for the Period Ended 31 December 2023
Directors report | |
Balance sheet | |
Additional notes | |
Balance sheet notes |
Directors' report period ended
The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 31 December 2023
Principal activities of the company
Additional information
Governing Documents The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee without share capital, incorporated on 15th September 2020 and registered as a charity on 29th October 2020. Nelson Street Church Rochdale was established under a Memorandum of Association that establishes its objects and powers and is governed under its Articles of Association. Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charitable company in event of winding up. Structure The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law. The Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and management of the church. The responsibility for leadership of the church's activities, development of its spiritual life and its daily management has been delegated to the senior leadership team who are supported in that role by the staff team including clergy. The Board of Trustees retains final decisions over policy, employment of staff and finance, and takes responsibility for all matters of legal and regulatory compliance. Trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no financial benefit from the charity. Trustees are appointed by trustee members and can be appointed by ordinary resolution at a general meeting of members. Decision Making All financial and strategic decisions over £10,000 are taken by the entire Board of Trustees. Any financial and strategic decisions over £5,000 are taken by the senior leadership team. The organisational implementation of the strategy is carried out by senior leadership. The Revd Janie Cronin fulfils the key day-to-day senior management role. The salary of the key management role is paid by the diocese in accordance with the agreed salary structure of ordained personnel in the Church of England. Training All staff, volunteers and trustees undergo formal recruitment and selection process, followed by an induction period that includes any training considered necessary to effectively perform their role. Senior Leadership of the church consists of clergy, whose pay is set via stipend, the level of which is set by the Diocese. Volunteers The church benefits from the dedicated work of a great number of volunteers. In accordance to FRS 102 and the Charities SORP (102), the economic contribution of general volunteers is not recognised in the accounts. Public Benefit In accordance with our duties as stated in section 17(5) of the Charities Act, we have considered the guidance provided by the Charity Commission regarding public benefit. This public benefit has been demonstrated by the activities undertaken since inception of the charity outlined in this documentAchievements and Performance Since the charity was formed all decisions made and the structure put in place will help us deliver our vision as stated above. Highlights of the period January 2023 to December 2023 include- SUNDAY SERVICES (AND OTHER WORSHIP) Sunday Services - In December 2023 average Sunday morning attendance was 75 adults and 30 children each week, with an estimated 140 different individuals attending each month. In September we celebrated 24-months of meeting in the church building with 112 people staying for lunch. Approximately 55% of the congregation were previously de- churched or unchurched and almost 65% were under the age of 40. About 60% of adults volunteered on various teams (worship, AV, welcome, hospitality, children) over the period of a term. Dedication and Infant Baptism Services - in May 2023, 196 individuals (151 adults and 45 children) attended our Infant Dedication Service. Two new families stayed connected with the church as a result of this service. In September 2023 we held our first infant baptism service. This was attended by 133 individuals and again led to another new family being connected to Nelson Street Church. Children - Throughout 2023 two children's groups ran alongside the Sunday services for those aged 0-3 (NTots) and 4-11 (NKids). These sessions were attended by approximately 20-30 children in sessions each week. Once every 12 weeks we held an all-age service during which the whole family worshipped together Youth - NYouth continued a monthly Youth Group on a Sunday evening, aimed at discipling 11-18 year olds. On average, 16 people attended these sessions and 8 attended the fortnightly Youth Band practice. Once every 12 weeks the youth led the Sunday service, with over 100 individuals attending each one. The service was fully led by the youth – including sung worship and sharing a thought. The NYouth band was made up of young people representing 3 local churches. We were unable to continue the NYouth Social sessions or schools work after our Youth Worker resigned in July 2023. Holy Spirit Conference - In February 2023 we invited 2 guest speakers to host our first Holy Spirit Conference. Although this event was primarily arranged for our congregation, other churches were invited to join us. The conference was sold out and we had over 100 people attend each of the 4 sessions. The content was very well received, and it impacted and inspired our congregation. A special offering was taken which was sent to missional charities in Germany and Uganda. Curate - we welcomed our new Curate, Georgina Stirling, in March 2023. Georgina will be focussing on ministry