CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 The trustees present their Annual Director's report a￿1 independently examined financial statements for the year ending 31st March 2023 which also complies with the requirements for a directorfs report and account5 under the Companles Art 2006. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, the Companie5 Act 2006 and the cornpany's Article5 of Association. They comply with the Accounting and Reporting by Charities ststement of Recommended Practice ISORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financlal Reportlng Stsndard FRS 102 applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Report from the Chalr of tho Board. In wnting this introduction to the Tmstees report l am very conSC￿uS of the deep commitmenf of Boaro member5 to helping us think through: _ a5 best we cJn - a number of complex issues in our so(￿ty from an explicitly Chnstian perspective. We believe that it is important to do just th￿ given that so much public discussion 15 reduced to a sound bite or short slogan. Life for n7any is often very demanding and mplicate4 and so carefvl thought 8ndgood understanding of any subject ts essential if we are to face the challenges of modem life with any confidence. As a snHII voluntary organisatioo we a￿ e￿￿fftefy indebted to many people for thelr acdve help, support and encouragement. They know who they are. Thank￿U so much/ Looking to the future, we are constantty 8dJustin9 how we do our work and reflecting on exacty Mhere we should put our resources and energies. We are confident that active partnerships swth others ￿ impLVtani both the￿ and outsefves and we expect to be in such partnerships over the next few Yea￿ a: orcumstances allow. Given the penlous state of so much ofpolitscal and ciwc lil¢ high quality Chnstian thinking can help chart a way through the current distress and deep angst about the future. As the book of Proverbs so dear* puts it.. Where there is no wsioo rhe people pensh Clearty. we do not have all the answers nor an all- encompassing but under God we will seek to play ourpart in building such a wsion lor the fvture. The Trustees are pleased to submlt this formal report as required under the relevant legislation. Objectlves and actlvitie$ The Purpose of Conternporary Christianity (Northern Ireland) is..."to promote the Chnstmn religion and in particular (but not exclusive/yJ to bring biblical pnnciples to bear on the outworking of faith in Northern Ireland". In planning our activilies we keep our Aims and Objectives under revlew and our stated public benefit as approved in our N I Charities Commission registration. With its roots in the Evangelical community, Contemporary Christianity (Northern Ireland) Limited works across the Christian traditions to address the challenges of.... living out biblical falth in a changing world. We seek to draw on the lessons learned through nearly 40 years of community confli¢ in which a cor£ern for the faithful understanding of the biblical text and an outworking of the mission of God as the reconciliation of all things in Chris¢ were critical in enabling Christians to challenge their communal loyalties and engage with the work of peace building and community relations. CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRusfEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS. REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR fHE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Contemporary Christianity (Northem Ireland} Limited is committed to help churches and faith-based communities engage with challenges of a rapidly changing society. We work with a range of organisatDns across the Christian traditions and seek to provide a relevant pro9ramme of artivitle& The benefits which flow from thi5 purpose include challenging people of faith across Northem Ireland to think about their faith and its implications in their communities. Contemporary Christianity proviths a "safe space" for conversations which might be more difficult to organise on a church or denominational basis. Some of this work is done by the organisation and some is done by working in partnership with other organisations. Through this the local Christian Community can be challenged, disturbed and encouraged to reflett theologically on real issues and review their lifestyle and practice. These benefits are evidenced through opportunities to open up and consider contemporary real life issues which affect how people Ilve out their faith In our divided communities. These benefits are advanced through a range of events, meetings and conversations organised to challenge Christians across our communities. The beneficlaries of this purpose are primarily those Involved in church and community relations across N Ireland who are willing to encourage engagement with these types of issues to enhance their citizenship. Our STRUCfURE, GOVERNANCE and ￿NAGEmENT. Organlsation. The Board of Directors admlnlsters the charity. We were pleased to have Dr Lisa Whitten join the Board In December 2022. During 2022123. we held four hybrid Board meetings and one Zoom meeting. We are endeavouring to improve and refresh our website, as a resource to promote engagement on the issues we are working on. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association were reviewed in November 2009. In October 2014, we registsred with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC100585). We have been a member of NICVA since 2016. We communicate to our database of friends by email, by our webslte, and by social media. Through these, we have endeavoured to maintain me3nin9ful contact. We appreciated more personal contact this year with the Covid 19 restrictions now well behind us. ENSURING OUR WORK DELIVERS OUR AIMS. Vision.. We desire to see the Christian community in Ireland nurture a radical biblical faith in God, who in Jesus Christ reconciles the world. restores human relationships and redeems all of life and creation. Mission.. We are committed to develop the knowledge and personal skills needed among Christians and churches to serve their communities at Critical points of cultural contention, communal conflirt and social change, by becoming a place where they can access blblical resources and practical support. The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding vthat activities the charity should undertake. The Board is so grateful to God for the continued support of a faithfijl small group of regular dorL)r& We continue to be vigilant in effecting economies and maintaining a reasonable cash flow. CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT (INCLUDING DIREcfoRS' REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR fHE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Achievements and perforniance We work entirely Js a volunteer organisation and we are fortunate to have a highly committed Board We are profoundly grateful to a small group of faithful supporters who maintain their regular financial support to enable us to carry forward our work and ministry. We keep them informed of the direction of travel as we develop an Interim strategy. We were pleased to ￿$tart in person events in October 2022. We rent an office in the Inter-church Centre of the Irish Council of Churches and we benefit greatly from being located wlth the Irish Council of Churches and other organisations. Conversatlon Recognising that our ECONI "rwts. were essentially people with passion volunteedng to work together to challenge the Churc￿ society and also local political leader5 ,thi5 approach has inspired occasional "conver5ation5' on current and relevant topics. The series we commenced In year is known as "In These Times" events. Three evenings were held in Ulster Universlty new Belfast Campus on York Street. In October 2021 Prof Duncan Morrow presented... A Christlan Perspective on the world of Polltics from Northern Irelav In January 2023 three speakers Jonny Currie. Prof Clara Fitzpatrick, and Danielle McElhlnnty, each involved in challenging Poverty across Nl, spoke on...How do Christians ￿SPOnd to the reality of Pcwerty in their midst7 In Febrnary 2023 the subject of ... Nichola Mallon, former ML4 for North Belfast and former Mlnister for Infrastructure in Nl EKecutive explored Povety Causes and Cures. Wideo recordlngs of these events are available on our webstte. Publications of ...PS.., blogs was our regular activity for engagement over the year. Most month5 we posted tsyo ...PS...blogs. We are grateful to a wide range of writers who make this possible. Each blog was on topical theme and provided scope for reflection and reaction. Other Activiti& We hosted virtval monthty meetings of the Churches Initiative Group {C.l.Gl, and welcomed some new members to that group. Communication5: We rely heavily on e-communications as the only cost effective way of informing and dlssemlna￿0n of information and notice of events to our supporters and wlder contscts. Email.. info contem ora christianit -net Webslte.. www. ora chrlstianlt et We have both Facebook arKI Twitter Social media connections. CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES, REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS, REPORT) (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 Financlal revi•w The Board is so gratsfijl to God for the continued support of a faithful small group of regular dorDr5. We continue to be vigilant in effecting economies and maintsining a reasonable cash flow, and are encouraging new supporters to help us with a small monthly donation. Reserves Pollcy It is the policy of the charity that unrestrfcted funds which have not been designated for a specrflc use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month's expenditure. The trustee5 considers that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity's current activities while consideration Is glven to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This levèl of reserves has been maintsined throughout the year. Changes to the Board Dlrertors Dr Lisa Whitieniolned on 14th December 2022 Rlsk Manag•ment The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are 5at15fied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major rlsk Strudure. governance and management The charity is a company limitsd by guarantee. The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial slatements were.. Mr S Adarns Ms C 8ollaert Mr J Currie Mr C Nelll Rev Dr M White-Dundas Rev Dr N HamiltDn OBE Dr J Kyle Miss H Taylor Mr J McGrath Dr L Whitten (Resigned 29 June 2022) (Appointed 14 Decemeber 2022) Th trustees. report was a proved by the Board of Trustees. rSAda Trustee Trustee Dated..