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← The Emmanuel Church Lurgan Trust

2025-08-31-annual-report

The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT

for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

The trustees present their Trustees' Annual Report, combining the Directors’ Report and Trustees’ Report, and the audited financial statements for the financial period ended 31 August 2025.

The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The Trustees' Report contains the information required to be provided in the Trustees’ Annual Report under the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) guidelines. The trustees of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law and under the company's constitution are known as members of the board of trustees.

In this report the trustees of The Emmanuel Churches Trust present a summary of its purpose, governance, activities, achievements and finances for the financial period 31 August 2025.

The charity is a registered charity and hence the report and results are presented in a form which complies with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, although not obliged to comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS 102, the organisation has implemented its recommendations where relevant in these financial statements.

Mission, Objectives and Strategy

Mission statement

The Churches Trust is established for the benefit of the public in Northern Ireland and in any other part of the world, the Churches Trust's objects are specifically restricted to the following :

Governance

Our Board of Directors have met regularly and have undertakena full programme of board strategic and governance activity throughout the year. All company directors have confirmed their willingness and eligibility to act as a Director and have declared that they do not have any conflict of interest in doing so. Conflicts of Interest during board meetings are managed as per our agreed policy. There are no related parties or significant interest to be noted. Apart from one Lead Pastor, Directors are unpaid and are not remunerated for their trusteeship. New Directors are recruited as per the Memorandum and Articles of Association. A review of the Articles of Association occurred during the year which amended the charitable objects to better describe the charitable work of Emmanuel Church Lurgan Trust and to improve the governance arrangements of the Company. During the year, the Board of Directors conducted a due diligence review regarding merging with Emmanuel Portadown (ECF Trust). This decision was made after careful consideration by both boards of trustees, ensuring alignment of our governance arrangements to better reflect the one vision, mission and operations of the churches as we work closely together across the City of Craigavon to fulfil our vision. We believe this will allow the Board to function more effectively, ensuring the governance of both churches is fully aligned and to have consistent methods in place for managing finances, employing staff, overseeing health & safety and all the other key operational aspects in both of our churches. The Board approved the merger, with effect from 31st August 2025, with all assets, undertakings, operations and liabilities of ECF Trust transferred to The Emmanuel Church Lurgan Trust on this date. Our financial year was also changed to align with this merger and to bring consistency with our operational planning and budgets. Moving forward, our trustee merged board will include representatives from both churches, ensuring continuity, local input and shared expertise. Now that the merger is complete, the Board of Directors have also changed the name of the legal entity to ‘The Emmanuel Churches Trust’ on 3° November 2025 and will update both Companies House and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland accordingly.

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The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT

for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

Summary of Activities

Church Community

The primary gathering point for our church community is a Sunday morning with around 700 adults gathering across 2 services. A key element of creating space for our church family is between these services over tea, coffee and snacks. We continue to gather on the first Sunday evening of each month for our ‘Seek First’ worship space and meet bi-weekly for prayer on a Wednesday night. On these nights we join our Portadown Church.

We have continued in our primary calling of discipleship, while continuing to dedicate babies, baptise believers, marry and bury people. Endeavouring to do all of these in a context of love, dignity and family. During the year, we launched women’s ministries — ‘Woven; which meets monthly for connection and encouragement and ‘EmpowHer’ which meets 3 times per year, often with a guest speaker.

We continually endeavour to engage with our wider community demonstrating the love of God in words and actions. At Easter time and in the summer, we blessed the local community with gifts around doors and organised community events and community fun days. As well as these key events, we also have developed weekly Café drop-ins in Mourneview and Shalom.

Our Alpha programme was delivered From January to April, culminating with a special Easter Outreach event with Gram Seed as a speaker. An alpha programme was also delivered in the local prison as part of our ongoing weekly visits for connection and pastoral support.

Life groups

With the larger numbers of people gathering on Sundays, Life groups are a key way for us to be able to connect in smaller numbers and allow people to build intentional relationships. An African proverb says, “/f you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”

Around a third of our church members are engaged with life group, with a hope of seeing this increase in the future.