to a local estate, and groundwork to planting a new church in 2026. Easter - On 6th April we held a Tenebrae Service for Maundy Thursday in partnership with St Chad's church. On Good Friday we held a reflective service, titled 'The Things He Carried' based on a book by the same name written by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell. Both events were well attended. Christmas - In December 2023 we celebrated Christmas by holding a Nativity Service and a Carol Service, both of which were attended by over 100 people and a family meal together with fun and games. On Christmas Eve we hosted 'Bedtime Stories' - an opportunity for families to hear the Christmas story in their pyjamas and with hot chocolates - attended by over 40 people. We also On Christmas Day, over 40 individuals attended church, and a lunch was provided for 10 people from the community who had no other family to spend the day with. We ran the Christmas Market for the second year, with 24 stalls of local small businesses and an estimated 300 attended throughout the day. This year we added a free Santa’s Grotto, which was a huge success. We also hosted Wreath Making and Christmas Crafts Workshops as new initiatives for 2023. RESOURCING All the courses facilitated by Nelson Street Church in 2023 were offered to all other local churches Alpha - In 2023 we ran 2 Alpha courses (February and September) - a 7-week course that gives guests the opportunity to explore faith and the meaning of life whilst sharing a meal and developing community. 26 people completed the course. The Bereavement Journey - The Bereavement Journey course, to support those dealing with grief, was run twice in 2023 (April and October). 14 individuals completed the course, predominantly with no previous connection to Nelson Street Church Rochdale. The Marriage Course - this course was run online for 9 couples in autumn 2023. ParenTalk and Left to Their Own Devices - These two Care for the Family courses were run in a local primary school for parents. Training and Teaching - In June 2023 we ran a Prayer Ministry Training course. This course equips people to lay hands on people and pray for healing. We also ran a Hearing God's Voice course in July. This course equips people to hear from God for themselves. Chaplaincy - In 2023 we continued to release our Worship Pastor half a day a fortnight to fulfil chaplaincy role in a local textile company. 2 people have completed an Alpha course on the back of this. Rochdale Town-Wide Prayer Gathering - Janie and James regularly meet with local church leaders and Nelson Street are committed to being involved in the bi-annual town-wide prayer gatherings. We have hosted one and provided worship and prayer team to the others. SOFT EDGE EVENTS In 2023 we ran several different events with a view to reaching out to those who do not normally attend church. Spirit Cafe – We continued to run Spirit Cafe once a month in 2023. This initiative has proved a highly successful way of engaging with the unchurched. Our weekly average is 12 guests, who are all willing to receive prayer Community and Social Action - A carer and toddler group called NTots ran each week for parents in the local community, together with an after-school initiative called Stay and Play. Throughout the school holidays of 2023 various 'Pop-Up' activities were hosted throughout Rochdale, including film nights, craft days, outdoor games and termly parties. We collaborated with Theatre in Flow twice in 2023 to host a Womens' Clothes Swap. In the autumn and winter months, a fortnightly Friendship Cafe was hosted as a safe, warm space for people to have free coffee, cake and some company. SYKE OUTREACH In August 2023 we began outreach on the Syke estate in Rochdale. The plan is to build a worshipping community from scratch, with no building or congregation to start with. Overthe summer the team offered weekly 'Games on the Common' for local children. Over Halloween the team delivered glowsticks and sweets along with invitations to Christmas events, which included 'Carols on the Common'. And have since been visiting the local residents door-to-door offering to pray for them. We are slowly building trust with the local community and becoming known to them. We now have a fruitful relationship with a local primary school, where we have been invited to run parenting courses and a Wellbeing and Craft initiative alongside the Pastoral team. Our Curate has also been acting as a Chaplain to the Sea Cadets. She engages with approximately 30 young people and 8 volunteers every week. OTHER ACTIVITIES Archbishop's Visit – In June 2023 we were blessed to be visited from the Archbishop of York. People who had found faith through Nelson Street Church were able to meet with him and share their stories. Focus – In July 2023 we took 42 people to Focus, HTB's Christian Festival, for the first time. This was a wonderful way of getting to know each other, spending time in God's presence and connecting with the wider HTB network. Future Plans Future plans of the church in 2024 involve continuing the activities outlined above, as well as offering more 'soft edge' events for those who are not connected. In 2024 we aim to start termly Blokes' Breakfasts and Womens' Curry Nights. We are also looking to host a Karaoke evening. We will continue to train and equip our congregation to impact their local communities through- Teaching how to speak about what God has done in their lives - Teaching how to pray for others - Teaching how to hear