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2022-12-31-annual-report

Strand Presbyterian Church - a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Trustees Annual Report

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC104314

STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Strand Presbyterian Church

161 Connsbrook Avenue

Belfast

BT5 1JY

Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC104314

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Rev Daniel Rankin George Hampton John Johnston David Simpson Samuel Kennedy Edward Duly Robert Megahey Victor Chestnutt Graeme Hamilton Martin Hampton Harry Black Patricia Cooper David Doggart Susan Lilley Suzanne Howe

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Daniel Rankin Clerk of Session Graeme Hamilton Treasurer Martin Hampton

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Robert Martyn Russell

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

SOLICITORS BANKERS Peden & Reid Ulster Bank Ltd 22 Calendar St Connswater Branch Belfast Arches Retail Park BT1 5BU Belfast BT5 4AF

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.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Stated meetings of the Kirk Session are usually held on a monthly basis.

To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant of its ordinances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office can be either by the congregation or the Kirk Session. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of votes cast.

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. Strand Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the East Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists mainly of 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, administrative and judicial authority, in dealing with 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 the business it is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation, retired

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

Strand 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:

Acknowledging that God is sovereign in all things we aim, by the preaching of the word, by prayer and fellowship to train and motivate Christians to bear witness to Christ in Sydenham and elsewhere, through loving service and evangelism.

The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as a family of God’s people through the following areas of church life:

Worship & Prayer – to achieve vital and meaningful worship of

God;

Discipleship – to grow together in knowledge of God, God’s

word and God’s will;

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Evangelism – to reach out actively and seek to bring others into

the community of faith;

Fellowship & Pastoral care – to provide a supportive and caring

ministry to one another;

Ministry – to proclaim God’s love, by word and action; and

Resources – to develop and deploy our property and other

resources in line with our mission and objectives.

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is observed on several occasions throughout 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 activities & organisations including:

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Wednesday

Thursday

In addition, we offer free tea and coffee every Monday. Wednesday and Friday

morning and provide access to our halls for outside groups to use on a weekly basis: These include:

2022 due to insufficient funds, following a period of closure and restricted opening during the Covid Pandemic. One member of staff resigned in May and the other two were made redundant.

Several local charities and organisations also make use of our facilities on an ad hoc basis:

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE – During restrictions in 2021

1-2-3 Lunch Club :

This is a monthly Lunch Club for anyone 50+ to attend. Meeting on the 2[nd] Tuesday of each month, we meet at 1pm, for a 2-course lunch for a cost of £3.00 (Hence 1-23). We have regularly had 40-50 people attending from within the Sydenham Community each month. Following lockdown, this proved a popular attraction, bringing people back together safely for a meal.

Worship and prayer:

The congregation normally meets for worship every Sunday at 10.30am. During the week, we hold a prayer meeting and study the bible, , providing the 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 sacraments of baptism and services of thanksgiving. We gave thanks for faithful service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.

At 31[st] December 2022, there were 80 communicant members and 113 families connected with the congregation.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Following the pandemic, the average weekly attendance at morning worship has not fully recovered and sits at around is 65 -70.. Throughout 2022 we have continued to manage the risk of spreading Covid, and the services are live streamed for those who still feel unable to attend. Evening Services have not yet resumed.

Pastoral Care

Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to illness or age are visited on a regular basis by the minister and elders.

Mission and Outreach

At a local level the congregation runs several organisations which are available to residents in the local area around Connsbrook Avenue. Details of the activities of the organisations can be found below, starting at page 11.

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, assists with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church’s training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregations in the area of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

In addition, The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has launched appeals to help with world crises, such as hurricane damage, tsunami damage etc… The congregation contributes financially to these appeals as and when called upon.

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. In addition, one of our elders is an official for the Presbytery and also attends the meetings.

General Assembly

The minister and one of our elders are nominated to attend the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in Assembly Buildings, normally held in Belfast in the month of June.

Property

General upkeep of the church and Manse continue throughout the year. Regular scheduled maintenance of the fire alarm and the fire safety systems, and of the gas heating system has been completed.

Administration

We continue to maintain our church records using Churchsuite , a cloud hosted webbased church management system (https://churchsuite.com/) to keep track of our

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

membership and record direct donations from members, utilising its Gift Aid claim facility direct to HMRC. Churchsuite assists us in adherence to GDPR, as a single source of membership data.

Organisations – Those listed below have been running during 2022, following the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions

Sunday

- Sunday Creche

The church provides childcare facilities to allow parents with babies, both members and visitors, to attend the worship service.

- Sunday PALS – P1-P7

Children in the age range for primary school start out in the main worship service with their family, but then leave to have their own time together and be taught from the bible in an engaging manner.

