## **Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church** ## **Richhill** ## **13 Sleepy Valley, RICHHILL, BT 61 9QY** ## **Trustees Annual Report 2022** ## **Trustees** **Richard Beattie, Andrew Johnston, Derek Johnston, Rev Mark Johnston, David N Tinsley, David Woolsey** ## **Richhill Evangelical Presbyterian Church** ## **Trustees Annual Report – 2022** ## **Minister and Session** Rev Mark Johnston was formally installed as Minister of Richhill at a meeting of Presbytery, 1 March 2021, and with the church session led the work of the congregation as recorded in this annual report. James Stephenson, ceased his session role in March 2022 and Mr Johnston wrote to him to express session’s sincere thanks for his many years of service to Richhill as a member of session to which he added a huge range of practical duties and the local involvement which that required. His place, as an assessor elder, was taken by David Woolsey from the EPC’ s Crumlin congregation. ## **New Trustees** The session began the procedure to appoint new Trustees in September 2021 and this was completed in December 2022. The six trustees are now Richard Beattie, Andrew Johnston, Derek Johnston, Rev Mark Johnston, David Tinsley and David Woolsey. The session thanks each of these men for their willingness to take on the responsibility of this role. ## **Ligonier Conference** Ligonier Ministries (USA) exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. They support the church by providing trustworthy teaching to help Christians. One of the ways they do this is through regional conferences and Richhill EPC had the privilege of hosting one of them in February 2022, when the speakers were Dr Sinclair Ferguson and Rev Mark Johnston. It was a hugely anticipated and successful occasion with the evidence of a packed auditorium and an overflowing car park ## **Church Organisations** The Explorers meeting for primary school children which began in September 2021 continued, and attracted an average of 18 children. Engagement with the parents was encouraging. Scallywags, for mothers and toddlers was launched in March 2022 which 12 parents and 20 toddlers attended. Fiona Johnston led both these projects and session records its appreciation for her work and skills in making them so successful. Session includes in its thanks the local staff of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) who helped greatly with these gatherings. In connection with this, session were delighted to make the building available to CEF for a training course during January and March 2022. ## **Church Services and Membership** The first celebration of the Lord’s Supper at Richhill EPC for several years, was held in February 2022 when three new members were received. It was an important occasion. Members of session and others worked hard to develop regular morning and evening Lord’s Day services which had resumed in September 2021 after COVID-19. There were regular visits to the village to distribute our quarterly bulletin, The View, and local press advertising. Contact was also made though the church organisations and the Ligonier Conference. Session also experimented with the appointment of an outreach worker to provide additional contact and they carried out substantial work to the building. However, response, in terms of attendance at the services remained extremely limited and consequently session decided with great reluctance to suspend services from the autumn of 2022. ## **Accounts** The annual audited accounts statement for 2022 is appended. They detail the church’s income and expenditure for the year, with a statement of our assets and liabilities attached. ## **Thanks** The session wishes to record its thanks for the prayerful and practical support and encouragement of those who were involved with the work at Richhill, and concerned for it, and who helped in many practical ways during the year. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal 6.9)