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2020-12-31-annual-report

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104263)

KILMAKEE 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 2018 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Kilmakee congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Ballybog Road/Willow Gardens Dunmurry BT17 9UE

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104263)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were

Jim Taylor Jenny Belshaw Anne Taylor Merrill Morrow Anne Russell Carol Curry Billy Russell David Curry Billy Elliot John Smyth Adele Spratt Heather Smyth Philip Spratt Graham Houston Rev. Graeme Fowles Carol Houston Dr. Aileen Irvine Alistair White

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev. Graeme Fowles Clerk of Session Mrs. Carol Houston Treasurer Mr John Smyth

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr Denis Guiler 30 Beechmount Road Carryduff Belfast BT8 8AD

BANKERS Ulster Bank 18 Bow Street Lisburn Co. Antrim BT28 1BN

SOLICITORS Jennifer Hamilton of Keown Solicitors Lynden House 19 Cregagh Road BT6 8PX

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 Sessions 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 ministers in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held at least once every 2 months or when appropriate.

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 twothirds 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. Kilmakee congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Belfast South 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 the Kirk Session of the congregation.

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, administration 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.

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d) DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.

Kilmakee 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 her members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.

The congregation’s mission purpose is covered in 3 words:

Showing : we want to show the love of Jesus Christ to all peoples of all ages through our life as a congregation and lives as individuals

Growing : we want to help people grow in faith and knowledge of God’s Good News.

Going : we aim to be active in the local community and beyond as ambassadors of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

We see ourselves as being rooted in God through the working of His Spirit to Glorify His Son, Jesus Christ. We live out these ideals as we:

Enrich Worship – not everyone enjoys singing, or even music, so we are willing to explore different avenues for people to worship God individually and corporately. This can be through craft, nature, speaking, prayer and times of silence.

Deepen Thought – we do not have all the answers, and many people have many questions, so we want to always be engaging with education of self in the Bible and the Christian Life.

Protect The Family – as a church family, made up of families, singles and everything in between, we want to look out for everyone where they are. Is there a struggle of finance? A body-health problem? A mental-health problem? A breakdown in relationship. We try to protect and help here. Think Small to Act Big – we are small in number and resources, so we cannot be stretched too thin. Therefore we aim to recognise what we can do with what we have knowing that sometimes it is a small thing that can have the greatest impact.

The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as a family of God’s people by being:

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on several occasions during the year and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Lord’s Supper. The congregation holds regular bible study meetings and has a wide range of organisations including

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00am and occasionally Sunday evenings from 7.00pm. During the week the Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer.

As well as our regular services during the year we acknowledged God’s gift of new life at 0 Sacraments of Baptism, we conducted 0 marriage services and gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.

At 31 December 2020 there were 104 communicant members and 130 of families connected with the congregations. The average week attendance at morning worship is 100 although this changed due to Covid

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Pastoral care

Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are visited on a regular basis by the minister and/or elders. We also have an anonymous Prayer Line for anyone to bring their concerns and petitions for others to pray for them.

Mission and outreach

At a local level the congregation provides for children in the area through our uniformed and casual organisations; we welcome parents and carers with little ones on a weekly basis at KeeTots; we are present in the local school through Primary School Assembly and Board of Governors; there is also representation on a community steering group involving local community representatives and local councillors.

The congregation supports the United Appeal for Mission which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. This fund enables congregations to support the wider mission of the denomination and to do mission and outreach on a denominational basis beyond what the congregation could do on its own. The United Appeal Fund provides financial support for mission personnel at home and overseas, assists congregations with the deployment of locally based staff, enables church planting, provides grant support for the upkeep of church premises, assist with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church’s training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregation in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care.

The congregation also contributes to the denominations annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School project and any other special appeals.

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations 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.

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Property

All property is kept up to date with any relevant renovations as and when required. There were no major works in 2019

Organisations

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

boys. This year we have not been able to have any outings, out program is open to all boys and run within the halls only.

KILMAKEE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on committees and helping with organisations and other church activities. 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.

KILMAKEE 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 78 contributors during 2019 donating a total of £56000 (£61189 in previous year, 2019)

Total Income of the congregation during the year was £77712, compared to £106048 in the previous year. The main reason for the change was church closures due to Covid in 2020

Total expenditure decreased from £124428 to £80001

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice.

As the congregations 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.

Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 21 September 2021 and signed on its behalf by

Aileen Irvine Graham Houston

21/09/21 21/09/21