IMMANUEL CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
For the year ended 31 December 2025
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
Immanuel congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Agnes Street
Belfast BT13 1GG
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104450)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were Trustees at the date of this report were (in alphabetical order)
Mr Derek Bailey
Mr Michael Beck
Mr Alan Bridle
Mr Russell Coates
Mr Brian Davidson
Mr Joe Fittis
Rev. Colin Gamble
Mr Tom Hamilton
Mr David Harvey Mr Kevin Harvey
Mr Simon Houston
Mr Tom Irwin
Mr Trevor Smith
Mr Ian Stewart
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Rev. Colin Gamble
Clerk of Session Mr Alan Bridle
Treasurer Mr Kevin Harvey
Secretary Mr Tim Fitzsimons
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Mr R Eakin
18 Farm Lodge Road
Greenisland
BT38 8XH
BANKERS
Ulster Bank
11-16 Donegall Square East
Belfast BT 1 5UB
SOLICITORS
Hewitt & Gilpin
14-16 James St South
Belfast BT 2 7GA
IMMANUEL CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
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 congregations. 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 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 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.
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. Immanuel congregation of the 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, minsters 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 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.
Immanuel 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 to glorify God and to promote the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom. We seek to do this by:
Joining together in heartfelt worship.
Applying the Word of God to our lives.
Seeking His will through prayer as we live for Him each day.
Making the gospel known at home and supporting opportunities abroad.
Showing God’s unconditional love to everyone we meet.
As a church we believe in God who is Lord and sovereign over all things – without Him we can do nothing. It is God alone we worship, and to Him we give all the praise and glory. We stand firmly on the Gospel set forth in the Bible, which is central to our beliefs. There is only one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone offers forgiveness of sin and peace with God.
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 for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is 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. The congregation also holds a midweek bible study and prayer meeting and has had a range of other organisations and activities including,
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Children’s Church
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Junior Christian Endeavour
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Youth Fellowship
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Uniformed Youth Organisations – Boys’ Brigade / Girls’ Brigade
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Presbyterian Women
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Ladies Bright Hour
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Immanuel Tots
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Fresh – Children and Young People
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Young Adults
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Caring Team
KIRK SESSION REPORT 2025
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” (Ezekiel 37, 1-3)
In one of Rev Gamble’s sermons in 2025, we were reminded of the prophet Ezekiel's vision of a valley filled with dry, dead human bones, symbolizing Israel's spiritual death during its Babylonian exile, where the people felt lost and hopeless. God commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones, which then knit together, get flesh, and are filled with breath. The passage is a powerful metaphor for Israel's restoration and return from exile and the hope for those today who appear to be spiritually dead, through the power of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit.
In these times when it is easy to become discouraged at what appears to be a poor response to the gospel message, Ezekiel 37 is a timely reminder that it is the power of God which breathes life into the spiritually dead and this should be the focus for continued prayer.
The Kirk Session would again record our thanks to Colin for his faithful ministry and pastoral visitation during 2025. With an ageing congregation and many cases of serious illness and bereavement, the one-to-one ministry in the home or at the hospital bedside is particularly appreciated. We give thanks to God for those who have recovered after surgery and we also acknowledge the work of the Caring Team who continue to support those who are sorrowing and lonely.
The Rev Frank McKeown again provided pulpit supply and led us in worship during periods of leave and for which we are always grateful.
In 2025 the Kirk Session decided to try a small number of invitation services with the aim of attracting some who don’t normally attend a church service, including friends, neighbours and the parents of children in our youth organisations to come along to hear a gospel message. A few visitors came along for which we are grateful and we plan to repeat this during 2026.
In general, average attendance numbers at morning (around 100) and evening worship (around 50) and midweek prayer meeting (15-20) were relatively steady, although lower than in the past. After a short consultation, we agreed that 6.30pm would be the permanent starting time for the evening service. It was a joy to welcome some new faces to Worship in 2025 and by transfer, a new member after the closure of Woodvale PC. There is always room for more. The Kirk Session would again encourage the congregation to take every opportunity to gather together for times of corporate worship and prayer.
We were again delighted to have special choirs at both the Harvest and Christmas services, the latter being particularly well attended. Our thanks to Karen Fitzsimons for arranging and leading and to all the enthusiastic members who participated.
In 2025 we again were pleased to share Good Friday and Easter Sunday services with our friends from the West Kirk congregation.
The Kirk Session’s agenda in 2025 was again busy and varied.
Following a report from the Mission Standing Committee, the Presbytery commenced a miniconsultation in the autumn which included meetings with Kirk Session/Committee and leaders of organisations and some others. We thank all for their contributions. The Kirk Session will begin to consider the report from the panel in early 2026 and further engagement is anticipated later in the year. We must seek God’s guidance and wisdom as we look to the future. At a PCI denominational level, a process of “reconfiguration of ministry” is ongoing, in response to the shifting trends both within and outside the church.
