Trustees Annual Rewt Rythe year ended 30° Ntyrnber 2020 The Managin8 Trustees during the period of this report were: Mr. Morris McAfee. Mr. David Mailey, Mr. Samuel Kelty, Mr. Alex Steele & Mr. Re8 Crozier. The Trustees of Coleraine Congregational Church have had regard to the Charity Commission for Northem Ireland Annual Reporting and Public Benefrt Requirement Statutory Guidance in the preparation of this report and in the course of their business in the reporting period. Coleraine Congregational Churth is governed by its Constttution. The ConstitlOn was th reviewed in 2015/16 and the revised document was adopted at ourAG.M. on 26 February 2016 and came in effect at the kG.M. of 22 February 2017. Our Purpose: The purpose of Coleraine Congregational Churth 15 to promote the glory of God by publlc worship, preaching and teadiing of the Word of God, reachin8 Out to people with the Gospel of Christ. and encouraging godly living in all true believers. Public Benefft: The charity aims to share the Christian gospel and faith throu8h advancement of religion. The direct beneffts of this purpose include the provision of a church building for public worship and all listed artivities. Thi5 building has disabled access making public worship accessible to all members of the 8eneral public The public worship contributes to the wellbeing of those attending the church. It also provides spiritual and moral teachin8 and support for its members and the general publio There ts the potential for moral and intellectual improvement for church members and members of the general public who attend the public worshlp and follow its Biblical teaching. The thurthes purposes promote Christian values and its Blblical teachin8s provide opportunities for Biblical response including prayer and worship. Pastoral and practical support is provided to those in need. Support is also 8iven to missionaries and missionary organisations through prayer and financial support. The benefrts of our organlsation are demonstrated through infomial feedback from our members. their families, parents of young people and the general public who attend our meetings. Expressions of benefrt are often demonstrated by members in regular church meetin85. Benefits can a150 be seen by the behaviour and seTVtce demonstrated by those involved in the churches public worship and meetings. Our churches beneficiaries include our members, their families. the general public and the community in which our charity ministers. All of our activities are open to the general public and advertised to them.
A private benefft flowing from our purpose is related to the employment of our caretaker and the organist. This benefft is inodental and necessary in the fvrtherance of our charity's purpose. The private benefrt is also reasonable and not exce55ive. The church organist IS the wife of one of our trustees. The trustee exempts himself from any business concerning his wife to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. No hami will come from the purposes of our charity. Our volunteers working with children have been 'AccessNI 'checkÈd, we have a Designated Person for Child Protection in office. We revised and updated our Child Protection Policy document in 2019. What we do: Prior to the March 2019 lockdown due to the Covid 19 pandemic we held 2 services of public worship Èach Sunday and regular bible study and prayer meetings durln8 the week. We returned in September to holding a single sevrfice each Sunday morning with protective measures and appropriate distanang in place. This inrtialty reduced our capacity but with new audio-visual equipment in pla we have been able to use our church hall for an overflow area. Since May 2019 we have been having a weekly Bible Study and prayer time using the 'Zoom' platform. This has enabled a good number of our folk to have a sense of fellowship together. Sunday School and Bible aass took place each Sunday morning until the lockdown. Transport was hired to bring any children requiring transport to these activitie5. We also provided crèche faciltties for parents attending church with their babies and youn8 children and Children's Church was held durin8 our weekly morning worship ead) Sunday. These services have been suspended Sin the March 2019 lockdown Pastoral support continues to be undertaken by our Deacons, and members of the church, to both those in need within the church's own membership and the wider community. This is done through a telephone call. Men and Ladies fellowship meetings were suspended from March 2019 and have not been able to resume to date. The Deacons meet 2 times per Month on Zoom to maintain church business and discuss pastoral matter& We Temaln ai che de of ihls report Wfthout a fum tlme Pasror but are artivety praying for and seeking a replacement. We believe that whoever that man will be, will be revealed to us by God in due time. Our Sunday services continue to be led by Christian men known to us who share our beliefs and our'statement of Faith.. These men are invited following discussion among the Diaconate and a offered a monetary gift for leadin8 US sn worshlp and bringin8 3 scriptural message to those gathered for Worship. The church provides opportunities for missionaries and missionary or8anisations to share details of their work to the fellowship and the general public. The church offers these missionaries prayerful and financial sUPPOrt and encouragement to help advance the Christian gospel and faith. Again durin8 lock-down the number of opportunities to meet with missionaries has been reduced. All other church activities have had to be suspended during the pandemic.
How we are funded: The charity has sufficient funds in its accounts to sustain its expenses and Itabilities. The main source of income for the church is the free will contributions of those attending for worship at our weekly Sunday seTvice5. There are regular opportunities to support Chrlslian mlssions at our Servi whether on a Sunday or through our midweek activities. Contributions received to support a particular Christian mission are passed on in full to that mission. The weekly'Free Will Offerin8 'ls received eitherthrou8h money contained in sealed envelopes orrying the contributor5 allocated number or in loose cash deposited in the collection plate. Stewards appointed by the membership at our Annual General Meeting record these contributions and deposit the funds in our bank account weekly. The church also receives Glft Aid pawnents from HMRC on submission of a claim. A small number of people faithfully and regularly contribute to the'Repair Fun using a separate envelope system. These contributions are recorded and deposited in our general account on a weekly basis. These contributions are only used to maintain the fabric Structure of the church building for the benefft of the charity. Children from the Sunday Sthool contribute to the Sunday School fund and the ladies attending Ladles Fellowship contribute to the Ladles Fell¢y*thip fund. Funds held in these accounts are used solely for the activitie5 of these groups. During the period of this report we continued to rent our manse for 3 months. A short term rental agreement between the holding trustees and the other party was prepared and an appropriate monthly rent agreed. The Trustees are registered with the Northern Ireland Landlord Re8i5tration Scheme and the property is propÈrJy insured in line with these temporary circumstances. A report on our activities and finances is prepared annually and 15 forn)alty adopted at our A.G.M. in February each year. Morris McAfee Secretsrynrustee 12 Marth 2021