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2023-08-31-annual-report

Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 August 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and Aims

The objectives of Carrickfergus Vineyard are to seek and advance the Kingdom of God in our town by furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ, building up the faith of Christian believers, sharing in the training of Christian workers, promoting Christian education and bringing relief to the poor, the needy and the sick.

During the year the church has fulfilled these objectives as set out below.

Connected Charities

During this period, we have continued to support the work of three charities by way of ongoing financial support. We also partner with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) through training and gifting in other ways. We also registered with Kintsugi Hope as a Wellbeing Group host and with ACTS435 as an advocate church.

These charities represent our commitment and support locally, nationally and internationally. We continue to give to these organisations in line with our income of financial donations.

Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland ("VCUKI") (nationally)

VCUKI exists to connect churches that hold common values and practices. It gives spiritual oversight to the senior pastors of Vineyard Churches and facilitates church planting. Carrickfergus Vineyard used the name "Vineyard" by agreement.

Stand by Me (internationally)

Below is a brief outline of their vision: -

Through our children's homes, schools and care centres, we aim to meet the individual needs of children who are orphaned, abandoned, abused and victims of war or disease, or are living in extreme poverty. We aim to make lasting improvements to children's lives, caring for them as Jesus would, by restoring their dignity and giving them a sense of worth. We want every child entrusted to us to feel loved and to reach their full potential.

Home for Good (locally)

Below is a brief outline of their vision: -

We believe the Church is ideally placed to ensure that every child and young person has the loving home they need. Our Biblical mandate to care for the vulnerable, extend hospitality and seek justice compels us to action. Through opening our homes and hearts to children and young people in care, and through our churches becoming a welcoming and supportive community to all looked after and adopted children and the families who care for them, we can make a transformational difference.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

CAP UK - Christians Against Poverty

Carrickfergus Vineyard has partnered with this charity by way of paying for the training of 4 volunteers to become CAP Money Coaches. These Volunteers have been fully trained and authorised by CAP to operate as a money coach and regularly deliver the CAP Money Course. Below is a brief outline of their vision: -

Christians Against Poverty is a national debt counselling charity with a network of 190 centres based in local churches. CAP offers hope and a solution in debt through its unique, in-depth service.

Kintsugi Hope

Kintsugi Hope is a charity based in the UK striving to make a difference to people's mental wellbeing. 'Kintsugi' is a Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold. The word means 'golden joinery' in Japanese. This repairs the brokenness in a way that makes the object more beautiful, and even more unique than it was prior to being broken. Instead of hiding the scars it makes a feature of them. We want to see a world where mental and emotional health is understood and accepted, with safe and supportive communities for everyone to grow and flourish.

Carrickfergus Vineyard Church now has a number of trained volunteers who have hosted a number of Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing groups. We hosted the Kintsugi Hope team in Carrickfergus to run an event as part of their "Bouncing Forwards" Tour, an evening of live music and talks to create a relaxed, honest evening where Patrick Regan OBE explored themes from his book 'Bouncing Forwards' including resilience, mental wellbeing and thriving through life's challenges.

ACTS435

Acts 435 is an online giving charity, directly connecting those who want to give with those who are in genuine need of their help. They work through a network of local churches and charities with registered advocates who meet with people who need money to meet a specific need, and put their requests on the Acts 435 website. These needs are met by online donors who can give generally or to meet a specific need.

Achievements and Performance

Performance against Objectives

The level of performance against objectives is, in the main, a reflection of the activity of the church members of Carrickfergus Vineyard who volunteer their time, energy and money freely because of faith. The leadership and organisation of this activity is the primary responsibility of the senior pastors and a small leadership team in support of the senior pastors.

Furthering the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Advancing the Kingdom of God

Carrickfergus Vineyard aims to advance the Kingdom of God throughout the town of Carrickfergus, across the whole country and island of Ireland. Our church has actively worked in our local community to be a blessing in practical and relational ways.

The church welcomes those of all or no faiths and from every background and community who wish to visit during our Sunday service. Some of those have decided to stay and join Carrickfergus Vineyard.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Sunday morning services continue in Carrickfergus Town Hall with separate environments for children and youth during the service, making use of our Town Centre Venues nearby. Sunday evening Youth gatherings continued in our Town Centre Venue.

To engage with our community and bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Advance the Kingdom of God we have run the following ministries. Some people who attended, or were impacted by these ministries have then decided to join with us at Carrickfergus Vineyard. Below are some examples. A full overview of our community activities and special events can be found on our website at www.carrickfergusvineyard.org.

We continued to lease our community venue in the center of Carrickfergus where we run various community activities. These activities are detailed further in this report and are a result of our commitment to our local community.

