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2023-12-31-annual-report

HILL STREET LURGAN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 104768)

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HILL STREET, LURGAN 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

Hill Street, Lurgan Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Hill Street, Lurgan, BT66 6BG, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 104768)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Glenn Barbour Leslie McCullough Kenneth Belshaw Nigel McCullough Alan Blair David McReynolds Daniel Corr Graham Montgomery Nigel Girvan Lewis Porter John Graham Malcolm Qua William Harra Colin Robb Clarke Kennedy John Wright

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Nigel McCullough Associate Minister Rev John Graham Clerk of Session Mr Colin Robb Treasurer Mr Kenneth Belshaw

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

MG Accountants 25-27 Carleton Street Portadown Co. Armagh BT62 3EP

BANKERS

Danske Bank Donegall Square West Belfast BT1 6JS.

SOLICITORS

Watson & Neill 23 High Street Lurgan Co. Armagh BT66 8AH

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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 Sessions 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 ministers 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 eight times a year, monthly between September and May, excluding December.

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. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of those who vote.

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. Hill Street Lurgan congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Armagh 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

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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.

Hill Street Lurgan 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 her members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.

The congregations mission purpose is to help people become fully committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and to reach and grow people as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our vision is to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which:

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

- A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another

- An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ.

- 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.

- 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

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ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meets for worship at 11.00am and 6.30pm every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is observed on at least 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 Supper. The congregation holds regular midweek Bible study and prayer meetings and has a wide range of organisations including

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00am and 6.30pm. During the week the Midweek gathering provides an 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 5 Infant Baptisms and 2 Adult Baptisms. We conducted 10 funeral services and conducted 9 weddings.

At 31 December 2023 there were 360 communicant members and 350 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at worship is 330 in the morning and 150 in the evening.

Pastoral care

Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are visited on a regular basis by members of the ministry team and the elders.

Mission and outreach

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At a local level the congregation seeks to build good relationships in the community around the church building by visiting the area from time to time and by holding occasional community focused services. We also hold services when members are encouraged to invite friends in the local area.

We gather funds and distribute funds for a wide range of missionary activities both at home and overseas.

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 that which a 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 congregations in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributed to the Presbyterian Children’s Society and other special appeals.

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our ministers and two of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

The ministers and two 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 June.

Property

During the year the sum of £31,853 was expended on improvements to and maintenance of Church building, Halls and Manse.

Organisations

Kids Ministry – Kids’ Ministry takes place each Sunday morning and is attended by approximately 35 primary aged children. It teaches children the basics of the faith using an established Christian curriculum.

Crèche – the Crèche operates during the morning service for children under three. It normally has between 10 and 12 children.

Jellytots – Jellytots is our Mother and Toddler group and meets each Tuesday morning during term time from 10.30am to 12noon. It provides a fun and safe environment for

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parents and their children and allows relationships to be built. It is attended by an average of 30 parents and children.

Boys’ Brigade – Boys’ Brigade meets each Tuesday night from September to May and is attended by approximately 80 boys. Each night they engage in a varied programme which seeks to produce rounded Christian character among boys.

Girls’ Brigade – Girls’ Brigade meets each Thursday night from September to May and is attended by approximately 100 girls. Each night they engage in a varied programme which seeks to produce rounded Christian character among girls.

Relate – Relate meets each Saturday evening and is attended by around 40 teenage young people. It seeks to encourage discipleship among teens by relevant Bible teaching.

Young Adults – Young Adults meet two to three times each term in gatherings that are focussed on worship, teaching or outreach. Through these they are encouraged to play a fuller role in the whole congregation.

Women’s Ministry – The Women’s Ministry involves a regular women’s Bible Study (attended by around 60 women), occasional one-off events and a Walk and Talk programme during May and June. Though these various means women are encouraged in their faith and opportunities are provided to introduce new women to Christianity.

Men’s Group – The Men’s Group meets on a Thursday morning from 10.30am until 12noon. Men engage in a variety of social activities and take occasional trips out. It is attended by around 15 men.

Men’s Ministry – The Men’s ministry holds around eight meetings each year to look at a subject of interest to men or to have social gatherings to which friends can be invited. It is attended by around 40 men.

Fusion – The Fusion Group is attended by older ladies and they meet from 2pm until 4pm once a month on Thursday. They engage in a variety of social activities, listen to speakers and occasionally visit local sites of interest.

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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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.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering, Fabric Fund and Mission Fund. There were 263 contributors during the year (259 in the previous year, 2022) donating a total of £399,244 (£335,640 in previous year, 2022)

Total Income of the congregation during the year was £404,766 compared to £397,449 in the previous year.

Total expenditure was £314,426 (relatively unchanged from £313,630 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 exceeds £250,000 and is less than £500,000 the Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 but that an independent examination is required under that Act.

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 12 September 2023 and signed on its behalf by

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Nigel McCullough

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Colin Robb

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