Archived: Melbourne Prayer Breakfast Committee Incorporated: mini-charity review

Mini-charity review of Melbourne Prayer Breakfast Committee Incorporated (MPB), an organisation that is connected, by the cross directorship of John Peberdy to Christian Management Australia, the body accrediting ‘Christian organisations against a set of standards of good governance, financial oversight, and fundraising ethics.’

Is it responsive to feedback?

• When sent a draft of this review, on 27 May 2017, they…did not respond.
  • By the time of publication, MPB’s website had been restored, so the review was modified.

Is it registered?

• Yes, as a charity.
• The accounts (see below) do not give the source of the revenue; if a Victorian fundraising licence is required it doesn’t have one.

What does MPB do?

• See here.

Do they share the Gospel^[1]?

• There is nothing current on the website that mentions Christ, Jesus, or the Gospel. (Pages from 2012 now give a 404 error.)
• The keynote speaker for 2017 is Josh Wilkins, the founder and CEO of the charity One Voice For Aussie Youth LTD. He’s a Christian, with this view on sharing the Gospel:
  • I am very passionate about helping young people achieve their dreams. I am a Christian and believe that we should show people Jesus and not so much push Jesus onto people. Most people on the streets know about God and Jesus and it’s time we showed them his love.

What impact are they having?

• No information is available.

What do they spend outside the costs directly incurred in delivering the above impact, that is, on administration?

• Perhaps for a single event charity like this, it could be argued that 100% of the expenses are direct, that is, administration is zero?

Can you get a tax deduction?

• No

Is their online giving secure?

• They do not seek donations online.

What choices do you have in how your donation is used?

• Online: NA
• There is no information to suggest that donations are sought at the breakfast.

Is their reporting up-to-date?

• Yes (four months after their year-end).

Does their reporting comply with the regulator’s requirements?

• Yes
  • The Financial Report complies only because it has been voluntarily submitted to the ACNC, and voluntarily submitted reports do not need to comply with the ACNC legislation. But it doesn’t comply with the legislation under which MPB is incorporated, the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. It is missing two financial statements and Notes to the accounts.

What financial situation was shown in that Report?

• MPB made a loss of 9% of revenue, but is still in a healthy financial position.

What did the auditor say about the last financial statements?

• MPB chose a review rather than an audit.
• Despite the omission of two of the required financial statements, and the Notes to the accounts, the reviewer, Douglas Mitchell, Chartered Accountant, of MitchellWilson, gave a clean conclusion.

If a (registered) charity, is their page on the ACNC Register complete?

• ‘Phone’ and ‘Website’ are missing, but neither are compulsory.

Who are the people controlling the organisation?

• Under ‘Responsible Persons’ on the ACNC Register:
  • James Ayling
  • Rochelle Chan
  • Paul De Mare
  • Geoff Harrison
  • Dawn Penney
  • John Peberdy
    • John Peberdy is a director of Christian Ministry Advancement Ltd, the organization that is introducing a ‘major new initiative, accrediting Christian organisations against a set of standards of good governance, financial oversight, and fundraising ethics.’
    • There are 14 directorships recorded for the name ‘John Peberdy’. And the register only covers charities, not all not-for-profits, and no for-profit organisations. Therefore, if after eliminating the charities for which John is not a director, you are left with the total being more than a handful, it would be legitimate for you to question whether his ability to discharge his fiduciary responsibilities is threatened.

To whom is MPB accountable?

• To the ACNC.
• And to the Victorian regulator of incorporated associations.

1. “Good living and social concern are important [to the cause of evangelism], but they are not uniquely Christian graces…I’ve met a lot of fine Hindus, Muslims and atheists. Just living the life is not going to bring someone to Christ. There is much more to it than that. We must help people, certainly, but we must also share with them why we are motivated to do so. We must stand against injustice, poverty and need, but we must at the same time point to the One who brings justice and who can meet the deepest need. Until they know our reasons, how can they come to know our Lord?” [Dan Armstrong, the Fifth Gospel: The Gospel According to You, Anzea Books, pp. 13-14. ↑