TRUSTEES'ANNUAL REPOR T ST DONARD'S PARISH CHURCIL BLOOMFIELD, BELFAST (MC 102121) elo The Hon. Parochial Treasurer Mr Mlehael Carson 32 Holland Gardens BELFAST BT5 6EG l January 2023 untll 31 December 2023 Trustees The Vcnetable K Higgins (until 30th Septemb 2023), Heather Boyd, Michael Carsoffj Kenn¢th Conli Caroline FO John Gilmore, Trevor Matthews, Nev McCornMcL Nelson Morrow. William Moore, Rhonda Moroney? Graeme Smyd4 Dianne Vaughan, Gareth Watson, Keith Iwhite, and Hilary Ivhiteside. Flnance St Donard's successfully came through the difficulties of Covid-19, with 2023 being. overall. a sound financial year. Freewill envelope (and monthly standing orders) offerings, which fund the day to day running costs of St Donard's Parish w¢r¢ howev¢r SilfiCantlY down in 2023 to £83.614 (2022: £92.596), reflecting the death of several much loved elderly and generous parishioners. Many of the younger parishioners have significant financial commitsnents at this stsge of their lives and give as generously as they can, The £83.614 given in 2023 is below the avernge (£94,305) for the period 2012 to 2023, and the lowest sinc¢ b¢for¢ 2012. There was a shift from envelopes to monthly standing orders from 2019 and this shift was been key An helping the Parish through the Covid-19 crisis and providing a level of financial certainty going forward. Those who continue to use FWO envelopes continued to give generously. FWO standing orders totatjed £48.847 (2022: £51,037). exceeding the £34,767 (2022: £41,559) given using FWO envelop¢s. Donations to the running costs of the Church totalled £44,966. up from £13,464 in 2022. Of critical importance, £27,537 (2022: £18,320) of Gift Aid was recovered in 2023 frnm HMRC for freewill and other offerings (including Development Fund offerings). All Gift Aid was therefore recovered promptly for 2023 and w&s in line with expectstions, subject to normal timing dclays. In previous years, Gift Aid r¢coverd was impacted by the timeliness of recovery, with a significant increase in 2019 (£32,215), compared to 2018 (£17,137) and 2017 (£19,037). The high figure of £32215 in 2019 was due to the dl¢ation of the new Gift Aid Secretary and the more timely recovery of gift aid. The Parish is now recoverAng Gift Aid on a timely and regular b&8iS. In 2023. a legacy totslling £135,036 were received by the Parish (2022: £1.830; 2021: £21,247; 2020: £97,920). This generous legacy was given to St Donard's by a lifelong and devoted parishioner, Enda Johnston. Legacy income can vary significantly each year. These significant 1¢8acies reL%ived over several year4 will be used to fund new and ongoing initiatives withAn the Parish. Parishioners have also been very generous with their on80ing fu1claI commitment to the costs of the new Parish Ccntrc - with £giving in 2023 (2022; £21,805 2021: £23,810; 2020: £26,330) by monthly standing orders and a further £1,855 (2021: £1,776) through the Envelope Scheme. Sadly, money received by standing order has fallen with th¢ death of several highly committed elderly parishioners. Donations to the Development Fund of £1.400 were received in 2023 (2022: £1,400). Unfortunately. du¢ to Covid-19, the highly successful car boot sale noMllY held from April to October. could not be and is now unlikely to resume. In previous years, the willing band of volunteers who ran th¢ car boot sale ¢nthusia3tically raised SI]rICant sums. with £12,824 rais¢d in 2019 (2018: £14,094). Norn] Church expenditure, overall, is down by £3,821 compared to the previous financial year. Remuneration rnaInS the rnost SIlficant cos¢ £61,423 in 2023 (2022: £76,340). Remuneration includes the salary and locomotory allowance paid to the Rector; the Clergy Pension Fund contribution paid by th¢ Parish to the Di(Kes¢; any payments made to other clergy; non-clergy superannuation costs: and the remuneration paid to the Church Organist. The de¢ase is largely a result of th¢ Rector retiring at the end of September 2023. He will not be replaced until the middle of 2024. Other SilfiCant costs included the Parish's
.contrA6ution to the Dioce&qn General FutMI £13.671 (2022: £11,154); and scheduled interest and principal repayments of £9,493 (2022: £18,986) on the bank loan used to finance the building of the new Parish Centr¢. As already noted, this loan w&8 repaid in June 2023. These bank loan repayments were charged to the Dev¢lopm¢nt Fund. All other significant costs We broadly in line with 2022, although in 2023, our utility payments (g&8, electrAcAty and water) were signlficantly higher (2023: £10,367) than in 2022 (£6,517) and 2021 (£4.562). Fire safety works also Incre¢d from £2,057 in 2022 to £8,591 in 2023. . The PaTish appoint¢d a Family Worker in August 2021, with his remuneration £ (2022: £18,563) charged to the Development Fund. The Parish has agreed to part-fimd the rent of a missionary family who return to Northern Ireland and who a undertaking work for the Diocese and for this Parish. Our Contributio which is now £487 per mond commenced in Octob¢r 2021 and this cost is n]¢t from th¢ DclOpm¢nt Fund. In 2023 this contrlbution was £5,850 (2022: £6,200). Note that in both 2022 and 2021 additional loan rq)ayments (principal) of £50,000 were made from the Parish's Development Fund. The loan was fully repaid in June 2023 with a final additional loan repayment of £15,700. The costs Incurr (between 