2025-12-31-annual-report - Richview Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

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RICHVIEW CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104264)

RICHVIEW 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 2025 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Richview congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 272 Donegall Road Belfast BT12 6FW Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104264)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Victor John Garland Frederick Halliday Norman Scott Harrison David McCarthy James Paul McIlwaine

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Vacant Clerk of Session Mr. V. J. Garland Treasurer Mrs. S. E. Smyth

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr. Roy Eakin 18 Farm Lodge Road, Greenisland, BT38 8XH BANKERS First Trust Bank 35 University Road, Belfast, BT7 1ND SOLICITORS Holmes and Moffitt 218 Knock Road, Belfast, BT5 6QD

RICHVIEW 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 congregation. 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 at least twice a year, or as appropriate.

To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant at 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 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. Richview 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, minsters who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.

RICHVIEW 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, administration and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during the second 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 minsters 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.

Richview 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 by the grace of God, to help people of all ages become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which:

is increasingly characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others;
is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible;
is relevant to people of this time and place.

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

A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another
An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage, and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ.
An Outward-Looking Community: where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bounds of our community.
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, we believe that the Bible is the supreme authority over all we do, and that the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice.

RICHVIEW 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 Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) was observed on four 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 Table.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation meets for worship each Sunday at 11.30am.

There was one funeral during the year where we gave thanks for faithful service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved. There were no weddings or baptisms.

At 31 December 2025 there were 19 communicant members and 45 families connected with the congregation. Average attendance at morning worship was 20.

Pastoral care

Members of the congregation, particularly those who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age, are visited on a regular basis and provided with spiritual help and support.

Mission and outreach

At a local level the congregation seeks to reach the surrounding community with the Good News of the Gospel.

The congregation supported some external missions and agencies, including Belfast City Mission (£200); Good News For Everyone (£30); and The Royal British Legion (£190).

The congregation also 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. Our contribution to this fund in 2025 was £2000.

The congregation also contributed to the denominations annual World Development Appeal (£200), and The Presbyterian Children’s Society (£200).

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

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the meetings of South Belfast Presbytery by one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregation and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

One of our elders attended the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland which met in Church House, Belfast in June 2025.

Property

The Church Committee continues to provide oversight and maintenance of our suite of buildings to ensure they remain fit for purpose. No major work was carried out during the year. A small sub-committee manages day-to-day property issues as and when required.

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their

RICHVIEW 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 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.

RICHVIEW 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 41 contributors during the year [44 in previous year, 2024] donating a total of £21,642 [£21,596 in previous year, 2024].

Total income of the congregation (including that of organizations) during the year 2025 was £43,758 compared to £35,395 in the previous year.

Total expenditure during the year was £62,437 compared to £67,951 in 2024.

GOING CONCERN

The activities of the congregation are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees are of the opinion that the congregation has sufficient resources at the date of approval of the financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and subject to the continuing support from members to fund on an ongoing basis the congregation’s current activities and other financial commitments.

RISK REVIEW

A review of major risks has been undertaken by the Trustees and systems and procedures implemented to manage identified risks. The principal risks are in relation to the likelihood of reputational damage and financial risks associated with the expectation of ongoing financial support from members.

These risks are mitigated by the Trustees, and the Congregational Committee, regularly monitoring the various activities of the congregation at stated meetings and by encouraging members in their regular giving.

RICHVIEW CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

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 United Kingdom 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.

Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 13[th] April 2026 and signed on its behalf by

Rev. Norman S. Harrison Interim Moderator

Mr. Victor J. Garland Clerk of Session