 27,049 |
||
| Represented by: Unrestricted funds General fund 6 Statement of assets at 31 March 2024 Gift aid due Rental deposits Statement of liabilities as 31 March 2024 Independent examination fee Outstanding wages |
£ 27,049 |
|
| 27,049 | ||
| £ 8,163 2,517 |
||
| 10,680 | ||
| £ 960 100 |
||
| 1,060 |
Approved by the Trustees on 27 January 2025 and signed on their behalf by the undernoted:
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The notes on page 7 form part of these financial statements.
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Docusign Envelope ID: 0A1A14EE-08A2-4279-967E-DA3276D9906A
South Leith Ba tist Church p
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024
1. Accounting policies
Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
Basis of financial statements
The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
Receipts and Payments Account
For the purpose of the Receipts and Payments Account as shown on page 5, funds are defined as follows:
Unrestricted funds:
comprise income received for the objects of the church without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
| Staff costs and numbers Gross salaries |
2024 £ 22,272 |
2023 £ 44,243 |
|---|---|---|
| 22,272 | 44,243 |
2. Staff costs and numbers
The average number of employees during the year was 1 (2023: 2).
3. Transactions with Trustees and other related parties
There were no transactions with Trustees during the year (2023: nil). There were no transactions with related parties during the year (2023: £775 for repair works paid to a company connected to the family of a Trustee).
4. Trustees remuneration and expenses
No Trustees received any remuneration or expenses in the year (2023: nil).
| Donations Institutions: Scottish Baptist Fund Bethany Christian Trust BMS World Mission Mary's Meals Donations less than £100 Total donations |
2024 £ 1,300 - 600 480 50 |
2023 £ 1,200 650 600 535 50 |
|---|---|---|
| 2,430 | 3,035 |
5. Donations
| 6. Unrestricted fund General fund Total unrestricted fund |
Balance at 01.04.23 £ 27,049 |
Receipts £ 73,073 |
Payments £ (77,767) |
Balance at 31.03.24 £ 22,355 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27,049 | 73,073 | (77,767) | 22,355 |
Explanation of funds
The General fund encompasses all income and expenditure relating to the primary focus activities of the charity, other than those for which funding is restricted.
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