BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2018
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104242)
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2017 and a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
BELVOIR congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 24C Dunseverick Avenue, Belfast, BT8 7EA
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104242)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year 2018 were:
Rev Barry McCroskery Mr Gilbert Anderson Mr Brian Dunwoody Mr Norman Mannis
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer
Rev Barry McCroskery Mr Brian Dunwoody Miss Catherine Riddell
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Mr. Ian Wright
BANKERS
Danske Bank Ltd, 49-51 University Road, Belfast, BT7 1ND
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
The Kirk Session
The charity trustees of the congregation are the members of its Kirk Session. Under the congregation’s governing document, The Code, the book of the constitution and government of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Kirk Session seeks to watch over and promote the spiritual interest of the congregation and of persons not connected with any congregation who are within its bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place in the congregation and seeks to further the contribution of the Church to Christian witness and service in the local community. The Kirk Session has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temporal affairs of the congregation including administering all funds and property belonging to the congregation. Members of the Kirk Session are ex-officio members of the Congregational Committee.
The Kirk Session consists of the ordained minister and the ruling elders of the congregations. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, the minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.
Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held several times each year as required..
To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant on its ordinances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are elected if they obtain the votes of two-thirds of those who vote.
Presbytery
Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland form of governance the corporate oversight of a congregation is the responsibility of a Presbytery which superintends generally the spiritual and temporal affairs of the congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Belvoir congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the South Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists mainly of the active ministers of congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly, ministers who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by each of the Kirk Sessions of the congregations.
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
The General Assembly
The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representing in one body the whole Church and acting as its supreme legislative, administrative and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during the first week in June for worship and to conduct its business. At the end of business it is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation, retired ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.
DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.
Belvoir congregation of the Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, as a Reformed Church within the wider body of Christ is grounded in the Scriptures, and exists to love and honour God through faith in His Son and by the power of His Spirit, and to enable our members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
Sunday worship is at the heart of the life of the church family with services being held morning and evening. Belvoir Presbyterian Church aims to provide a welcome for all. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is observed on several occasions during the year and baptisms are administered to children of believing parents and adults upon profession of faith.
A Prayer and Bible Study meeting is held each Wednesday evening. On Friday evening the church operates a youth club which is well attended with young people from the surrounding community. It also runs a mothers and toddlers group each week, a women’s drop in, and a men’s drop in. A lunch is provided every other Tuesday for anyone who would like to come along. The church also runs an indoor Bowling group. Visits are made to those connected with the church who are sick or in need of friendship or pastoral support.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11:00 am and 6:30pm. The average weekly attendance at morning worship is 35. The mid-week meeting provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer. The youth group on Friday evenings remains very popular particularly with younger teenagers. The Tuesday lunches and Mothers and Toddlers Group have also welcomed a number of newcomers.
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
Members of the congregation are visited by the minister and elders and church visitors. Those who are sick, elderly, the bereaved and those facing difficult circumstances are given special attention through regular visits and the provision of support, friendship and prayer.
The congregation became vacant (without a minister) from the end of September 2017 and since then Rev Barry McCroskery has convened the vacancy providing preachers to cover for Sunday Services. The convener of the vacancy along with Presbytery has been exploring various options for future ministry in Belvoir Presbytery which will be both sustainable and seeking to reach out in new ways into the local community.
MISSION AND OUTREACH
The congregation is part of the Association of Belvoir Churches which runs a number of outreach events through the year. In the summer of 2018 they supported a holiday outreach to children of the Belvoir Estate. The church continues to see its Tuesday Lunches, Youth Club, Mother’s and Toddlers, as well as links with the local Primary School all as ways of reaching out into the local community and wider afield. Belvoir congregation supports a number of missionaries and charities. It contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal, and the occasional special appeal for disaster relief. A special harvest service was held in the church hosting the local Primary School Choirs and their family members.
PRESBYTERY
The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our vacancy convener and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregation and the wider structures of the church.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The minister and one of our elders were nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.
PROPERTY
During 2018 the church manse was rented out and the income from this is being kept aside for future work to the manse in preparation for a new minister or for sale.
VOLUNTEERS
The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on committees and helping with various church groups and weekly activities.
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by making known the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion.
The direct benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church include the gaining of an understanding in Christian beliefs as set out in the Bible and in the Church’s subordinate standards (the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms) leading to spiritual and moral development and opportunities for response to Bible teaching. In turn, this framework leads to practical expressions of Christian beliefs and standards in the local community such as through the care of those in need (including the sick, disabled and bereaved).
Generally the above benefits are delivered locally by congregations and their members, or are facilitated through presbyteries or are organised and delivered centrally. Local delivery is facilitated by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of noticeboards, printed material, press advertisement, websites, and social media or in other ways.
The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the services and informal and ad-hoc feedback from members, their families, and members of the public.
The purpose does not lead to harm. The only private benefit flowing from our purpose is related to Ministers, Missionaries, Deaconesses, Irish Mission workers and Lay Agents who receive benefits as a result of their holding office or employment. However, this is incidental and necessary in order to further our charitable purpose. There are no other private benefits. The beneficiaries of this purpose are members, their families, other individuals that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in direct and indirect contact with, the community in which pastoral services are provided and other communities throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and worldwide which benefit from our engagement with and support for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual members of the public.
The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commissions Public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
BELVOIR CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 59 contributing families during the year.
Please see accompanying financial report for details.
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in conjunction with the treasurer and in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice.
As the congregation’s total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 208 to prepare a receipts and payment account and a statement of assets and liabilities.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the congregation’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.