Church of Ireland Parish of St. Patrick's Church, Millisle Charity number: NIC 102379 Trustees, Annual Report for year ended 31st December 2023 St. Patrick's Church, Millisle - Annual Trustee's Report 2023 Contents Structure, Governance & Management of Charity Governing Document and Constitution of Charity Recruitment & Appointment of Select Vestry (Trustees) Organisational Structure Principal Off ice bearers Independent Auditor Bankers Trustees, Report & Financial Review 5-11 Objectives and Activities - Achievement, Performance & Public Benefit Public worship Community involvement & outreach Outreach & mission Public Benefit Compliance with Public Benefit Financial Review Going Concern Pay and remuneration Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities St. Patrick's Church, Millisle Annual Trustee's Report 2023 tru and Man Charity Name St. Patrick's Church, Millisle, Church of Ireland Charity Registration Number NIC 102379 Contact Address The Rectory 15 Kilbright Road Carrowdore Newtownards Co Down BT22 2HQ nin ri Chapter111 of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland governs Parishes and Parochial Organisation. The Select Vestry members are the Charity Trustees. Al All members of the Church of Ireland who are over the age of 18 and are either resident within the parish or live elsewhere, but have been accustomed members of the congregation for at least three months, may register as members of the General Vestry of the Parish, allowing them to attend and vote at meetings of the General Vestry and to stand for election to the Select Vestry. Meetings of the General Vestry are held at least once a year. The Select Vestry is elected as part of this General Vestry meeting. The Select Vestry will hold their positions for a period of one year. Select Vestry members may be re-elected annually and there is no limit on the number of terms which may be served. From the Easter Vestry 2023 the serving Select Vestry members were: Revd. C. Davis, Mr C. Williamson, Mr S. Miller, Mr D. Goggins, Mr M. Anderson, Mrs D. Goggins, Mrs S. Easton, Mr R. Whiting, Mrs M Harris, Miss E. Yeates St. Patrick's Church, Millisle- Annual Trustee's Report 2023 ni The Select Vestry is responsible for the day to day management of the parish and consists of the serving member of the clergy (Rector), the Churchwardens, the glebe wardens and usually not more than ten other members of the General Vestry, elected at the annual meeting of the General Vestry - known as the Easter Vestry. The Select Vestry is chaired by the incumbent or other member of the clergy off iciating in the parish. Select Vestry members are responsible for making decisions on matters of general concern and importance to the parish including issues of fabric and finance. The select Vestry meets at times fixed by members or by the Diocesan Synod. special meetings may be convened at any time by the Chairperson or the Churchwardens. In 2022 the Select Vestry met 3 times specifically with occasional meetings after church services as required. The average attendance was approx 800/.. Clergy Parish Readers Revd. Colin A.J. Davis None Church Secretary Church Treasurer Mrs Dorothy Goggins Mrs Sharon Easton Church Wardens Mr Colin Williamson (Rector's) Mr Steven Miller (People's) Muir & Addy Chartered Accountants Muir Building 427 Holywood Road Belfast (1) Ulster Bank 75 Main Street Bangor (2) Nationwide Building Society 56 High Street Newtownards St. Patrick's Church, Millisle Annual Trustee's Report 2023 Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31st December 2023 The trustees present the annual report for Newtownards/Carrowdore & Millisle/St. Patrick's, Millisle/Down & Dromore/Church of Ireland for the year ended 31 sl December 2023 tiv (the wording supplied for charitable Objectives andActivities were approved by General synod in 2015) The charitable purpose of the Church of Ireland is the advancement of religion. The principal function of the Parish of Millisle is to support the advancement of the Christian religion by promoting through the work of St. Patrick's Parish Church, Millisle, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Being open to and engaging with the whole society, offering support for those needing help are fundamental to the practical delivery of the benefits of Christianity. As a result of activity in the pursuit of the advancement of the Christian religion, the Parish of Millisle has custody of property and of records, materials and artefacts of significance to the cultural and religious heritage and maintenance of which is undertaken by the select vestry of the Parish of Millisle. There is the one church building within the parish of Millisle, namely St. Patrick's Church, which was built in 1953 and set on the main road near the centre of the seaside village of On the Woburn Road is the Woburn Hall which is the Parish Hall shared between the parishes of Christ Church, Carrowdore and St. Patrick's, Millisle. The Woburn Hall was built c1855 and is included in the building for the Annual Trustees, Report for Christ Church, Carrowdore. The Rector is also shared with the parish of Christ Church, Carrowdore and there are a number of shared of services and activities. The objective for Millisle Parish is to be a worshipping community, being God's people where we live and seeking to help others to