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← Commission

2025-06-30-annual-report

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COMMISSION

(also known as “The Trustees of Commission” and “Commission Radio”)

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 30 June 2025.

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC101642)

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2025 including Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

| Commission 6A Ballyoran Lane Belfast BT16 1XJ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC101642)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:

Mr Mark McCartney (chairman) Mr Artie Hoyle Rev Jim Rea ; Mr Mark Smith : Mrs Candice Foster (resigned 1/10/2024) Dr Anne Bailie (appointed 24/6/25)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr lan McAvoy BA hons Ingleneuk, Ravensdene Mews, Belfast, BT6 OBC

BANKERS

Danske Bank, Donegall Square West Belfast BT1 6JS

SOLICITORS

Hewitt and Gilpin Solicitors Ltd 14-16 James Street South Belfast BT2 7GA

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

INTRODUCTION

The ministry of Commission has been developed and expanded during the past year. At the heart of the charity are the volunteers who give of their time, those who donate and continue to support us financially, and the many individuals and churches who pray for the work. Commission continues to be blessed in terms of finance and the excellent studio facilities. The Trustees have continued to review and oversee the work of Commission during the past twelve months and have also given guidance in terms of the future work and personnel. We would also wish to express our thanks for the invaluable work carried out by members of the Executive Committee.

Mrs Candice Foster resigned as a trustee in the course of the year. We were sorry that she was unable to continue but her input was much appreciated as is her continued interest in the work of the charity.

Dr Anne Bailie became a trustee in June 2025. She has a been an active volunteer with Commission for many years and her knowledge and experience will bring much to her role as trustee.

STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT

The Trustees

Under the charity's governing document, The Trust Deed, the trustees seek to watch over and promote the interests of Commission and of persons not connected who are within its bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place in the charity and seeks to further the contribution of Commission Radio to Christian witness and service. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings. Stated meetings of the trustees are held three times per year, or as appropriate.

Executive Committee

The trustees have delegated to its Executive Committee the temporal and operational affairs of the charity including administering all funds and property belonging to Commission. Members of the Executive Committee attend Trustee Meetings. Stated meetings of the Executive Committee are held regularly as needed and trustees are entitled to attend at their own discretion.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

The charitable purpose of Commission is the advancement of religion. The objects of "Commission" are to spread the message of the Lord Jesus Christ and to encourage Christians to grow in their faith by any means consistent with the Statement of Faith set out in the Schedule hereto and including in particular (but not exclusively) the preparation of Christian radio programmes for broadcast, the preparation of audio and visual material for use in the Christian Church, and the encouragement and training of Christians in the communication of their faith.

Schedule: Statement of Faith

  1. The Unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.

  2. God’s Sovereignty in Creation, Revelation, Redemption and the Final Judgement. 3. The Divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

  3. The Fall of man, his lost estate and total depravity, making necessary the New Birth.

  4. The deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, death, bodily resurrection, present exaltation at God’s right hand and His personal return.

  5. The necessity of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Christ effective to the individual sinner granting him/her repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. 7. The One Holy Universal Church, which is the body of Christ to which all true believers belong. . 8. Christ’s commission to the Church to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

Radio Drama

Radio Stations (both in UK and abroad) continued to be supplied with programmes.

“Nicodemus” 6 programmes completed (Aug 2024) sent to stations (Feb 2025) Gideon — the Doubtful Hero recorded (Dec 2024) completed and sent to stations (Feb 2025)

“An Angel told me” a 4 part Christmas series completed (May 2024) and sent to our regular stations, including Premier Christian radio, in early December 2024

A single drama entitled “Breach of Copyright” was recorded in April. This was the story of Columba/Colmcille and his impact on the Celtic church in the 6th century, and with the founding of the “lona Community,” still relevant to the modern world. It was sent to Premier and also put on our podcast.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

On Premier Radio (UK National religious station).

During the year June 2024-25 the following were broadcast:

Moses My Brother. 13 programmes
Nicodemus—The faithful Pharisee. 7 programmes
7WeekWonder.
An Angel Told me... 4 programmes
Matthew 13 programmes
Gideon The Doubtful Hero 6 programmes
Joshua-ThePromisedLand 6programmes

Children’s Programmes —

A project team of producer, presenters and technical operators continued planning and subsequently recording a 26 part series of programmes for children. Called “Treasure Box” the complete series was first broadcast by Trans World Radio UK in late 2024 and is being repeated through 2025.

Worldwide Station Outlets -

Four overseas stations have broadcast our programmes over the year:

TWR (UK)-Europe > Reach Beyond - Australasia and Far East Voice of Livingstonia - Malawi Joy FM - Guam

Music —

The requirements for music are now confined to recording theme music for our drama and other programmes.

Internet Station — Website (www.commissionradio.org).

