ASSEMBLY TESTIMONY MAGAZINE - TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT AND PUBLIC BENEFIT REPORTING FOR THE PERIOD 1 JANUARY 31 DECEMBER 2023
-
1 . This charity is involved exclusively in the field of Christian publishing; and its main current and ongoing activities relate to:
-
(a) the production bi-monthly of a magazine to be circulated as widely as possible free of charge, with the intention that it shall educate its readers in the basics of Christianity; instruct in the principles of Holy Scripture; give to its readers a knowledge of God and His ways; encourage godly, righteous and sober living; comfort and help the lonely, isolated and aged; and sustain those who seek to maintain godliness in a time of lawlessness and moral decline; and
-
(b) the production of books and/or booklets to explore in more detail specific doctrines or subjects in Holy Scripture, again to be distributed as widely as possible free of charge.
-
During 2023 circulation of each issue of the magazine was in excess of 8,350 copies.
-
During the year two new books were published: "The Glory of God's Call to Service" and "Meditations on the Single Chapter Books of the Bible".
-
In addition, two of our earlier books were translated and published abroad: 5,000 copies of "The Spirit of Glory" were printed in Venezuela for distribution in central and south America; and 1,800 copies of "The Glory of the Messianic Psalms" were printed in Brazil for distribution there.
-
The charity continues to comply with the General Data Protection statutory requirements, which came into force during 2028. A system is in place in respect of new requests for receipt of the magazine to ensure written permission is secured to allow our holding of their personal data (names, addresses, number of copies) on our computerised mailing list.
-
The trustees at all times have maintained high standards of personal and financial probity and have given due regard to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's public benefit requirement statutory guidance. They also reconsider the resilience of the charity in the event of the resignation or incapacity of any trustee and maintain a current "who does what; and when and how" living document to protect against any loss of corporate memory. This document is reviewed by the trustees annually, or more frequently as required.
-
Income during 2023 from unsolicited free-will offerings, bequests and bank interest totalled £98,100 with expenditure of £97,700. Net assets at 31 December
2023 were some £105,600. The financial records are independently examined and verified by a firm of Chartered Accountants.
-
The charity is known as "Assembly Testimony Magazine" and its Northern Ireland charity number is NIC 100051. The principal address of the charity is c/0 1 1 Beverley Road, Newtownards, Co. Down, Northern Ireland, BT23 7TW.
-
The charity trustees during the entire period of this report were: -
Mr B Currie Mr R Reynolds Mr J Palmer Mr J B McKee Mr J Bell Mr J Gordon Mr D McAllister
-
The charity is constituted by trust deed and is governed by adherence to the rules contained in the second schedule thereto in furtherance of the activities outlined at paragraph 1 above. Present trustees may, by unanimous agreement, seek the appointment of Additional Trustees, which requires subsequent formalisation by Declaration of Trust.
-
No trustee receives any remuneration or material benefit.
-
The charity has no employees.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees of Assembly Testimony Magazine.
Secretary/Treasurer 26[th ] January 2024