Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Richhill
13 Sleepy Valley, RICHHILL, BT 61 9QY
Trustees Annual Report 2021
Trustees: James C Stephenson, David N Tinsley
Richhill Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Trustees Annual Report – 2021
Minister
In January 2021 the congregation and friends of Richhill were delighted to welcome back the first minister of the congregation, Rev Mark Johnston, his wife Fiona and daughter Lindsay to resume the work. Mr Johnston was formally installed as Minister of Richhill at a meeting of Presbytery, 1 March 2021. Presbytery repeated the installation procedure at a meeting at Richhill, 24 April 2021 for a large congregation of local people and visitors, when Rev Steven Curry preached the sermon.
Session
Rev Marcus P Hobson continued as Moderator of Session until the installation of Rev Mark G Johnston in March 2021. We record our sincere thanks for his diligent service in this role since 2017. The two Ruling Elders, David Tinsley and James Stephenson, continued to serve as members of the Richhill Session. The Session met five times during 2021 and led the work as outlined in this report.
The session began the procedure to appoint new Trustees in September 2021.
Church services
Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions prevented the re-commencement of services until 11 March 2021 when we resumed afternoon gatherings. We then moved to regular morning and evening services on 5 September 2021. All of these services were broadcast live via YouTube. We made a range of free literature available on our book table.
Our weekly prayer meeting on Tuesday evenings also resumed in March 2021.
Outreach Activities
We advertised our services in the Portadown and Armagh press, we distributed our quarterly bulletin, The View, throughout the village and we presented a Saturday morning open-air bookstall on several occasions.
On 11 September 2021 we held a well-attended, very successful fun day for children, parents and friends.
Explorers
This weekly gathering for primary children on Thursday evenings began on 19 September 2021 and achieved an average attendance of 15. It was good to hear from some parents who brought their children, that they had attended Terry’s Tearaway Club in the same building in their own youth. Fiona Johnston led the work and CEF workers, Gareth and Lindsay Gwynne, very kindly played a major role in running this meeting each week.
Accounts
The annual audited accounts statement for 2021 is appended. They detail our income and expenditure for the year, with a statement on page 2 of our assets and liabilities.
Thanks
The session wishes to record sincere thanks for the support and encouragement of those who attended the services and helped in so many practical ways with the varied aspects of congregational life. We are thankful that today there is such a strong evangelical witness throughout the church constituency in Richhill.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high …” (Heb 1.1-5)