There are 28 programme series available, attracting a global audience, with over half located in North America.

Podcast

“The Commission Files” is a podcast strand aimed at a wider, more local audience, launched in September 2023. It explores contemporary issues concerning the intersection of Christian Faith with the community, as well as profiling interesting characters and organisations. Episodes are generally around 45 minutes in length and are co-presented by Will Leitch and Kerry Greig. All are recorded and produced in Studio 2, which was specially refurbished for that purpose. 25 programmes have been produced and published so far. Although the vast majority of listeners are in the UK and Ireland, episodes have been downloaded in 410 cities across 44 countries.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Studio 2 has also been used to produce monthly podcasts for another local charity, covering issues of faith and reconciliation. There are now 16 programmes in the strand “Inspired to Act” from Thrive Ireland available online.

Drama Podcast

This initiative commenced in mid 2024, with each month seeing a drama series being published from our current back catalogue. By June 2025, 9 series had been uploaded to potentially new audiences, with over 1,000 downloads to date (June 2025).

Engineering:

Staffing — there is currently a core of four engineers which is adequate at present for current productions. :

Equipment — maintenance and upgrading of both hardware and software continued throughout the period.

Premises:

Costs for lighting/heating are closely monitored as are other day to day running costs. Routine maintenance and servicing is carried out as required, and a good working relationship is continuing with our landlord.

Publicity:

Website —

The Commission website underwenta significant transformation during the period and now presents more relevant information in a contemporary context and facilitates access to all the charity’s output. (www.commissionradio.org).

Facebook —

A dedicated Facebook page continues to help publicise the work of Commission on social media: (www.facebook.com/commissionradio).

News Sheet —

One edition is issued in June each year. In addition to hard copies being printed and distributed to our mailing list, we also email copies to our supporters and other interested individuals.

Training:

Over the past year, radio training and awareness courses continue to be offered to churches and organisations in line with one of our objectives.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Property 2 , The Executive Committee continues to provide oversight and maintenance of our building to ensure it remains fit for purpose. While no major building work was undertaken during 2024-2025, general maintenance to the building continued throughout the year. This has become even more important as the studio has been increasingly busy with a corresponding increase in visitors, for many of whom it was their first visit.

Volunteers

The trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who gave freely of their time by serving on the Executive Committee and the wider Team for their involvement in other activities.

PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT.

Commission meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by making known the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion.

The direct benefit, which flows from the advancement of religion, includes the spreading of the principles of Christianity through raising awareness and understanding of Christian beliefs and practices. On-going training is offered to continue the work and advance the purposes of Commission. This work also extends into the area of missionary outreach. These benefits are evidenced through the encouragement of moral and spiritual improvement of society in the UK, Ireland and overseas. We also receive constructive feedback from radio stations that have requested our programmes and this in turn helps us to determine the content and direction of future productions.

Commission has had regard to the Charity Commissions Public benefit requirement statutory guidance.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The charity’s main source of income is individual and church contributions and some investment income.

Total Income of Commission during the year 2023-2024 was £12,612 compared to £28,580 in the previous year which was exceptional due to a generous legacy. Total expenditure was £20,972 during 2024-2025 compared to £20,680 in 20232024.

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

In his financial report the Treasurer reminded the trustees that regular donation/gift income continues to fall well short of the annual running costs with this being slightly off set by the interest received. The running costs had fallen from £15,087 to £13,543 which was mainly due to studio updating/refurbishment the previous year. The cost of Commission Activities increased from £5,593 to £7,429 mainly due to a full year of monthly podcasts. The deficit had been a planned one and cash reserves remain strong, so risks associated with a deficit are low. Any future strategy needs to take account of how cash is to be used/managed.

ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

It was noted that there was no significant change in the year end position regarding Assets and Liabilities except for depreciation adjustment.

GOING CONCERN

The activities of Commission are dependent on ongoing contributions from individuals and churches. The Trustees are of the opinion that Commission has sufficient resources at the date of approval of the financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and subject to the continuing support to fund, on an ongoing basis, the charity’s current activities and other financial commitments.

RISK REVIEW

Risks continue to be monitored by the trustees and the executive and systems and procedures implemented to manage any that are identified. The principal risks are in relation to the likelihood of reputational damage and financial risks associated with the expectation of ongoing financial support from individuals and churches. These risks are mitigated by the Trustees, and the Executive Committee, regularly monitoring the various activities of the charity and the up-to-date financial position at stated meetings and by encouraging supporters in their regular giving.

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COMMISSION TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of Commission in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice.

As the charity’s total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare a receipts and payment account and a statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity’s transactions and disclose with

reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

M McCartney (Chairman of Trustees) OKO TAL,¢ pate.lo” Yet 20%7 J Rea (Trustee) Date../6.)A) 25.

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