2014 and 2018) in building th¢ new Parish Centrc totslled £957.814, with all but £361.535 of this being funded from investments: generous donations; and Parish income. Despite these significant costs, the ParAsh still contrAbuted £15.868 (2022: £14,648) to other charities including, for example: £5.000 to CMS Ireland; £1,580 to Christian Aid. £1,500 to the Marie Curie Hospice. £1,473; and £1,001 to the Leprosy Mission.. During 2023, £1,326 was rais to support CMS Ireland in future years- the closing CMS Ireland balance at 31 December 2023 now stands at £5,737. This money is held in the St Donard's General Account. During 2021, a result of receiving significant legacies in 2021 and 2020, £136,000 was traDsfcrrrAI from the General Fund to the Development Fund. This money has been used more generally by the Development Fund and since 2021 h&8 held the Parish fund a Family Worker. Sist with the rent of a Missionary family (who are undertakin8 work for the Diocese and also this Parish), and repay an additional £115.700 (£15,700 in 2023; £50,000 in both 2021 and 2022) of the loan used to build the new Parish Centre. As noted above, our loan was fully repaid in June 2023 (2022: £24,698; 2021 .. £91,663; 2020: £156.035'20 19 £165,943; 2018: £247,125; 2017: £296,143; 2016: £355,535)iOur year end balances are as follows: General Bank account £256,933 (2022: £92,291) £33,770 in our Developm¢nt Fund account (2022: £61,690); and £720 (2023: £553) in our Business Reserve account. In addition, the market valuc of our Parish Endowment Funds totalled ££53,096 (2022: £50,789). Thes¢ Funds have risen due to better stock market conditions durin8 2023. In 2023 our fllwicial statements include the individual accounts of our PaT¢nt & Toddler Group.. The Parent & Toddler Group's income and expenditure was less than £1,000. The Women's Focus Group which e2ased activities following Covid, transferred its remaAning c&8h balances (£841) to St Donard's Church in 2023. Looking fonvard to 2024. the financial position MaInS sound. HOwer, the income (FWO- envelopes and Standing Orders) received from ParAshioners will be kept under active review given the SAlficant fall in 2023. Cash balances held in excess of our reserves policy and anticipated tUre routine expenditure, are now to improve our family outreach work and work with younger people. As noted above, our loan for thc n¢w P]Sh C¢ntr¢ has now Ixcn repaid. We will incur significant costs in bringing the Rectory up to standard for the new Rector to be appointed during 2024. Management The Financ managed by the Treasurer who reports to the 16 Trustees at a Select Vesty meeting every two months, or more frequently if nece&8ary. SeIect Vesty members are elected each year at the Easter G¢neral V¢sty. In Scptcmber 2023. with heavy hearts. the Parish said farewell to our much loved and respected Rector, The Venerable Kenneth Higgins. The Rector was instrumental in leading St Donard's into a new era. The new ParAsh Centre would never have been built (and fillly repaid before he left). without his leadership and vision. He was also key in building a Church attractive to young families and their children. As many of our
'Fwislllon¢rs entered thc final y¢ars of their liv¢4 hc provided them with exceptional pastoral support. We miss him, but now we now look ford to appointing a new Rector to ow Parish. Purpose The prlncipal function of St Donard's Paris Bloomfield, is to support the advancement of the Christian religion by advancing the work of the Parish and the whole mission of the Churc14 which includes pastoral. social and ecumcnical outreach. All the activities of the Parish relate to the promotion of religion through holdAng regular Worship Services; caring for parishioners of all ages, especially the sick and ¢ld¢rly' and also working with around I So young people within our community. To enhance our outreach work to familie8 and young people, the Parish appointed James Arn)strong as a Family Worker in August 2021. The Parish Church is a historically Listed Grad¢ 2 building and the Parish works to maintsln this building to a high standard. Publlc Benefli The Trust¢¢s of St Donard's Parish have complied with all their duties in line with the Commission's Public Benefit statutory guidance. Regular worship and reaching Out into the community, both to the eld¢rly and thc young, with very varied activities, on a social and fundraising level, have been Carried out throughout the year to fulfil our Ststement of Public Benefit. The Parish has regular Food Bank collections to help the needy within our are& Money has been raised towards the work of the Christian Aid: Church Missionary Society Ireland; Crosslinks; Leprosy Mission; Overseas Missionary Fellowship. Samaritan's Purse (Shoebox Appeal) and South American Mission Society all for the disadvantaged in various countries of the WOTld. Some of the other charities supported by the Parish included. for examplc: th¢ Bishops Appeal Christians Against Poverty, Church Minlsty of Healing, Marle Curie Hospice, Air Ambulance and WaterAid. A total of £15,868 was donated to charities in 2023 (2022: £14.648), Our Church premises and halls are used regularly by the Comm nornMlly use the premises each week. CqvS¢*- Hon. Parochlal Trnasurer 'ty and in excess of 350 people would . Secrn ry to Select Vo8try trlry October 2023 etK October 2023