know the love of God. this is summed up in a motto: Christ Centred - Spirit Led - Family Focused (used by both parishes) This is achieved through regular public worship, community outreach and involvement at local, national and international level. St. Patrick's Church, Millisle- Annual Trustee's Report 2023 Public W hi Following the previous couple of years of turmoil due to COVID19, a simpler form of service was introduced and continued in 2023, but the in 2023 we stopped videoing & uploading the services. The normal service pattern consists of Morning Worship each Sunday at 10.00am, with Holy Communion on the third Sunday each month. We have returned to using the 'Common Cup, for the wine, although individual cups are available, as is a non-alcoholic alternative. Currently there is no evening service. The music, is provided largely by backing tracks which use a mixture of organ led traditional style & more contemporary music group style, but occasionally supplements with some guitar led songs. The Church Wardens are committed to helping people feel welcome as they come in to Church. In addition to normal Sunday worship there is Christmas Morning Worship, a service of Compline on Tuesday evening of Holy Week, a 'Last Supper, Communion on the evening of Maundy Thursday and a joint Dawn Service in Millisle on Easter Sunday. The United Service of Lessons and Carols (usually the Sunday before Christmas), the midnight Communion on Christmas Eve and the service of Holy Communion on Ash Wednesday are all hosted by Christ Church, Carrowdore. Harvest is celebrated on the third Sunday in October and Mothering Sunday (on fourth Sunday of Lent). There is a service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday and many of the congregation then cross the road to take part in the Remembrance Parade at the Village Memorial. The Rector takes this short service alternating annually with the local Presbyterian Minister. Church members regularly participate in services with leading prayers of intercession. Services are mostly led by the Rector. For those who feel they would like it, a Irained and commissioned Prayer Ministry Team is also available after services of worship to pray for anyone should they wish to ask for specific prayer either for themselves or another person or issue. mmuni inv Unfortunately, our Mother's Union branch, jointly run with St. Patrick's due to circumstances and drop in numbers had to close in May 2017. The Rector of Carrowdore is involved with the Primary School in terms of assemblies and is also a governor St. Patrick's Church, Millisle - Annual Trustee's Report 2023 Each Sunday there is a collection for the Food Bank in Newtownards and bags of food are taken every week to help in this vital social ministry. Currently suspended, but on the first Tuesday lunchtime of each month the Church hosts a 'Drop In, which is open to all and where we share in a short Bible teaching followed by lunch. Throughout the year there would normally be midweek rneetings, held in the Woburn Hall, looking at Bible passages and specifically Christian themes. During the Christian season of Lent, these midweek meetings take on a Lenten theme - giving opportunity to reflect on what it means to believe in and follow Christ. There is a weekly Prayer Meeting most Friday evenings to which members of different churches come and participate. Every Friday morning between Easter and the end of September, St. Patrick's hosts a Car Boot Sale in the church groundslcar park. This is very well known and provides a great gathering place for community and those from farther afield. It also affords some opportunity for the church to engage with many non-church people and on occasion people have been able to receive prayer support. St. Patrick's also hosts a Guides, Brownies and Rainbows, run by church members and attracting a number of young people. In the summer of 2020 the church was able to add a prefabricated building behind the original structure and in 2021 the interior furnishings and decoration were finished, allowing us to start using it This provides the church with a hall, accessible toilet facilities and also a good sized kitchen and meeting area. Whilst access and essential aspects are completed, much of the outside work in terms of surrounding grounds still is in progress. Each year the giving of the Parish is divided between local, national and international organisations and charities to help support specific issues and alleviate suffering, both at home and abroad. Each Lent a weekly collection is made for Christian Aid and their work overseas. Also in 2016 a collection was made for Toilet Twinning and the toilets in St. Patrick's Church and in the Woburn Hall have all been twinned with those in other countries, enabling the communities where the toilets are twinned to have proper sanitary and water facilities. Several individuals in the parish support other local, national and international charities. St. Patrick's Church, Millisle - Annual Trustee's Report 2023 There has also been involvement with Youth For Christ and supporting their workers who are involved in outreach and mission specifically on the Ards Peninsular, where the Parish is located. In the past we have had speakers and raised funds for Bethany Children's Trust. an international children's charity and a link has also been