IEF International
Edinburgh evangelical charity supporting the Messianic and evangelical community in Israel through its Israel-based chief executive; income £28,007 in 2025, much of it paid to that director
| IEF International
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh (address of the registered office) |
| Type | Charitable company limited by guarantee (Scotland) |
| Founded | 2009-06-30 (incorporated); 2009-07-02 (registered charity) |
| Registration ID | Scottish charity SC040634; company SC361941 |
| Headquarters | 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 8EJ |
| Area served | Israel; supporters in Scotland |
| Website | https://iefinternational.com |
IEF International is a Scottish charitable company whose report says that, "As an evangelical Christian charity", it wants "to see the Messianic and evangelical community in Israel grow and strengthen in faith".[1] It was incorporated on 30 June 2009 under a memorandum of association of that date, and was registered with OSCR on 2 July 2009.[2][3] Its director and chief executive John Sode-Woodhead "acts on behalf of the Charity in Israel".[1]
Objects and activities
The registered objects cover education, citizenship or community development, the arts, heritage, culture or science, religion and the environment, "all with a particular focus" on, among other things, creating "the international basis for appropriate services and support for evangelical schools and higher education organisations in Israel" and "an international network of evangelical biblical archaeologists with an international centre".[2]
The register says: "IEF International's work is within Israel, with John Sode-Woodhead acting on behalf of the charity in Israel. We seek to see the Messianic and evangelical community in Israel to grow and strengthen in faith. The focus of our work is in education, reconciliation and enabling organisational development."[2]
The 2025 directors' report describes:[1]
- Zoom lectures "to educate about Israel both within the biblical story and in contemporary history", newsletters and an annual conference in Scotland;
- John Sode-Woodhead's autumn tour of Scotland, and the tours to Israel he leads as a tour guide. The November 2025 tour was postponed "due to the continuing war in Israel with Gaza", and its April 2026 replacement also did not go ahead;
- his involvement with the Jerusalem Centre for Bible Translation (JCBT), which the charity sees "as part of our aims for educational work within Israel";
- a scaled-down video, "Walk the Land", for churches that cannot afford to visit Israel.
Plans for 2026 include exploring "working partnerships with JCBT and NCMI".[1]
Trustees
Directors (charity trustees) at Companies House, with month and year of birth; the three names match OSCR.[3][2]
| Trustee | Appointed | Chair | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angus Jamieson | 2024-01-01 | Chair | Professor (Companies House) |
| John Sode-Woodhead | 2009-06-30 | Chief executive; acts for the charity in Israel | |
| Irene Murray | 2026-04-27 |
The company secretary has been Gillespie Macandrew Secretaries Limited since 26 February 2026, replacing Dentons Secretaries Limited (secretary from 2018). Before that, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP was secretary from 2009.[3] The Articles require at least three directors, and the report says "A new director is being recruited".[1]
Historical trustees
Former directors at Companies House:[3]
- James Duncan Charles Dundas (10 March 2025 – 26 February 2026)
- Harry Dott Robertson (19 January 2019 – 14 January 2025; the 2025 report says he "continues in his role as Treasurer to the Board")[1]
- Andrew Bathgate (30 June 2009 – 17 October 2023)
- Derek Andrew Nash (2021–2022); Lara Jasmin Thomson (2021); Paul Hayes (2015–2020); Peter Martin McIntyre (2016–2020); Philip Pagan (2016–2017); Stephen Paul Maxted (2013–2015); Linda Cohen (2010–2015)
- Directors based in Israel in the early years: Rev Dr Yohanna Katanacho (2010–2015), Dr Erez Soref (2010–2013), Botrus Mansour (2009–2013) and David Zadok (2009–2013)
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-12-31 | £44,650 | £38,927 |
| 2022-12-31 | £121,508 | £85,223 |
| 2023-12-31 | £52,562 | £83,641 |
| 2024-12-31 | £61,768 | £73,106 |
| 2025-12-31 | £28,007 | £42,283 |
Source: OSCR annual-return history.[2]
In 2025, donations were £26,792 (individuals £21,967, churches £330, Gift Aid £4,495) and bank interest was £1,215. Charitable spending of £38,313 included "Missionary support payments" of £13,890, gifts of £2,310, gross salaries of £13,269, Scottish tour costs of £3,272 and "Donations to Ebenezer Home" of £785.[1] Funds fell from £85,274 to £70,998, including a £30,000 designated "Video project fund". The accounts were approved on 14 May 2026 and signed by Angus Jamieson (chair); independent examiner Alison Franks, Cornerstone Accounting Limited, Bo'ness.[1]
Funding in Israel
- Support for the chief executive in Israel: John Sode-Woodhead received £13,890 in support payments and £2,310 in gifts from restricted donors in 2025 (2024: £12,880 and £980). In 2024 he was also paid £35,800 "in lieu of pension" from a restricted "Retirement fund".[1]
- Ebenezer Home: £785 in 2025 (2024: £480) from a "Project fund" that "represents funds received to support current projects in Israel". The accounts do not give the home's location.[1]
- Jerusalem Centre for Bible Translation: involvement by the chief executive; no payment is shown.[1]
Israeli partners
The accounts name the Jerusalem Centre for Bible Translation and Ebenezer Home, and refer to NCMI as a possible partner.[1] No other recipient is named.
Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the recipient organisation, not proven use of the charity's funds.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| No place in Israel or the occupied territories is named for the charity's spending.[1] | Not established |
| Partner: the Jerusalem Centre for Bible Translation is named without an address.[1] | Not established |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[1]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No OSCR inquiry report or Gazette insolvency notice naming the charity was found.[4]
- Payments to a trustee. The largest item of charitable spending is payments to the charity's own director and chief executive, John Sode-Woodhead: £16,200 in 2025 and £49,660 in 2024, including the £35,800 paid in lieu of pension. Note 5 says the trustees "were not remunerated for their services". Note 10 discloses the payments but then says "There were no transactions with related parties during the year (2024: nil)".[1]
- Below the minimum board. After James Dundas resigned in February 2026, the board fell below the three directors its Articles require, until Irene Murray was appointed on 27 April 2026.[1][3]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
OSCR registration SC040634, Regulatory Type "Standard". OSCR gives 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 8EJ as a "Trustee" address; it is the office of the charity's solicitors, Gillespie Macandrew.[2][1] No Northern Ireland or England and Wales registration was found.[5]
The Gazette
Gazette results for "IEF International" are only routine Companies House filing-list entries in the Edinburgh Gazette. There is no insolvency notice.[4]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants to the charity are published in 360Giving data.[6]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name and its current and former directors were screened. No match was found.[7]
Land and property
The balance sheet shows no fixed assets. No CCOD/OCOD title lists the company. No title registers were bought.[8]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "IEF International" returned no contributions.[9]
Web archive
The Internet Archive holds captures of iefinternational.com from 2011 to 2026.[10]
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, IEF International: Directors' report and financial statements, year ended 31 December 2025 (PDF, filed with OSCR), retrieved 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, IEF International (SC040634) Scottish Charity Register, retrieved 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Companies House, IEF INTERNATIONAL (SC361941): officers and company overview, retrieved 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Gazette: notices matching 'IEF International' and the insolvency notice feed, The Gazette (London, Edinburgh and Belfast editions), searched 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (charity table), extract dated 14 October 2026; searched by name and by the Scottish/Northern Ireland charity names in this batch – no England and Wales registration was found.
- ↑ 360Giving API, grants received by GB-SC-SC040634; GB-COH-SC361941, 360Giving, queried 20 October 2026 – 0 grants returned.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV, downloaded 17 October 2026); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv, 17 October 2026). Screening for the Scotland/Northern Ireland batch covered 93 name strings (the 12 charity names, current and former register trustees, trustees and officers named in the accounts read, and Companies House officers); no full-name match was found and 2,208 surname- or token-only hits were reviewed and rejected.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, UK companies that own property in England and Wales (CCOD) and Overseas companies (OCOD) datasets, October 2026 full files, searched by proprietor name and company number. No title registers were purchased.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "IEF International" Hansard, queried 20 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase searches for "IEF International"). 0 contributions.
- ↑ Internet Archive Wayback Machine, CDX index queried 20 October 2026 – iefinternational.com: 12 years with successful captures, first 2011-01-30, latest 2026-01-18.