Building up the Faith of Christian Believers, Training and Education

Sunday Church and Life Groups

Sunday Services and Life Groups continued to meet. Life Groups remained a vital means of connection and grew in number over the year. Life Groups are offered in addition to the practical teaching through Sunday services and empower Church members to live a God-centred lifestyle.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Youth

Youth continued to gather in a number of environments including Sunday mornings during church and Sunday evenings. This year our volunteer youth leader, with a team of young adults, opened our venue once a month on Friday evenings for young people from our community to have a safe place to hang out and get to know one another. We also facilitated a youth "in-house weekend" in our town centre venue where our young people gathered to receive spiritual input and also do outreach into our local community. A number of our Young People also attended Summer Madness, a Christian Youth Festival this summer as well as taking opportunities to meet and serve with youth from other churches. A group of youth also attended MOVE, a summer camp held near Dublin, where they made friendships with young people of different backgrounds from across the island of Ireland.

Men's Ministry

Men's groups and events - we began running events specifically for men, such as curry nights and life groups for men, creating spaces to focus on both male emotional wellbeing and spiritual health.

Leadership

Leadership Essentials - we began a monthly leadership course in conjunction with Antrim Coast Vineyard Church in Larne. This course is produced by Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland, covering many of the most important and foundational aspects of leadership, it is the perfect place to grow in understanding and insight alongside others from both these churches. Its aim is the development of current and emerging leaders and team leads.

Special Days

We also facilitate significant occasions in the lives of the church members including our Baptism service in June, Baby dedications in March and October and officiating at weddings and funerals as they arise.

Volunteers

A number of volunteers are fully trained by CAP UK to act as money coaches and have been authorised to deliver the CAP money course. These volunteers deliver this course on a regular cycle.

Relieving the Poor, the Needy and the sick

Carrickfergus Vineyard actively seeks ways to bless and practically serve our community, especially the poor, the needy, young and old, including those who are outside our church community.

In partnership with CAP UK, Carrickfergus Vineyard collects food and gifts for those who are CAP clients. We have also given one-off crisis financial donations to CAP clients when requested to do so by our local CAP centre. This helps take the burden off statutory agencies, charities and community groups, allowing them time to put in place a long-term solution.

We have also supported families within our own church community with foodstuffs who have faced financial crisis or illness which has led to extreme hardship for them. We also act as a referral agency for Carrickfergus Food Bank and Carrickfergus BabyBank and are able to assist people in need to access those services.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

In addition, the church continued to connect with and assist families in the community who became known to us through the Covid-19 crisis. These families were referred to our Compassion ministries by the local schools and partner charities. We are able to assist these families by providing vouchers for fresh food and additional sign-posting to agencies we work closely with such as FoodBank, BabyBank CAP, Cithrah, Women's Aid etc.

Another way we are able to assist people in crisis is through ACTS435. As a registered church, we have an approved volunteer who acts as an advocate who can submit requests for funding on behalf of people in the community with specific needs. ACTS435 then processes the request and transfers funds to meet the need. Since registering in December 2020, our church has been able to fulfil over 30 requests to assist people with needs such as flooring, appliances and furniture.

Carrickfergus Vineyard is part of Carrick Together, a group of local churches and Carrickfergus YMCA working to support individuals seeking asylum and living in Carrickfergus.

Community Engagement & Support

CAP Money - The CAP money system is tried and tested and works irrespective of income or financial know-how. You will start by ordering your finances into a manageable system, and then learn how to make well-informed decisions about budgeting, cutting costs, saving and giving. By the end of the course, you will be empowered to save more, reduce your outstanding debts and make better financial decisions.

Tiny Tots Tea Room - This is a time to come along and enjoy some social time together with others from our community, while the young ones play. Tiny Tots Tea Room ran term time, Tuesday mornings, 9.30-11am, meeting in Carrickfergus Vineyard Community Venue. We have tea, toast, treats and toys for mums/dads/carers and their little ones, all are so welcome.

REST - Rest Tearoom opened term time Friday mornings 10am-12pm in our Vineyard Venue September 2022-Christmas 2022. This was a space where all were welcome to drop in for tea, coffee & treats at no charge. This was simply a relaxing environment to have a chat and connect with others.

Book Club - This is again a space to come along and enjoy some social time together with others from the community and discuss the book of the month. We meet once a month on a Friday night to talk about the book and socialise. Book Club transitioned online from April 2020 and has remained online, with some in person meetings to host authors and facilitate cinema trips for women from our local community.

Food Bank - We continue to partner with another local church, (Jordan Victory Church) and the Trussell Trust, who operate a local food bank which is part of the nationwide Trussell Trust food banks. Jordan Victory Church takes the lead on this due to the physical facilities they have at their disposal.

Fostering & Adoption - We have been working along with the Home for Good charity, believing that the church can make a difference for the children who need a home, raising awareness of the need for foster and adoptive parents. We are a Home for Good church offering a welcoming community for families on this journey. Chantel Daniels, one of our pastors, provides input to the Home for Good NI Advisory Board.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Garden of Eden Allotment - Our church allotment is located just behind Eden Community Centre. This is a special place that everyone is welcome to be part of, from pulling weeds, sowing seeds, digging, building fences, chatting and enjoying the space. We grow food for the local community and we grow as individuals in the community together. From March - September 2023, a group met every Monday to learn about growing plants and vegetables, with the aim of donating produce to MEA's Community Fridges scheme. The group was made up of people from our church and those living in Carrickfergus who were seeking asylum. 8 people attended regularly with another 10 who connected with the project over the course of its time. Connections were made within the group, mental health was supported and produce was donated to the Community Fridges in Carrickfergus and Greenisland.