Pastoral Care

As achurch, we desire to have a robust pastoral care system, which ensures that people are cared for thoroughly. We have a staff member to coordinate and oversee these processes specifically, while our pastors and volunteer pastoral care team outwork everything on the ground. Life groups (mentioned in the section above) provide a primary form of pastoral care, with group leaders able to feedback information to church leadership, of issues or difficulties which have arisen in the lives of those connected to their groups.

Wider Church Networks

We also facilitate a partnership network for around 20 churches in connection with Tobar. This provides mutual encouragement, support and learning. Throughout the year, it has been a delight to host ‘Tobar family nights’ and we look forward to our annual conference in October. Alongside this we also partner with other churches to host a Christian festival, Nua, for around 1200 people across Ireland as a place to worship, learn and encounter. This year's festival in June, saw growth across all ages and programmes, with new church families attending, as we came together with a unified desire to seek God for a fresh outpouring of his Holy Spirit on the island of Ireland. Planning for next year has already commenced with hopes to develop a dedicated youth festival within the larger festival.

Kids

Week on week we have routine programmes that run consisting of:

5 Sunday Environments for 15months — 11 years olds, that have an average of 130 collectively each Sunday and 110 different volunteers involved on a rota basis.

Kids Drop In, that offers a safe, fun and nurturing space to get homework done. We have between 12-15 who attend weekly from a range of different schools.

Shalom Kids Club, an outreach initiative happening in North Lurgan.

Tiny Tots, Carers & Preschools group, With an average attendance of 30 adults & 45 kids, with most parents/carers attending Tiny Tots only having a connection to Emmanuel Church through this ministry. We continue to see an increase of people from many different nationalities. Quest and Impact for children in P1 - P7 which runs every Friday night. With 80 children attending each week it is easy to say, Friday nights are the highlights of the week for many children & leaders alike. We are so thankful for the dedicated team of 15 leaders who weekly give up their Friday nights to invest in our kids.

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The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

Additionally our P6/7 lifegroup meets bi-weekly which is one of our favourite spaces to meet with each other and God. We were blessed with the most amazing weekend in Kilbroney in May with this group — memories made that will last a lifetime.

Local Schools

It has been wonderful to work closely with some of our local schools Kings Park, Carrick, Dickson Primary schools where we facilitated a number of assemblies during the year. We continue to partner with Aspire & Reach throughout the year by providing mentoring capacity. Transition Week ran for P7’s with 7 local primary schools in June.

Family Ministries

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Our heart is very much for family. In 2025, 14 babies were | born and 9 babies were dedicated into the church family. We have quarterly Saturday mornings with young family to stay & play called ‘Mini " Morning’. Our Fostering & Adoption Support Group continues to meets y oa everyone another,other monthbringingit'smuch beenencouragement. a great space to meet, chat and pray for f\ GED. ato i. - THOSE wna 541 3 Other Events £ ep Soa % Easter Kids Week — Joy Story - 95 kids and 40 volunteers. Pos De = 7 NUA - ‘IONS’ - A large team supported a fun packed weekend in June a oy \ 7 7 for 400 kids. cf wae ie af Junior Kids Week — July - 35 Nursery/P1 kids. Le » Lut tL[[&]] Shalom & Mournview Kids Weeks — July bees — ail 3 Kids Week — August — 90 kids/40 volunteers Ssssese * eee Summer Activity Days— 7 different fun days throughout summer. - ae ne Saleen theAll ofreporting the aboveperiod. has beenA recruitment delivered procedurewith reducedin Maystaffingresultedcapacityin a during Pereesginneesginne tee ‘hei nonea a ssNia. nonea a ssNia.a a ssNia. a ssNia. ssNia.Nia.a.. successful appointment with a new member ofstaff joining the team in és wags wags autumn 2025. is Ors ;

Youth

Friday night youth

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Our theme this year was “Tending the Flame” - focusing on how we
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taught young people about spiritual disciplines to enable them to
continue tending to the flames of their hearts. In the last year, over
450 different young people attended and we engaged an average of
170 young people per week.
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The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

Throughout the year, we took the young people on multiple trips including a weekend away to Greenhill YMCA in February. Our weekend was fully booked bringing 115 young people on the residential. It was a fantastic time where young people deepened their relationships with peers and leaders, were free in their worship and had life changing encounters with God.

