LOVING
GOD
PEOPLE
•L¥ LIFE
StrandcHURCH
Strand Presbyterian Church - a congregation of the
Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Trustees Annual Report
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC104314

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A con8re8ation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
Strand Presbyterian Church
161 Connsbrook Avenue
Belfast
BT5 IJY
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
Samuel Kennedy
Patricia Cooper
Suzanne Howe
Robert Me8ahey
Graeme Hamilton
Harry Black
Martin Hampton
Susan Lilley
David Doggart
Rev Mervyn Burnside
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Vacancy Convenor
Rev Mervyn Burnside
Clerk of Session
John Johnston
Treasurer
Martin Hampton
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Robert Martyn Russell

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
SOUCITORS
BANKERS
Peden & Reid
Ulster Bank Ltd
22 Calendar St
Connswater Branch
Belfast
Arches Retsil Park
BTI 5BU
Belfast
BT5 4AF
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
The Kork 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 con8re8ation 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 congre8ation
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.

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRusfEES 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 obtsin two-thirds of votes cast.
Presbytery
Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland form of governance the corporate
oversight of a congre8ation 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

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN 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 airn, by the
preaching of the word, by prayer andfellowship 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:
Worshlp & Prayer- to achieve vital and meaningful worship of
God,.
Dlscipleship - to grow together in knowledge of God, God's
word and God's will,.

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT
Evangelism - to reach out actively and seek to bring others into
the community offaith,.
Fellowshlp & Pastoral care - to provide a supportive and caring
ministry to one another,.
Mlnlstry- to proclaim God's love, by word and Gction,. and
Resources - to develop and deploy our property and other
resources in line with our mission and objertives.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJEcfivES
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:
Sunda
Sunday PALS- PI-P7
Sunday Creche
Monda
Mixed Bowls
Girls Brigade

STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRU5fEES ANNUAL REPORT
Tuesda
Badminton Club
Wednesda
HOPE Club (for retired folk)
Thursda
Parents and Toddlers
Boys Brigade (Anchor Boys, Junior Section and Company Section)
In addition, we offer free tea and coffee every Monday. Wednesday and Friday
morning, having registered as a 'Warm Welcome Space, and provide access to our
halls for outside groups to use on a weekly basis:
These include:
Breakfast Club and After Schools Care
Mixed Fitness Classes
Several local charities and organisations also make use of our facilities on an ad hoc
basis:
Barnardos
Eastside Partnership
Queen's Island Male Voice Choir
Angel Eyes
Latin Link
Lace Guild
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
Belfast City Council

srRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
1-2-3 Lunch Club:
This is a monthly Lunch Club for anyone 50+ to attend. Meeting on the 2. Tuesday
of each month, we meet at Ipm, for a 2-course lunch for a cost of £3.00 (Hence 1-2-
3). We have regularly had 3040 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
Ilfe 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 December 2023, there were 80 communicant members and 104 families
connected with the congregation.
The average weekly attendance at morning worship sits at around is 60-65.
Near the end of the year, the Rev D. Rankin announced his intention to retire on 30
th
April 2024.
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STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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.
Mlsslon 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.
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.

srRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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 meetin8 of
the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in Assembly Buildin8S,
normally held in Belfast in the month of June.
Property
General upkeep of the church and Manse continue throu8hout the year. Regular
scheduled maintenance of the fire alarm and the fire safety systems, and of the gas
heating system has been completed.
Admlnistratlon
We continue to maintain our church records using Churchsuite, a cloud hosted web-
based church management system (htt
) to keep track of our
membership and record direct donations from members, utilisin8 its Gift Aid claim
facility direct to HMRC. Churchsuite assists us in adherence to GDPR, as a sin8le
source of membership data.
churchsuite.com
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STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the P￿$byterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
Organisations - Those listed below have been running during 2023.
Sunda
Sunday Creche
The church provides childcare facilities to allow parents with babies, both members and
visitors, to attend the worship service.
Sunday PALS- PI-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.
Monda
Mixed Bowls
This activity has a lon8 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
membershlp 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 attrarting women and other
members drawn from the wider community. It is now a fvlly mixed activity with new
members injetting much needed vitality.
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 scripture5' from the Minister (who's an average bowler).
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STRAND PRES8YfERIAN CHURCH
congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The new church buildin& with catering facilities adjacent to the playing hall. has also played
its part in growing the 8ame 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 age-
ranges 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 recognlsed as a dynamlc,
relevant, Christ-centred organisation effectively reachin8 Out to all girls to value, nurture
and equip them for life.
Tuesda
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
Wednesda
HOPE Club (for retired folk)
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STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Hope Club runs from 2.00pm to 3.00pm on the 2nd 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.
Thursda
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 8ospel with all. To
encoura8e 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 a8e appropriate toys. Where requests are made for specialist toys
we endeavour to accommodate thls.
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.
Boys Brigade (Anchor Boys, Junior Section and Company Section)
nd
Anchor Boys is the youngest section of the 42 BB organised by Strand Presbyterian Church
& held in its halls every Thursday from 6.30- 7.30pm for boys in Pl - P4. Each week they
meet and enjoy games, Bible stories, group-work, craft and much morel
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STRAND PRESBYFERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Anchor Boys is attended mostly by boys without any other church connettion. We
follow the main themes of the Boys Brigade in planning our programme. Our main focus is
evangelism and have a regular Bible teaching element as part of our weekly programme. We
also seek to build relationships with the children attending and our hope is to see those who
don't have a Church connettion, coming alon8 to join us in Sunday worship. We also try to
build relationships with the parents by encouraging them to come into the building and pick
up their children and a couple of times each session we visit the homes to give out notes
about our activities and to reconnert with the families following a break.
The Junior Sertion helps to support boys aged 8-11 (P5 - P7) to reach their full potential by
providin8 Opportunities to meet together and engage In a range of fun and developmental
activities & experiences. In keepingwith the object of the Boys Bri8ade- Yhe 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 Sertion's challengin& fun and varied programme is desi8ned to
contribute to a bols physical, educational, social and splrltual 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.
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
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STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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 throu8h 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
support for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual
members of the public.
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STRAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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 Offerin8 (WFO). There were 77 contributors during the year (82 in
previous year, 2022), donating a total amount of £67,097 (£69,059 in previous year,
2022).
Total income of the congregation during the year was £115,137; compared to
£115,462 in the previous year.
Total Expenditure was £116,421 however, in addition, we purchased a house for
£119,000 as an investment, which produces monthly rental of £755.00.
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 8enerally
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) 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
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STRAND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps
for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
th
Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 16 October 2024 and signed on its
behalf by
Rev Me
yn Burnside
Vacancy Convenor
nst
ession
Date.. 16 October 2024
Date: 16 October 2024
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