God’s voice - Teaching how to read the Bible for all it is worth One of the Deeper Teaching modules planned for 2024 is 'Restoring Eden', a theological look at Christians' responsibility to climate change and other environmental emergencies. We will also look to apply for Eco-Church status. We will continue to work with other churches, joining them for prayer gatherings and local outreach, as well as inviting them to join any training that we provide our church family. We plan to host our first Adult Baptism services in 2024 Nelson Street Church Rochdale uses volunteers to help support all aspects of its ministry. At a normal Sunday morning service by the end of 2023, we had an average of 107 attendees (75 adults, 30 under-16s) with 55 volunteers to support the hospitality, worship, kids, and youth teams. We also have 20 volunteers to help with our various courses. Any midweek events such as The Bereavement Journey, Alpha, Spirit Cafe and the Youth Nights could not be run without substantial volunteer teams. Key risks and uncertainties The principal risks and uncertainties that the trustees see as facing the charity and any subsidiaries include the ongoing responsibility of the financial cost of maintaining the Church premises as well as SDF grant funding for staff roles tapering off. The trustees plans and strategies surrounding these risks include working closely with the Diocese and the SDF Project Board to explore opportunities to apply for relevant grants as well as forecasting and budgeting for the increased financial responsibilities. An agreement has been made with the Diocese for the SDF funding to be extended for one year until June 2026 due to the impact of starting in 2020 in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Trustees continue to be aware of the impact of the rate of inflation and cost of living on charity expenditure (particularly rising energy bills) and income (namely congregational income) and are reviewing this throughout the year. This is expected to continue to have a negative impact on finances in 2024. Youth work at Nelson Street Church Rochdale has been reduced to due to resignation of the Youth Worker in 2023, and not being able to successfully recruit a replacement. A core team of volunteers has enabled some initiatives to continue, but with reduced frequency. We have also had to put all schools-, college- and outreach-work on hold until a replacement can be found. Financial Review In the financial year ending 31st December 2023, the church received voluntary income from the congregation totalling £56k (2022 £115k) and grants totalling £195k (2022 £179k). Total income for the year came to £251k (2022 £296k). Expenditure in 2023 totalled £271k (2022 £217k) giving rise to a deficit on unrestricted funds of £30k (2022 surplus of £47k). Restricted funds ended the year with a balance of £48k (up from £39k in 2022). The church has an outstanding loan from the Diocese of £117k which is due to be repaid over 60 months starting in July 2025. This was given to help fund the refurbishment of the buildingThe Board of Trustees are aware of the need to maintain sufficient reserves. Once fully established, is it expected that three months of relevant costs will be held in reserve. At the end of 2023 there was £95k of free reserves. These are unrestricted reserves (excluding fixed assets) which are available for use in the next 12 months. At 2023 levels of unrestricted expenditure, these reserves are adequate to cover over a year’s annual expenditure. In the longer term, as the loan of £117k becomes due for repayment after July 2025, it is anticipated that the churches income by that point will be sufficient to cover the repayments over 60 months. Safeguarding The Board of Trustees have adopted the Diocese of Manchester's safeguarding policy relating to children, young people and vulnerable adults and appointed Revd Janie Cronin and Mrs Linda Mycock as Safeguarding Officers. The Safeguarding Officers have completed the necessary diocese training courses in safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults. The trustees are committed to the principles of best practice in relation to safeguarding and comply with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 in respect of having due regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. The guidance can be read in full on the Church of England official website.
Directors
The directors shown below have held office during the whole of the period from
1 January 2023
to
31 December 2023
The director shown below has held office during the period of
1 January 2023
to
22 June 2023
The director shown below has held office during the period of
12 December 2023
to
31 December 2023
The director shown below has held office during the period of
12 March 2023
to
31 December 2023
Secretary
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
This report was approved by the board of directors on
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
As at
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The notes form part of these financial statements
The directors have chosen not to file a copy of the company's profit and loss account.
This report was approved by the board of directors on
and signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
The notes form part of these financial statements
for the Period Ended 31 December 2023
Basis of measurement and preparation
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2023
for the Period Ended 31 December 2023