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FUSE Youth

In 2025 Fuse has grown to an average of 35 young people attending per week with 120 different young people in attendance this year. FUSE brought 14 of the older youth away on a residential to Todd's Leap. The residential was a real success, they had so much fun and strengthened our relationship with them. Three leaders were able to share their testimonies in the evening and the kids responded really positively. It has sparked a curiosity and It's moments like these that make it worthwhile and we're believing as we keep showing up, God will reveal his love to these kids and bring breakthrough in their lives. To give these kids an opportunity like this that they wouldn't otherwise have had was such an honour.

Shalom Drop In

This has been amazing for building and developing relationships with young people from North Lurgan, with an averaged 10-12 young people coming along.

Youth Alpha

We have ran the course with 21 classes in Craigavon Senior High, 10 3rd year classes in Lurgan Junior High School and at lunch times in Lurgan College. We have taken an estimated 650 pupils from Lurgan, Craigavon and Portadown through the course this year. Many seeds have been planted, many young people were prayed for and one 16 year old boy gave his life to Jesus. Through the Alpha course we also gave out numerous Bibles to young people who asked for one. The schools have really seen the benefit of the course and have asked us to continue to offer it annually in their schools.

Kingdom Youth

This a space on Sunday mornings for ages 11-14. The young people participate in a programme that is delivered in correspondence with the teaching series in Church but tailored to their age. Kingdom Youth engages roughly 40 young people each week over the two services. We have also ran a youth believing and belonging course for the year 10s who have transitioned into church. As part of the transition we ran Switch up Sunday with close to 50 young people serving and leading in our Sunday service.

Lifegroups

In 2025 we had 60 girls and 40 boys engaging regularly in Lifegroups. Having 100 young people in regular small groups, praying, reading scripture and keeping each other accountable in their faith is really significant and an important part of their discipleship.

Prayer and Pancakes

6 to 7 young people come to church every Monday morning before school from 8:00-9:00am to start their week off in prayer.

Drop in

In 2025 we had 132 different young people attend our Junior and Senior Drop Ins with an average of 40 per week.

Banquet

In 2025 we have had 8 young people who attended Banquet bi-weekly on Sunday nights.

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The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

Summer Activities

In July and August 2025 we had over 200 young people engaging in our summer programme. Fuse, funded by EA Planned Intervention funding, ran a programme, that included activities aimed at promoting peace and combatting antisocial behavior. We went ona tour of Belfast, had a session with the police and also ran some fun trips. We had over 20 young people engage with this programme.

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NUA 2025

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We facilitated the youth programme at the NUA Festival ‘Se > i» oe
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In 2025 we ran Easter and and Summer Glo. This is an event where the youth groups from the local churches come
together to to pray, worship, and serve the people of Lurgan Lurgan together.
Compassion
Over the past year, our programmes have continued to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people across our
local community. By combining social, practical, and educational activities, we have created welcoming spaces where
participants feel valued, supported, and connected.
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In 2025 we ran Easter and and Summer Glo. This is an event where the youth groups from the local churches come together to to pray, worship, and serve the people of Lurgan Lurgan together.

Connect Café remains a cornerstone of this work, welcoming up to 60 people every Wednesday morning for coffee, conversation and friendship. During the winter months, monthly hot meals served 40-50 participants, providing nourishment as well as a chance for companionship, particularly for those living alone. The introduction of a Community Advice Advisor, through our partnership with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, has made a

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The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

real difference, giving people access to guidance on housing, debt, and benefits and helping them feel more confident and supported.

Summer trips, including visits to the Ulster Transport Museum, Hollywood, Newcastle, and Portrush, offered participants, many with limited transport options, fun and shared experiences that strengthened connections and created lasting memories.