Other Groups

We had other agencies using our Vineyard Venue in 2022-2023.

Links Counselling Service - Links Counselling Service is a charity that exists to make counselling accessible to everyone within the community. They offer professional counselling for children, young people, adults and couples to ensure that no one journeys alone. We have been able to make a room available in our Venues to counsellors two days a week since November 2020. Links have extended their counselling services available to the local community through our venue, by having two counsellors over three days a week.

Women's Aid - Women's Aid have been using our larger meeting room to host courses with groups of women each term since September 2021.

Restore Hope - Restore Hope, a local group run by volunteers, met weekly in our venue to provide support to women who had difficulty through situations of domestic abuse.

Summary

It should be noted that the above is not a complete list of activities. However, they do demonstrate Carrickfergus Vineyard is continuing to fulfil its obligations and achieve its objectives.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Investment policy

The constitution of Carrickfergus Vineyard Church authorises the Trustees to make and hold investments using its funds. Cash balances are currently held with The Cooperative Bank plc and The Dankse Bank. The Trustees have regard to the liquidity requirements of the organisation and have operated a policy of keeping available funds within interest bearing accounts.

Reserves policy

The Trustees who served in this period have undertaken the work of the charity, identified the major risks to which the charity is exposed and are satisfied that all appropriate policies are in place to mitigate these risks. Carrickfergus Vineyard maintains reserves in order to cover fluctuations in income and expenditure, to allow for any major unexpected expenditure, or to mitigate any decline in the overall financial environment.

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

CARRYING ON OUR WORK

The Senior Pastors, leadership team and volunteers of Carrickfergus Vineyard Church will continue to build on the work that is already happening in the church in order to follow God, to form an authentic community of believers and fulfil the Kingdom ministries left to us. We are going to intentionally see lives transformed by Jesus starting with our own. We will continue to grow and adapt our outreach projects, working with the poor in Carrickfergus, both practically and relationally and we will continue to serve our community as a whole.

We will continue to support our connected charities locally, nationally and internationally by way of ongoing financial support and partnership.

We will continue to operate as a 'come as you are' church and be 'a place of hope'.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Carrickfergus Vineyard is a registered charity, charity number NIC101536 duly constituted by means of its Memorandum and Articles of Association and operating as a church.

Organisational structure

Carrickfergus Vineyard is a company limited by guarantee (company number NI604963) as well as a registered charity, in which company directors also form the Board of Trustees. The liability of each Trustee in the event of winding up is limited to £1. The Church is associated with Vineyard Churches UK. The association provides pastoral care for the Senior Pastors and family and external reference concerning church affairs and doctrine.

The day to day running of the church is by the Senior Pastors, Paul Daniels and Chantel Daniels.

Induction and training of new trustees

New Trustees are appointed when appropriate. Suitable candidates, who are generally, but not exclusively, selected from within the membership of Carrickfergus Vineyard, are considered on the basis of their skills, experience and sympathy with the aims of the church. New Trustees have the opportunity of reviewing appropriate documents, including the accounts as part of their induction process.

Risk management

The systems of internal control are designed to provide a reasonable, but not absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss. They include:

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

NI604963 (Northern Ireland)

Registered Charity number

101536

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Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 August 2023

Registered office

27 Lancasterian Street Carrickfergus Co. Antrim BT38 7AB

Trustees

Mr P R Daniels Trustee (resigned 31.10.23) Mr S W B McCann Trustee (resigned 16.4.24) Mrs L J Farrell Chairperson Mr I H Skinner Secretary (resigned 31.8.23) Ms A M Scott Trustee (resigned 31.8.23) Mr S W Milburn Trustee Mr G Hamilton (appointed 9.1.24) Ms D Nimick (appointed 9.1.24)

Independent Examiner

John McCleary FCA McCleary & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants Garvey Studios 14 Longstone Street Lisburn Co. Antrim BT28 1TP

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 25 April 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Mr S W Milburn - Trustee

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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Carrickfergus Vineyard Church

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 August 2023, which are set out on pages ten to nineteen.

Respective responsibilities of charity trustees and examiner

As the charity's trustees (and also the directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Basis of the independent examiner's report

I have examined your charity accounts as required under Section 65 of the Charities Act and my examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under Section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act. The examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees concerning any such matters.

My role is to state whether any material matters have come to my attention giving me cause to believe:

  1. That accounting records were not kept in accordance with Section 386 of the Companies Act 2006

  2. That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records

  3. That the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland

  4. That there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination and have no concerns in respect of the matters (1) to (4) listed above and, in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, I have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.

John McCleary FCA

McCleary & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants Garvey Studios 14 Longstone Street Lisburn Co. Antrim BT28 1TP

25 April 2024

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