2022-12-31-annual-report - Rathfriland/Drumgath, Drumballyroney, Clonduff & Drumgooland/St. John, Drumgath/Down & Dromore/Church of Ireland

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St. John’s, Drumgath Parish , Rathfriland

Down & Dromore Church of Ireland

Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended:

31[st] December 2022

Charity Registration Number: NIC 103478

St. John’s, Drumgath Parish , Rathfriland

Annual Report & Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2022

Contents:	Pages
References and administrative details of the charity	3
Trustees Report	4-9
Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees	10
Receipt and Payments Accounts	11
Balance Sheet	12
Notes on Financial Statements	13-17

St. John’s, Drumgath Parish , Rathfriland

References and Administrative details:

Charity Name: St. John’s, Drumgath/Down & Dromore/Church of Ireland

Charity Registration Number: NIC 103478

HMRC: XT36536 Contact Address: The Rectory 29 Cross Rd Hilltown Co Down BT34 5TF

Trustees:

Trustees:
Mr CraigOrr	Rev Ian Linton
Mr Richard Magennis	Mrs Irene Magennis
Mrs Rachel Brashaw	Mr George Brashaw
Mr Joe Magennis	Mrs Hilda Donaldson
Mr David McCullins	Mrs Noreen Smith
Miss Sandra Linton	Miss Nicole Donaldson
Mr Gordon Bennett	Mr James Smyth
Mr Neil Magennis	Mr TimothyDonaldson
Mrs ShirleyBennett

Rector:

Rev Ian Linton

Hon. Treasurer: Mrs Shirley Bennett Hon. Secretary: Mrs Irene Magennis Church Warden - Rector: Mrs Hilda Donaldson Church Warden – People: Mr Craig Orr

Independent Examiner:

E. Gerald Lunn FAIA ATT

The Association of International Accountants

2 Charnwood Grange, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT63 5TU

Bankers:

Ulster Bank

14 Church Square, Rathfriland, Co Down BT34 5PT

St. John’s, Drumgath Parish , Rathfriland

Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022

Charitable Purpose

The principal function of the Parish is to support the advancement of the Christian religion by promoting through the work of the Parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, social and ecumenical care. All the functions of the Parish relate to the advancement of religion through holding regular worship and communicating with and caring for parishioners of all ages especially the sick and elderly and others in our community. The activities of the church are intended to reach out to the wider community to instil Christian principles and to encourage mutual understanding and respect for others. The Parish have custody of many historical records and items which are invaluable and as such we maintain these. We also have within our custody various buildings which we undertake as a secondary charitable purpose.

Activities

At the heart of St John’s, Drumgath Church is a desire to glorify God and to demonstrate the power and importance of his love. Morning Prayer is held at 12.00 noon each Sunday. Holy Communion is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. A family service is held on the third Sunday of every month, using modern music, our Praise Group and Praise Band – this gives wider appeal to our younger generation. Our Worship is led each month by the Organist and Choir. Special services are held throughout the year that focus on the wider community and encourages attendance. A Bible Study Group meet each week which further advances the understanding and teaching of faith.

St John’s Drumgath Parish recognise that there are many issues around sickness, bereavement, the elderly, house bound and those receiving medical treatment or care in hospital and local nursing homes. We are committed to helping these people in need with empathy, love and compassion.

Achievements, Performance & Public Benefit

St John’s Drumgath Parish Church has in the past year fulfilled its purpose as a Charitable Organisation. It has encouraged it’s congregation in the teaching of the Bible and the application of God’s love to its Church family and the wider community. It has clearly demonstrated that it can be of great benefit to those in the surrounding area by reaching out spiritually and through its acts as a means of advancing the word of God.

Regular services in the church offer its own members a means of maintaining and deepening their faith. Children and young people are an important part of our church. We hold Sunday School, Children’s Church where our children partake in crafts and bible stories and Creche within our Church. We also hold Youth Fellowship every other Saturday evening. This we believe helps to impress in the young people the importance of community cohesion, as well as sound Christian values that are a great benefit to the public.

St. John’s Drumgath’s other organisations include Mothers Union, Choir, Bible Study, Praise Group and Youth Fellowship. All these groups offer friendship, support, and encourage respect and tolerance to everyone in our community. Various activities are shared with other churches in our community throughout the year.

2022 has a year of returning to normality after Covid 19.

We are continuing to stream our services each week.