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agencies, hospitals and social work teams to meet urgent needs. A highlight of this work is our annual School Uniform
Exchange, which redistributed over 1,700 items of clothing. This not only helped families manage the costs of a busy
time of year but also promoted sustainability by keeping these items out of landfill.
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Our educational and skills building programmes have also flourished. Sixteen participants took part in Cooking for Life and Air Fryer courses, during the reporting period learning practical cooking skills while boosting confidence, selfesteem and social interaction. In June, our new gardening initiative “Bloom” engaged 14 participants in growing from seeds and planting pots and window boxes. The course was oversubscribed, reflecting strong interest, and brought together a diverse group of people who formed new friendships while enjoying the shared satisfaction of growing something together.

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Together, these programmes demonstrate our ongoing commitment to : ee ae Wesse |
supporting the community in practical and meaningful ways. By gig neve eg
providing opportunities for social connection, skill development, and ; 2 :
personal growth, we are helping people feel included, empowered } if : s
and inspired. The impact of this work goes beyond the numbers, ie serene ee)
creating stronger networks, lasting friendships and a more connected, — Fo <a!
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Docusign Envelope ID: 0036A6D0-28CB-42B9-BA2A-9CCCE41CFC3C

The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT

for the financial period ended 31 August 2025

None of this would be possible without the countless volunteers that give freely of both their time and their prayers and we are truly grateful and indebted to all of those people for all they continue to do.

Financial Review

The Trustees are very satisfied with this set of financial results. The level of increasing income from our congregation in support of our mission continues to surprise and provide us with reassurance as to what we are doing. We continue to focus on our aims and objectives and concentrate our expenditure on those areas that will enhance and meet our objectives both in the short and medium term. Our net deficit of £5,893 before depreciation and the exceptional item underlines the controls and governance in place within our church.

In addition this year, we have now the first steps in our strategic plan which has involved the consolidation of ECF Trust in Portadown into The Emmanuel Churches Trust.

The trustees are continuing to work on updating the charity's reserve policy,and aim to create free unrestricted reserves equating to three months' running costs.

Financial Results

At the end of the financial year the charity has assets of £2,937,285 (2024 - £1,518,735) and liabilities of £280,289 (2024 - £25,512). The net assets of the charity have increased by £1,163,773.

Reference and Administrative details

Trustees

The trustees who served throughout the financial year, except as noted, were as follows:

Alan John Emerson Warwick McCullough Jonathan Andrew Beggs Colin Maccorkell Heather McDowell Timothy Parks Richard Preston

In accordance with the Articles of Association, the trustees retire by rotation and, being eligible, offer themselves for re-election.

The secretary who served during the financial year was:

Joanne Briggs

Compliance with Sector-Wide Legislation and Standards The charity engages pro-actively with legislation, standards and codes which are developed for the sector. The Emmanuel Churches Trust subscribes to and is compliant with the following: - The Companies Act 2006 - The Charities SORP (FRS 102)

Public Benefit

In setting our objectives and planning our activities for the year the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's statutory guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped achieve the charity purposes and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries.

The Auditors

The auditors, Daly Park & Company Ltd, (Chartered Accountants) have indicated their willingness to continue in office in accordance with the provisions of Section 485 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 2 December 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Signed by: Signed by: —__——CANEFR2BAIC(A Ee ot Ip | Warwick Mel ulloug Alan John EmersonARO Warwick McCullough ~ Trustee Trustee

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Docusign Envelope ID: 0036A6D0-28CB-42B9-BA2A-9CCCE41CFC3C

The Emmanuel Churches Trust (A company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES for the financial year ended 31 August 2025

The trustees, who are also directors of The Emmanuel Churches Trust for the purposes of company law, are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the trustees as the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law) including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" Section 1A (Small Entities). Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that period.

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 the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and. 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.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

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Approved by the Board of Trustees on 2 December 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
| NortSigned by: he | WarwickSigned by: Me(ublougle
Alan John Emerson ~ Warwick McCullough ~
Trustee Trustee
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