GLENGORMLEY Presbyterian Church a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021
Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC104317
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 including a Balance Sheet as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Glengormley Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 267 Antrim Road, Glengormley, BT36 7QN
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104317)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:
Janine Asquith Robin McBride Lesley Bell Andrew McClelland Richard Doggart Reuben McCormick Jonathan Duff Kenneth McKinstry Paul Edwards Kenneth McLaughlin David Farrow David Mullan Mark Hewitt Frank Murray David Johnston Trevor Newman Derek Kyle Samuel Raphael Gareth Lenaghan Cecil Robinson John Lindsay Mark Stevenson James Lyttle Mervyn Whittle
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister REUBEN McCORMICK Clerk of Session DEREK KYLE Treasurer MARK STEVENSON
AUDITOR OR INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
PKF-FPM Accountants Ltd, Unit 1, Building 10, Central Park, Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim. BT36 4FS
BANKERS
Ulster Bank, 2 Farmley Road, Glengormley, Co Antrim. BT36 7QU Bank of Ireland, Antrim Road, Glengormley, Co Antrim. BT36 7QN First Trust Bank, 322 Antrim Road, Glengormley, Co Antrim. BT36 5EQ
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SOLICITORS
n/a
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 on the second Tuesday of January, February, March, May, September, October and November.
To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant on 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 initially nominated if they obtain one third of the votes and elected if they obtain two-thirds of the vote from those who vote at a meeting of the congregation.
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. Glengormley Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the North 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 the Kirk Session of each congregation.
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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.
DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
Glengormley 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 statement is:
God's truth and love in Christ working for and through us by the Spirit for the good of all
Therefore, we strive to be a church:
1. Whose WORSHIP is sincere and enthusiastic;
2. Whose teaching, clear and relevant, is the primary means of our personal spiritual growth (DISCIPLESHIP);
3. Whose FELLOWSHIP extended to all believers is genuine and practical;
4. Whose members are being equipped for wholehearted and sacrificial service (MINISTRY);
5. Whose members share the love and truth of Christ with all and whose concern is for the local community and the world at large (MISSION).
Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which:
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is characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others;
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is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible;
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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:
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A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another
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An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ.
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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.
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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
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The congregation meets every Sunday at 10:30am and 6:30pm and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is observed on six 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 on Wednesday evenings and we also have home groups which we call “Life Groups” that meet regularly to share and study the Bible together. We have a wide range of organisations including:
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Sunday School (GLOW);
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Youth Club for primary aged children (Friday Club);
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Mothers and Toddlers;
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Bowling Club;
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Walking Club;
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Presbyterian Women;
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Guides;
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Youth Fellowship (C.R.E.W.);
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Men’s Fellowship;
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We also have a variety of interest groups: Jazz Hub; Garden Hub.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10:30am and for prayer, Bible study or song café evenings at 6:30pm. Our service is also live streamed each week on our YouTube channel. Following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions more of our activities have recommenced face-to-face meetings.
On 31 December 2021 there were 229 communicant members and 304 families connected with the congregation.
The average weekly attendance at morning worship is increasing as we move out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pastoral care
We have a strong commitment to pastoral care. We employ a church visitor who has a visiting list of over 100 housebound members and currently they receive a minimum of 4 visits per year. Elders are assigned a pastoral district of 15 -20 households and, alongside a
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committee member, visit regularly over the years as they seek to build friendship and understanding of the families under their care. Our Minister attends to the pastoral needs of individual members as they arise, by visiting their own homes, or at hospital. A high level of confidentiality is maintained but when permission is given we pray for those in need at our regular prayer meetings and at our Kirk Session meeting. Our pastoral visiting in all its forms prioritises listening, prayer and the sharing of the grace of the gospel.
Mission and outreach
At a local level the congregation seeks to witness for Christ through what we call our “side door ministry” i.e. all the ministries that operate from our church halls. In a Christian environment they show love and care to all comers. These organisations are often the beginning point on a person’s spiritual journey leading to a sense of belonging and by God’s grace a reality of becoming the person God wants them to be. Additional to our organisations we have developed the foyer of our church building into a café style environment, we call MOSAIC. Various programmes operate from it: Crochet Hub, Jazz Hub and Gardening Hub. Our congregation is also a very committed supporter of Street Pastors; the Street Pastor teams meet for prayer and coffee on our premises before heading out onto the streets on Friday and Saturday nights. The congregation takes a particular interest in the White City area.
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 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.
Our congregation has a Mission Committee and through its oversight we support prayerfully and financially Mission workers throughout the world:
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Alison Orr (OMF Diaspora Ministries, Ireland);
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Scripture Union Schools’ Worker;
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Sebastian and Gloria Forjan (Slovenia);
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United Appeal for Mission (Presbyterian Church in Ireland).
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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 October.
Property
Our Property Committee continued work in maintaining our buildings.
Organisations:
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GLOW (Sunday School for primary aged children)
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Summer Children’s Church
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Crèche
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Praise Band
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Choir
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Presbyterian Women
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Life Groups
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Midweek
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CREW (Youth Fellowship)
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Men Together
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Walking Club
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Bowling Club
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Jazz Hub
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Gardening Hub
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Parents & Toddlers
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Friday Club (primary aged children)
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Guides
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Rainbows - for girls aged 4 to 7 years old.
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Brownies - for girls aged 7 to 10 years old.
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Guides - for girls aged 10 to 14 years old.
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.
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All volunteers working with children and at-risk adults undergo an Access NI background check and that training is given in safeguarding procedures in line with PCI Safeguarding Policy.
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 notice boards, 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 Commission's public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 194 contributors donating a total of £102,855 during the year compared with 216 contributors donating a total of £94,333 in the previous year.
The total Income of the congregation during the year was £199,341, compared to £183,721 in the previous year. This is a 8.5% increase on the previous year. Total expenditure increased from £150,481 to £165,331. This is a 9.9% increase on 2020.
RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the congregations and the financial activities for that year. In preparing the financial statements the Trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Funds will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the funds’ transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the congregations and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities (1 January 2015)”. 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.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
ANNUAL REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2021
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
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an the date of approval of these 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. RESERVES POLICY The congregation holds a Reserves Fund of £5000. The Trustees consider that the funding of its present activities is dependent on the ongoing financial support of members; a financial report is made by our treasurer 7 times per year for close monitoring of income and expenditure. RISK REVIEW The trustees risk manages in the following areas: Finance: Health & Safety: Child Protertion- Food Preparation,. Disability Access; Data Protection-, Social Media: Work Environment and avoidance of disreputable behaviour by staff, elders and leaders. A review of major risks has been Undertaken by the Tru5tee5 and 5yStems 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 5UPPOrt 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. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 11 October 2022 and signed on its behalf by: INamel OJff [Namel RtufjÉW M, Ccthlq( IDatel I I QUAUFIED INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS OR AuDOR5 REPORTTOTHE TRUSTEES OF GLENGORMLEY CONGREGATION OF THE PRE$BERlAN CHURCH IN IRELAND Oclotsf 7pLL (Datel TrrA (To be provided by the Independent Examiner OR Qualified Independent Examiner) io