Throughout 2022:

Church applied for a number of grants – One was received from ABC Council to provide food and refreshment for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and another Mind over Matters Grant was successfully applied for by Rev. Linton.
We requested non-perishable items at our Harvest Service which were then taken to our local foodbank.
The Church has re-established Sunday School, Youth Fellowship, Bible Study, Praise Group and Pins and Needles after Covid 19 restrictions.
Brownies and other community groups are using our Church Hall for events

The charity Trustees have complied with their duties in line with the Commission’s Public Benefit statutory guidance. Regular worship and reaching out into the community as well as other activities both social and fundraising have been carried out through the year to fulfil our statement of Public Benefit.

Money has been raised for the Bishop’s Appeal for the disadvantaged worldwide.

The Trustees have put in place policies to prevent any potential harm to anyone partaking in Church Activities and have a child protection policy in place under the control of our Safeguarding Trust committee. Our Trustees ensure that the buildings are well maintained and meet the required safety standards.

Financial Review

Our Trustees decided that our Harvest Donations go to our Building Account.

All other invoices were paid when received and in full.

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

The Assets of the Parish, retained for its own use comprise:

Church Building and Graveyard
Old Church Building, Hilltown
Church Hall (currently under construction and refurbishment) Rectory and 27 acres of land.

The Church Building and Graveyard are deemed to be Heritage assets as defined by the Charities SORP (FRS102). These Heritage assets are not included in the statement of assets and liabilities as information on the cost or valuation is not available and such information cannot be obtained at a cost commensurate with the benefit to the users of the accounts and to the parish.

The Church Hall and Rectory are ascribed a value based on the insurance valuation. These assets are depreciated on a straight line basis over twenty five years.

The Rectory Lands (27 Acres) are ascribed a value based on the current value of farming land.

Going Concern

The Trustees have reviewed the budgets for the year ahead and are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure that St. John’s Drumgath Parish can continue its activities and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022 can be signed off as a going concern.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document and Constitution of the Charity

Chapter IIII of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland governs Parishes and Parochial Organisations. The Select Vestry members are the Charity Trustees.

Recruitment and Appointment of Select Vestry (Trustees)

All members of the Church of Ireland which 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 stand for election to the Select Vestry. Meetings of the General Vestry are held 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.

Pay and remuneration

The incumbent of the Parish is paid a stipend, locomotory allowance and office expenses in accordance with figures approved by the General Synod of the Church of Ireland.

Organisational Structure

The Select Vestry is responsible for the day to day management of the Parish. It consists of the member of the clergy serving in the parish, the churchwardens and not more than twelve other members of the general vestry elected at the General Vestry.

The Select Vestry is chaired by the incumbent or other member of the clergy officiating in the parish. Select Vestry members are responsible for making decisions on matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how parish funds are to be applied.

The Select Vestry meets at times fixed by the members or the Diocesan Synod. Meetings are held on a monthly basis and special meeting may be convened at any time by the chairperson or the churchwardens.

Compliance with public Benefit

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.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and 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 sufficient 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.

At the year end the balances on our accounts are:

General Account: £76,348.15 Building Account: £43,486.86 Hilltown Parish Account: £12,107.20 Rectory Account: £ 4,989.48 Rectors Account: £ 909.44

The security and safeguarding of all monies is important to the Trustees and all money is counted by a team and taken to the bank under dual control.

Transactions with the Trustees

Our Rectors Stipend is split 50/50 with our sister Church in Ballyward. Figures below are our share.

Name	Stipend, Locomotory & Office Allowance	Pension	Rectors NIC
Rector	£23,687.97	£4,976.04	£2739.00

Reimbursement of Expenses paid to Trustees

DATE	Trustee Name	Amount	Reimbursement of Expenses
18.03.22	Mrs Shirley Bennett	£95.00	Hot food provided for Youth Fellowship Group
24.03.22	Mrs Shirley Bennett	£259.07	TV purchased from Amazon for Creche Room.
20.04.22	Rev. Ian Linton	£286.39	Stamps, envelopes, palm crosses etc for Easter Mailing
20.04.22	Rev. Ian Linton	£173.00	Booklets purchased for Queens Platinum Jubilee
04.07.22	Rev Ian Linton	£59.95	Sunday School books for Children’s Day
10.08.22	Mrs Shirley Bennett	£630.00	Online Hygiene Courses booked for Drumgath & Ballyward
16.08.22	Mrs Shirley Bennett	£35.94	6 Bottles of Communion Wine
05.12.22	Mrs Shirley Bennett	£211.48	Amazon purchases for Christmas Messy Church

No Trustee or a person related to a Trustee had any personal interest in any contracts or transactions entered into by the charity during the year.