CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES, REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The trustees present their Annual Directorfs report and independently examined financial statements for the year ending 31st March 2024, which also complies with the requirements for a directof s report and accounts under the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements compty with the Charities Act (Northem Ireland) 2008, the Companies Act 2006 and the company's Articles of Association. They comply with the Accounting and Reporting by Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts In accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102 applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Report from the Chalr of the Board I wnts these notes shortly after the riots that convulsed so many towns and cities across th8 UK, knowing that the impact will be remembered and felt fora very long time. One of the big challenges for both the faith sector g8n8r811y as well as civic and political leaders is to elevate the quality and reach of public discourse on the many issues raised by the demonstrations and counter demonstrations. There is a huge need for wise, robust yet sensitive govemance both locally and nationally in Stormont and Westminster. In our work in ContempoRry Christianty. we aim to elevate underdtanding and cOnveation as best We can on these and othercomplex issues faclng our society. It Is a great personal privilege to be able to play some small part In this work, but it also fair to say that the support of others is also greatly need rfwe are to do our worf( well. In the coming year we .11 be doing some behind-the-scenes wort(on the ohanging face of Trconciliation in ourland as well as looking to have som8 more public events to which you are very w8lcome indeed. Our website will be upd8t8d as ourplans develop. If you think you might be able to help us in any way. we would be delight8d to hear from you. We are in particu18r need of some support in the wortd of social media. and in the organisation of some events. By definition. the more we do, the more we need to strengthen our capacity to do it property. Our E- mail contact details are.. info contem ora Christianit .net and hamilton. norman mail.com Finally, I do want to thank our indefatigable Honorary Secretary Stephen Adams, and all the members of the Board who contribut8 their God given time and wl0M to help us. Working with them really is a delighti The Trustees are pleased to submit this formal report as required under the relevant legislation. ObJectIv and Actlvltle8 The Purpose of Contemporary Christlanity (Northem Ireland) is.. 'lo promote the Chrrstian religion and in particular (but not exclusively) to bring biblicall principles to bear on the oubworking of faith in Northem Ireland In planning our activities. we keep our Aims and Objectives under review and our stated public benefit as approved in our N I Charities Commlssion registration. Wrth its roots in the Evangelical community, Contemporary Christianity (Northern Ireland) Limited works across the Christian traditions to address the challenges of... living out biblical faith in a changing VKJrld. We seek to draw on the lessons learned through nearly 40 years of community conflict. Both a concem for the faithful understsnding of the biblical text, and an outworking of the mission of God as the reconciliation of all things in Christ, are critical in enabling Christians to challenge their communal loyalties and engage with the work of peace building and community relations. Contemporary Christianty (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 organisations across the Christian traditions and seek to provide a levant programme of activities.
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES, REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 The benefits that fiow from this purpose include challenging people of faith across Northem Ireland to think about their faith and its implications in their communities. Contemporary Christianity provides a "safe spa, ft)r 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 reflect theologically on real issues and review their lifestyle and practi. These beneffts are evidenced through opportunities to open up and consider contemporary real life issues, which affect how people live 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 beneficiaries of this purpose are primarily those involved in church and comrnunity relations across N Ireland who are willing to encourage engagement with these types of issues to enhance their citizenship. Structure. governanco and management During 2023-24 we held five hybrid Board meetings. We have on%ong work 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 approved in November 2009. In October 2014, we registered 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 website, and by social media. Through these, we have endeavoured to maintain meaningful contact. We appreciated having personal contact this year with the Covid 19 restrictions now well behind usl Alongside our public activities, the Board has been developing a work-plan for the next 24 years and this has involved discussions and negotiations with several partner organisations. Ensurlng our work dellver8 our alms Vlslon: w.e desire to see the Christian community in Ireland nurture a radical biblical faith in God, who in Jesus Christ reconciles the wortd, restores human relationships and redeems all of life and creation. Ml88lon: 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 conflict and social change, by becoming a place where they can access biblical resources and practical support. The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. The Board is so grateful to God for the continued support of a faithful small group of regular donors. who underwrite our work. We keep them infomied of the direction of travel as we develop a 2-3 year work-plan. We continue to be vigilant in effecting economies and maintsining a reasonable cash flow and reserves. Achlevements and perfomiance We work entirely as a volunteer organisation and we are fortunate to have a highly committed Board. We rent an office in the Inter-church Centre of the Irish Council of Churches and we benefrt greatly from being located with the Irish Council of Churches and other organisations.
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Convgrsatlon Recognising that our ECONI roots. were essentially people with passion volunteering to work together to challenge the church, society and also local political leaders .this approach has inspired occasional "conversations" on current and relevant topics. The series we commenced last year is known as "In These Times" events. Two evenings were held in Ulster University new Belfast Campus on York Street. In May 2023, Dr John Kyle spoke on ....The Scourge of Loneliness and suggested how Christians and Churches might begin to address this problem. His tslk was supplemented with a presentation from Ryan Karayjannis who gave a particular and disturbing perspective on loneliness amongst young people, and the effects of Covid. In November 2023, we took a further look at the issue of poverty around the theme . . Foodbanks.. standing in the way or in the gap? Lynda Gould led on the subject and then Chris Leech and Louise Ferguson gave their perspectives from their experien of foodbanks in the Craigavon area and from the work of the Larder in East Belfast. Recordings of these events are available on our website. Publications of . .PS... blogs was our regular activity for engagement over the year, Most months we were able to post two . . PS...81ogs. We are grateful to a wide range of writers who make this possible. Each blog was on a topical theme and there is scope to share reactions. Other Activities: We hosted virtual monthly meetings of the Churches Initiative Group {C.l.G), and welcomed some new members to that group. We has worked in partnership with other organisations and Evangelical Alliance (Nl) in discussions leading to the fomiation of a Coalition of Christian Voices against Povety. Communications: We rely heavily on e-communications as the only cost effective way of infonning and dissemination of information and noti of events to our supporters and wider contacts. Email: info contem ora christianit .net Website: ww.contem ora christiani .net We have both Facebook and Twitter social media connections. Flnanclal rnvlew The Board is so grateful to God for the continued support of a faithful small group of regular donors. We are encouraging new supporters to help us with a small monthly donation. Re8orv08 poIIcy It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds. which have not been designated for a specific use, should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month's expenditure. The trustees consider that reseNes 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 given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintsined throughout the year. Change8 to the Board Dlrectorn Mr Peter Crory joined on 2nd May 2024, fvlrs H Knox (nee Taylor) stepped down from the Board on 5th August 2024, and Mr J McGrath stepped down from the Board on 11th September 2024.
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY (NORTHERN IRELAND) LIMITED TRUSTEES, REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Rl8k Management The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that a system is in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. Reference and admlnlstratlvg detalls Company registration number. Charity registration number: NI 37038 NIC 100585 Registered Office- 48 Elmwood Avenue BeSfast BT9 6AZ Structure¥ governance and management The charity is a company limited 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 ststements were: Mr S Adams Ms C Bollaert Mr J Currie Rev Dr M White-C)undas Rev Dr N Hamilton OBE Dr J Kyle Miss H Taylor until 5th August 2024 Mr J McGrath unti111 th September 2024 Dr L Whitten Mr P Crory from 2nd May 2024. The Trustees. report was approved by the Board of Trustees. From December 2024, the Registered Office and postal address changes to: Intsr Church Centre, Suft• 1, B•ffa8t Cathedral Centre. Donegall Stree( BELFAST. BT12HB Mr S Adams Trustee Dated.. 5th November 2024 Rev Dr N Hamllton Trustee Dated".5th November 2024