Monday

- Mixed Bowls

This activity has a long history in Strand having been established by those members of the church who wanted a winter indoor game, to complement what was a traditional outdoors one played during the summer months at local parks and private clubs. While primarily played by the men of the congregation, numbers dwindled over the years as the key membership grew older and folk became less active.

The indoor bowling club was rejuvenated about 10 years ago with the involvement of a recently retired Elder. This expansion also saw the club attracting women and other members drawn from the wider community. It is now a fully mixed activity with new members injecting much needed vitality.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

The aim is to provide competitive indoor bowling for those who love the game; and provide a good atmosphere of fellowship and friendship for Christians and non-Christians alike. We take time to have tea and coffee and (as we are evangelistic in our outlook) usually have a short ‘insight to the scriptures’ from the Minister (who’s an average bowler).

The new church building, with catering facilities adjacent to the playing hall, has also played its part in growing the game and we are ‘full’ in terms of those attending from 1.30 until 4pm most Monday afternoons. Approximately 50% of the membership now comes from outside of Strand church with a similar split in terms of gender. While the vast majority of the membership is in the 60+ age group the activity is not confined to pensioners but is open to all from the local and wider community, albeit that the club is fast approaching its membership limit given that there is no scope to increase the current number of playing mats that can be accommodated.

Where needed, we provide transport for those unable to travel on their own and have facilitated the participation of those with special needs.

The club levies a nominal membership charge of £5 per year with weekly dues of 50P to cover the cost of refreshments.

- Girls Brigade

The Girls Brigade meets every Monday from 6.15pm – 7.15pm and covers two of the ageranges set by GB. Explorers for ages 3-7 and Juniors for ages 8-10

As part of the wider movement, Girls' Brigade Northern Ireland is recognised as a dynamic, relevant, Christ-centred organisation effectively reaching out to all girls to value, nurture and equip them for life.

Tuesday

- Badminton Club

Meeting on a Tuesday evening (7.30pm – 9.30pm), the club is not a competitive club (playing in a league) but plays for fun and we provide a relaxed social atmosphere for those who attend. Run by church members, the majority of those attending have no church connection. We charge £1 per week to cover expenses

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

Wednesday

- HOPE Club (for retired folk)

The Hope Club runs from 2.00pm to 3.00pm on the 2[nd] Wednesday of each month, and is open to anyone in the community. A programme for the year is developed and hosts a number of speakers on a range of subjects, with a couple of outings and a meal or two throughout the year. The Club brings the older community together for refreshments and provides the opportunity to socialise. We also encourage the sharing of faith and beliefs as our aim as a church group is to win souls for Christ.

Thursday

- Parents and Toddlers

This provides an environment for young children and their carers to meet, for children to develop their social skills and for carers to share their experiences and support each other. We include members of all faiths and none and foster the acceptance of minorities in our community.

As a church group to show Gods love in a practical way and to share the gospel with all. To encourage church attendance if possible where one does not exist.

Everyone is made very welcome. A small charge of £1 is made to cover our weekly costs. Several of our members are from the Polish community, the Indian community and the Iranian community.

Babies and Toddlers use age appropriate toys. Where requests are made for specialist toys we endeavour to accommodate this.

Each week a short bible story is shared as well as a few choruses and finger songs/rhymes. This is followed by juice, tea/coffee toast and cheese and occasional treats. This is one of the highlights for the adults as they get to enjoy tea etc., made for them.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

The Junior Section helps to support boys aged 8-11 (P5 - P7) to reach their full potential by providing opportunities to meet together and engage in a range of fun and developmental activities & experiences. In keeping with the object of the Boys Brigade – “The advancement of Christ’s kingdom”, we encourage boys to explore their faith.

The Company Section, for boys in school years 8 to 14 is gaining momentum following its restart. The Company Section’s challenging, fun and varied programme is designed to contribute to a boy’s physical, educational, social and spiritual development.

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.

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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

The direct benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church include the gaining of an understanding in Christian beliefs as set out it the Bible and in the Church’s subordinate standards (the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter & 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 local resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of noticeboards, printed material, 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

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A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

support for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual members of the public.

The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commission’s Public Benefit Requirement statutory guidance.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering (WFO). There were 82 contributors during the year (84 in previous year, 2021), donating a total amount of £69,059 (£67,455 in previous year, 2021).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £115,462; compared to £106,124 in the previous year. Room Hire income improved as the building was open for unrestricted use. The increase in the income recorded was due to the room hire and additional donations towards an appeal for Ukraine.

Total Expenditure increase by £18,000. Utility costs rose due to the various external world factors. £4,000 was sent to a Romanian church for their support of Ukrainian refugees. Two unusual and one-off items of expenditure account for the rest of the increased expenditure.

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.

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A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

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) 2008 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 18[th] September 2023 and signed on its behalf by

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Rev Danny Rankin (Minister) Graeme Hamilton (Clerk of Session)
Date: 18/09/23 Date: 18/09/23
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