formed with Eggshell Cambodia, a childcare charity in Cambodia. Also the parish is involved in supporting Aimee's Hope a local charity seeking to help & support young people from diff icult and disturbed circumstances. In addition to the midweek meetings, each autumn we have previously held an Alpha Course, giving anyone an opportunity to come and find oul more about the Christian faith and the Christian life. This is reviewed annually and alternative studies that are 'seeker friendly, and that deal with Christian basics are also under consideration On the last Saturday of each month a Men's Breakfast is held, open to anyone and giving an opportunity for social gathering in relaxed atmosphere, a good Ulster Fry and often a guest speaker will come and share their story or talk about a topic of interest, generally with a Christian theme. The charitable purpose of the Parish of St. Patrick's Church, Millisle is the advancement of religion and this is achieved through Christian witness and outreach and an encouragement to be a caring and loving Christian community and fellowship, trying to be true to our object of being Christ Centred, Spirit Led, Family Focused. This is delivered through the provision of public worship and the various activities as described above and is of benefit to all in the community who wish to participate from the very young to the elderly. There is pastoral support and visits for those in need and would like them or cannot make it to public worship or other activities. Our support of the local Foodbank charity benefits numerous families in the local area as does our support of various charities for those locally, nationally and internationally. Services at specific times of year, such as Christmas, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance also enable those who wish to celebrate and Ihink about these events to do so in an appropriate and beneficial way. Whilst St. Patrick's is not used for weddings there are very close connections between the church and the community, with church members also being involved in the local British Legion and Orange Lodge. There are occasional baptisms with connected families. St. Patrick's Church, Millisle - Annual Trustee's Report 2023 The community links can also be seen practically as the front of the church depicts a friendship mural painted in conjunction with the Millisle Youth Forum and funded by the Community and Policing Partnership. uardin Tru Health and safety checks are regularly made. The Woburn Hall (under Carrowdore's responsibility) is inspected and has an authorised Entertainment Licence issued by the Local Authority. The Parish complies with the Church of Ireland Safeguarding Trust Child Protection Policy (also covering vulnerable adults) and also those involved in working with children through Krazy About God club and also the Prayer Ministry Team have been through Enhanced checks with Access Nl. IA The Parish has given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities entered into during the year have helped to achieve the Parish's objectives and activities, as well as providing public benefit. Full detail of the receipts and expenditure can be found in the charity accounts submitted. There was an increase in expenditure for 2023, compared to the previous year, of approximately £2500 due mainly to an increase in Annual Giving. Income increased by approximately £4900 in 2023, due mainly to an increase in Free Will Offering and Gift Aid. Overall, the parish accounts show an increased balance at year ending December 2023, again attributable to the increase in expenditure related to Annual Giving coupled with the increase in FWO and Gift Aid claimed compared to the previous year. The Trustees have reviewed the budgets tor the year ahead and are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure that the Parish can continue its activities and the financial st statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 can be signed off as a going concern. 1 of11 St. Patrick's Church, Millisle - Annual Trustee's Report 2023 and remun ti The stipend of the shared Incumbent is paid directly by Christ Church, Carrowdore with St. Patrick's remunerating them for their portion of Incumbent costs. The stipend is in accordance with figures approved by the General Synod of the Church of Ireland for Group D parishes. In 2023 was £36,,309 per annum. The off ice allowance of £800 per annum and the locomotory allowance of £6,591 per annum for the Incumbent also followed approved guidelines. tTr The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustee's Report and the statement of receipts and payments and statement of assets and liabilities in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland with income of less than £250,000 requires the trustees to prepare a statement of receipts and payments and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year. The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records that are suff icient to show and explain the Parish's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the assets and liabilities of the Parish. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Parish and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Signed on behalf of the Trustees Trustee: Rev Colin A.J. Davis Trustee: Mrs Dorothy Goggins Date: 11th March 2024 1 of 11