Parish of Ballynafeigh
St Jude’s Church
NIC 102378
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2023
St Jude's Parish Church Trustee annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 Charity Number: NIC 102378
Contents
Trustee Report of the Select Vestry for the year ended 31st December 2023 Error! Bookmark not defined.
Our Vision ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Church Anniversary ....................................................................................................................... 3 Community Engagement ............................................................................................................... 4 Renewable Energy ........................................................................................................................ 4 Financial Review ........................................................................................................................... 5 Select Vestry ................................................................................................................................. 5 Membership ............................................................................................................................... 5
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St Jude's Parish Church Trustee annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 Charity Number: NIC 102378
Our Vision
St Jude’s Church, in the Parish of Ballynafeigh, is situated on the Ormeau Road, a busy arterial route 2 miles from Belfast city centre. We are a Christian church within the Diocese of Down and Dromore in the Church of Ireland and are part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Our Vision Statement is: ‘We are a church committed to Christ, welcoming people from all nations.’
We seek to fulfill this objective, by the conduct of public worship in the Anglican tradition and as a visible presence in the local community through outreach and by making the Church and Hall a welcoming environment.
Church Anniversary
This year marked 150 years of being a Parish Church. St Jude’s was planted by neighbouring Knockbreda Parish Church who had the vision to build a new church within their growing parish on the Ormeau Road, Belfast. It was completed in 1873 and was the first Church of Ireland church to be built after disestablishment. The first service was held on Sunday, March 30, 1873. Unusually, the Church was not consecrated until just over four months later on Thursday, August 7, 1873.
This year to mark St Jude’s Sesquicentennial (150 years) we held a Service of Thanksgiving and Re-dedication on Saturday 20 May 2023. We welcomed Bishop David McClay and Canon William Press from Knockbreda Parish as the Guest Preacher. The special service was attended by parishioners past and present and members of the congregation. After the service people enjoyed viewing the historical exhibition inside the church along with generous slices of anniversary cake! The evening also premiered a short film, The Life of St Jude’s now on our YouTube channel.
We used the year to be thankful for the past and hopeful for the future. We had a number of other special events including a Lego Exhibition Fundraiser, Kerygma Gospel Choir Concert and a Harvest Thanksgiving Lunch.
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St Jude's Parish Church Trustee annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 Charity Number: NIC 102378
Community Engagement
We continued to serve our local community by engaging in a number of outreach programs. The various activities listed below provide opportunities to connect with new people and build relationships and then invite them to church services and ministries.
Toddlers’ Group: Meeting every Monday morning at our Halls this has been a great entry point to the church as we have connected with parents, grandparents and carers of pre-school children. It has served an on going need attracting local people both cross-community and from different nations. We have seen a few attend church services having first attended this group.
Craic with a cola can: This happens outside on our church grounds where people of all ages and backgrounds can drop by for a drink and chat. It's a chance to be a physical presence on the Ormeau Road and build bridges between the church and community. We serve seasonal refreshments: hot chocolate when its freezing or ice lollies when its hot! It's a simple way of being good neighbours, showing kindness and connecting with those in the Ormeau area who would otherwise just pass by the church.
Cosy Hubs: As churches and community hubs on the Ormeau Road, we are aware of the rising costs of food and heating and of the challenges this poses to each of us in winter. We are especially concerned for the elderly, the isolated and the vulnerable in our community. Cosy Hubs are a simple way of coming together to ensure that on every weekday, at least one place on the road will be offering both warmth and an unconditional welcome to any who might appreciate it. Last winter we helped pilot this scheme and this winter plan to scale up the project by providing a hot meal once a week.
The above are examples of how the Select Vestry have met the Public Benefit requirement of an organisation that has charitable status.
Renewable Energy
Both the Church and Church Hall have had solar panels installed, these provide the electricity with any surplus returned to the electricity grid.
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St Jude's Parish Church Trustee annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 Charity Number: NIC 102378
Financial Review
The total income received during the year was £157,529 of which £52,629 was for specific purposes including maintenance of the buildings and the outreach programme. The Parish benefited from Gift Aid tax rebate and also receives income from the rental of property.
Whilst the general Account and the Outreach fund report a negative position, the Reserve Account, which includes investments held, has a significant balance and hence there is sufficient liquidity within the overall financial position.
The Parish contributes 10% of both Freewill Offering and Gift Day income to missions & charities, which represented an amount of £16,309.23, an increase of 20% on the previous year.
Select Vestry
The Select Vestry are elected by members of the congregation (General Vestry) for a twelvemonth period. Our Annual General Vestry Meeting was held on Sunday 23 April 2023. The Select Vestry are primarily responsible for the Fabric, Finance and Furnishings of the Parish. The Select Vestry conducts their business in compliance with the Constitution of the Church of Ireland.
Membership
Chairman Rector; Rev. P Bourke Ex Officio Members Rector’s Churchwarden Miss E Bird People’s Churchwarden Mr S Blackburne Rector’s Glebewarden Mr R Jennings People’s Glebewarden Mr S Gallagher Elected members: Mr A Boal (Honorary Treasurer) Mr R Armstrong Miss A Corrin Mrs A Gallagher Mrs F Jayonwiki
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St Jude's Parish Church Trustee annual report for the year ended 31st December 2023 Charity Number: NIC 102378
Ms K McMillan Mrs E Stanex Dr M Taggart Mr G Thairu
Signed by trustees on behalf of all trustees
Signature
Print name Date Peter Bourke (Chair) 10 March 2024 Andrew Boal (Treasurer) 10 March 2024
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