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2023-12-31-annual-report

MAGHERAMORNE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Register Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104758)

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MAGHERAMORNE 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 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Magheramorne congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 29 Ballylig Road, Magheramorne, BT40 3HZ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104758)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Harold Boyd Robert John McAlister Morris Gardner Jennifer Paisley Wilbert McNeilly John Thompson

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Convenors of Vacancy Rev David Cromie/Rev Dr Cecil Grant Clerk of Session Morris Gardner Treasurer Nigel Graham Secretary Jemma Boyd

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Judith S Conon 21 Landsdowne Crescent Larne BT40 1BW

BANKERS

Ulster Bank Limited 37 High Street Carrickfergus BT38 7AN

SOLICITORS

O’Rorke, McDonald & Tweed 29 The Roddens Larne BT40 1HX 2

MAGHERAMORNE 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 in each 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 a minimum of two-thirds of those who vote are in their favour.

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. Magheramorne congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Carrickfergus 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 in the Presbytery.

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MAGHERAMORNE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEE 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 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

The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion

Magheramorne congregation of the 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 its 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 and to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people which:

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

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

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meet for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was observed twice during the year, in May and November and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Table.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer

Worship services took place each Sunday at 10.00am with the young people of the CE leading worship on the third Sunday in February. The Sunday school had their annual day in June and Harvest Thanksgiving was celebrated on the third Sunday in October with two services. The Carol Service was held at 4.00pm on the second Sunday before Christmas.

We gave thanks for faithful service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.

At 31 December 2022 there were 67 communicant members and 116 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship was 53.

Pastoral Care

Members of the congregation who were unable to attend church due to sickness or age were visited or contacted by the minister, elders or other members of the congregation and bereaved families were also visited, supported and comforted. Rev Chris Barron agreed to devote one day per week to pastoral visiting in the two congregations and this was much appreciated as Chris was well known in the area with his past connections to the two churches. Chris commenced his visiting at the beginning of October.

Minister

Rev David Cromie was our Vacancy Convenor at the beginning of the year and successfully guided us in our submission to the Linkage Commission, who we met in January and together with our sister church in Raloo were granted leave to call a minister. Rev Dr Cecil Grant replaced Rev Cromie as Convenor from the beginning of June.

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

Mission and Outreach

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 areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach and pastoral care.

The congregation contributed to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal and Children’s Society.

Also arranged:

Holiday Bible Club was held during the first week in July with over 30 young people attending. Soccer school took place in the grounds of Glynn Primary School at the end of July with an average of 55 young people participating each evening.

At the beginning of December a large crowd gathered for the switching on of the Christmas Lights around the church, providing a focal point for the community. Magheramorne Silver band regaled the gathering with carols throughout the evening and the children of the church and Dr Grant also took part in this the first of our Christmas celebrations. Refreshments were enjoyed by all attending.

Presbytery

Presbytery meetings were held on their designated monthly slots.

General assembly

The General Assembly convened in June in Belfast.

Property

The steelwork in the bell tower was repaired and repainted.

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

Organisations

Sunday School and Bible Class

The young people joined the main congregation at 10.00am and then left for their classes in the hall after the children’s address. A rota of 9 teachers and helpers looked after an average of 9 children in 4 age groups which included a bible class.

Junior Christian Endeavour

Celebrated 30 years since its formation in Magheramorne and met each Friday, 6.45pm to 8.00pm, during term time when around 22 pre-school to P7 children enjoyed varied activities. Fund raising activities, mainly a sponsored walk allowed for a donation of £500 to be made to the designated CE mission, ‘Open Schools Worldwide’. Malawi knitters were also supported at Christmas and Easter with the purchase of their seasonal goods.

Intermediate Christian Endeavour

Met every other Friday 8.00pm to 9.00pm, from September to December when an average of 10 secondary school age children attended. They joined with the Juniors in leading the worship at their annual service in February.

Presbyterian Women – PW

The PW organised another successful Christmas wreath making workshop to raise funds for their charities and also arranged an enjoyable Christmas lunch for members and friends. Church families continued their support with donations through the mission boxes.

Yarns

Met on the first and third Tuesday of each month commencing when around 14 ladies produced many needle crafted articles, supporting various charities, despite the ‘yarning’ and the many cuppas enjoyed.

Parents and Toddlers

Mary Davison with her helpers, Phyllis Boyd and Patricia McDowell retired at the end of the school year after many years of dedication to this valuable organisation and we record our gratitude to these three ladies. We thank Lynsey Montgomery for agreeing to take over the leadership and encouraging Nicola Paisley, Leigh Ramsay and Courtney Brown to assist.

The Toddlers met each Thursday, 9.30 to 11.30, during term time. A plethora of toys were available for the children while the adults enjoyed the fellowship, a cuppa with a scone while keeping a watchful eye on their charges.

Youth Fellowship

This is a joint venture between ourselves and Raloo with meetings alternating between the two congregations and an average of 10 young people attending.

The Flower Committee

Decorated the church each week, when services were held and the Harvest arrangements were a joy to behold with wonderful displays of the produce of God’s wonderful world. Flowers and fruit from the

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

Sequence Dancing

Sequence dance classes continued on Monday evenings.

Woman’s Institute

The local Women’s Institute held monthly meetings in our hall.

Hansel and Gretel Pre School used our premises for some weeks pre Easter while Glynn Village hall, their usual home, was being refurbished.

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to express their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time and talents by serving on committees, instigating and helping with organisations and other church activities.

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 the care of those in need (included 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 of 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.

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

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The results for the year were satisfactory. The Trustees do not anticipate any significant change in 2024.

Total income of the congregation during the year was £61,124 compared to £64,735 the previous year.

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 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 of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 25 April 2024 and signed on its behalf by

J Morris Gardner (Clerk of Session) Nigel Graham (Treasurer)

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