In addition to being a church, Welcome Church is also a registered charity. Being a charity means we can claim Gift Aid on people’s giving, which makes a big difference to what we are able to do as a church to serve our community.
As a charity we have a team of Trustees who are responsible to ensure we operate in ways that are safe, legal and in line with our charitable purposes. Technically speaking the trustees are …
“accountable for the management and administration of Welcome Church in pursuit of the Welcome Church charitable objects as set out in the Company’s Articles of Association.” 🙂
That’s quite a mouthful!
This doesn’t mean the Trustees carry responsibility for the spiritual government of the church or for the leadership of it; responsibility for that sits with the Eldership Team, supported by many other faithful and gifted leaders.
Among other things the Trustees act as the employer for the staff and set the staff salaries. They also agree budgets, agree and review policies and help to keep us abreast of legal changes that could affect us.
Our Trustees usually serve in the role for a three year period, after which they can either step off the team or they can be re-engaged for another three year term. This cycle means we get a good balance of fresh faces, and also of long term wisdom and experience.
Changes
There have been a number of changes to our Trustee Team over the last couple of years, so I wanted to give an updated list of who our trustees now are. First here’s a photo montage to help you recognise them:
In order of appearance:
Mike D is Chair of the Trustees. He joined the church in 1978 (46 years ago!) and has been part of our church family ever since. Mike worked for over 50 years in the construction industry and has served the church in many different roles over the years too. He is also a Trustee of The Useful Wood Company, a social action project started by people from Welcome Church a few years ago.
Mike R has been part of Welcome Church for 17 years. He works as a Chief Underwriting Officer for the UK division of a global insurance company. Mike also serves the church as an elder.
Debo F joined Welcome Church in 2018. She works as a Maritime Law Solicitor and serves the church as part of the Sunday Production Team and the prayer team.
Mel C (who is not a Spice Girl) has been part of Welcome Church for around 7 years. She works in financial audit as a Senior Manager. She serves the church as part of the worship team, the youth team, youth worship, prisons ministry and as a CAP Money Coach.
Nick H has been a part of Welcome Church for 40 years. He has spent his career working in People related roles, including HR roles within Global Financial Services companies in London. You may also see Nick early on a Sunday morning, as he is one of our Sunday Meeting Managers.
Robin W has been in the church since he was 21 (a total of 43 years). He is a Senior Independent Director for two insurance companies, and a Trustee/Director for the amazing charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) who we love to work with. He also serves the church as an elder.
Lisa G has been part of the church since 1991. She works as a solicitor and serves the church in both youth work, and in leading the Bereavement Course. She has had many other roles in church life over the years too.
We are well served
I’m sure you’ll agree we are being well served by a highly skilled group of Trustees who each add expertise and experience to the mix. Please do express your appreciation to them all, and support them with your prayers and encouragements.
Lastly, I’d like to say a personal THANK YOU to those who have faithfully served as Trustees during my time at Welcome Church but have, as the right moment came along, stepped aside from the team, namely Phil M, Peter G, John F and of course our much beloved Alan H, a former church elder and trustee who sadly lost his fight with Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic. We miss you.
Steve Petch's Blog 