2025 also provided an opportunity to review both the appearance and content of the church website and elder’s districts. Both will see some changes in 2026. With new and encouraging additions to the creche in recent times, consideration was also given to the age-range in children’s church.
In early summer, the end-of-year debrief with organisation leaders took place when elders heard about the encouragements, blessings and disappointments from the past year. Working with children and young people is increasingly challenging given the many competing attractions and the
growing numbers of children and young people with more complex needs. Please pray for all our young people to make wise choices and for their protection in these days of social media.
In last year’s report, we advised that Kirk Session had approved the appointment of Mr Simon Houston, Mr Kevin Harvey and Mr Alan Bridle as new Trustees of the Hutchinson Trust, on behalf of the congregation. The legal transfer of Trustees was executed this year although arranging banking facilities has proved problematic.
2025 marked the second year of our partnership with EMF and the little church in Jyvaskyla in Finland under the ministry of Eelis Halmemies. We continue to share updates and a prayer time on zoom calls and hear something of the challenges of presenting the gospel and in a country with an historic Lutheran tradition but is now increasingly secular. In December, we were pleased to pass on our financial contribution to EMF and we plan to hold another gift day in the first half of 2026 to help honour our commitment. We remember Eelis, Manna and their young family in our prayers.
During the year we were also pleased to welcome David & Wilma Murphy along with some members of the small church in Co. Mayo to our midweek meeting while a coffee morning to support the work of the Slavic Gospel Association was also well supported as Trevor Morrow shared a little of what God is doing in other parts of the world.
The Kirk Session would again express our sincere appreciation to all the leaders and helpers in our organisations over the past year for their dedicated service. Our thanks also go to the church secretary, treasurer and designated person for all of their work in 2025 and to the musicians, the sound desk and to the many others who do the small jobs quietly in the background without comment or recognition. As Clerk, I would offer my personal thanks again to Russell Coates for all his invaluable support.
The outreach programme continued with open-air meetings in May and door-to-door visitation in early September. Door-drops of gospel tracts again took place at Easter and Christmas and we appreciate all who took part and helped. A few people say they have come to church services and events as a result of receiving a tract and a notice of announcements but in general we acknowledge that the response has been limited. This has given us cause to reflect and to consider prioritising the homes where we already have some family connection or who live in the immediate vicinity.
Our thanks are also due to the group of Immanuel ladies who organised an out-reach event and who befriend and engage with the mums and grandmothers who bring the children to the organisations and wait for them in the halls. The Fresh Christmas Trail was again very well attended and the huge effort in preparation, the event itself and tidy up afterwards is recognised.
Immanuel’s foodbank on Monday afternoons continues to report increased use and we thank all our members who give of their time and resources to help with this, the work in the Vine Centre and at the International Meeting Point. The growing demands on these organisations and initiatives reflect the many economic and social ills within our own district but also provide windows of opportunity to provide both practical and spiritual support.
In the public square, 2025 was another year which signalled further significant social and legislative change with the so-called Assisted Dying Bill passing through the Commons but delayed from becoming law with over 1,000 amendments tabled in the House of Lords. In November, the
Northern Ireland (NI) school syllabus for RE and collective worship was ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court because it is predominantly Christian and considered not to be "objective, critical, and pluralistic," violating human rights. The full implications of this judgement will only emerge over time but it seems clear our schools must now teach a broader range of faiths and philosophies, not just Christianity, to be compliant.
Our denomination ended 2025 and commenced 2026 under a dark cloud in light of the revelation of serious safeguarding failures in PCI over many years, followed by the launch of investigations by the PSNI and NI Charity Commission. The consequences of these failures will likely be with PCI for a long time to come and changes are inevitable. At the Special General Assembly in December the moderator offered a public apology, expressing the deep shame and contrition of the church for the harm that has been caused.
Earlier in 2025, Immanuel’s organisation leaders attended refresh training on safeguarding while the Kirk Session also reviewed and updated our Child Protection Policy, reinforcing changes to the procedures for the appointment of leaders.
Recent events have been deeply troubling and will have caused many sleepless nights. Perhaps different worries and anxieties keep us awake at night. How can we learn to surrender them to God and cling to His promises? The Bible gives us great examples – in Acts 12 Peter was soundly sleeping between two soldiers awaiting Herod’s trial and sentencing the next day, seemingly calm and at peace while the church was praying for him. In the Old Testament, despite many troubles, David also knew this peace and confidence in God – “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:8).
No matter what we face or what confronts us in 2026, we know that we can have that peace that He alone provides.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:6-7).
Alan Bridle
Clerk of Session
January 2026
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.
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.
Signed on behalf of Kirk Session by,
Alan Bridle (Clerk) Russell Coates (Deputy Clerk) Date: 17[th] April 2026 Date: 17[th] April 2026