GREYSTONE ROAD CONGREGATION OFTHE PRESBYtERIAN CHURai IN IRELAND TRUSfEES ANNUAL REPORT Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 Reglstered Charlty In Northern Ireland (NIC 104869) 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 ADMINisfRATIVE DEfAILS Greystone Road Congregation of the Presbyterian Churth in Ireland 56 Greystone Road, Antrim, BT41 IHX Registered Charity in Northern Ireland {NIC 104869) CHARrrY TRusfEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who We trustees at the date of this report were:_ Mr. David Beatry Mr. Graeme Oliver Lutton Mr. Winston Booth Mr. George Lynn (deceased 1010312023) Mr. Leonard Brereton Mr. David Lyttle Mr. Samuel Stephen Brown Mr. Davld Robert James Magee Mr. Roy Browne Mr. Sam James Magee (deceased 0810112023) Mr. Morri5 Cdirns Mr. David Mccarie Mr. John Crawford Mr. Richard Alexander RutherFord Mr. Wilfred Anderson Crawford Mr. John James Warwick Mr. John Eccles {resigned 2610912023) Mr. Mark Wilson Mrs. Irene Lutton Rev. Chris Wilson PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Rev. Chris Wilson Clerk of Session Mr. John James Warwi Treasurer Mr. Richard Alexander Rutherford
GREYSTONE ROAD CONGREGATION OFTHE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Mrs. Celine Corrigan, FC4 Corrisan CA Ltd 24 Greystone Road Antrim 8T412QN BANKERS Danske Bank. 42 High Street Antrim BT414AP SOUCITORS Anderson Glllan Barr Ltd 32 Church Str@@t Antrim BT414BA
GREYSTONE ROAD CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSfEES ANNUAL REpoirr STRucfuRE AND MANAGEMErir The Klrk Session The charity trustees of the congregation are the members of its Ktrk Sesslon. Under the consresation'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 con8regatlon 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 Commttee. An election of Greystone Road Congre8ation61 Committee took place at the beginnin8 of 2018. 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 congre8ati(xi, ha5 no deliberative but only a casting vote. Stated meetings of the firk session are held every other month. To be chosen for the office of the elder5hip 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 fonn of governance the corporate oversight of 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. Greystone Road congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Templepatrick Presbytery of the Presbyterian Churth in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists mainly of the active ministers of congregatioiii assigned to it by the General Assembly. ministers who have retired from active dLStv elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the congregation.
GREYSTONE ROAD CONGREGATION OF THE PRE5BYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT The fjenerol A55embly The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representlng In one body thé whole Church and acting as its supreme legislative. administration and judicial authority, in deallng with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly 15 normally constituted durins the first week in Junc for worship and to conduct its business. At the Ènd of business It Is dissolved. The mÈmbership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the actlve mintsters of each congregation. retired ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Sesslon of each congregation. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The charftable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of re15gion. Greystone Road congregation of the PresbCrian Church is a congregation of the presbyterian Church Fn IrÉland. The Presbyterian Church In ireland. as a Refomed Churth within the wider body of Christ is grounded in the Scriptures and exists to love and honour God through falth 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. On the 31 December 2023 there were 230 comrnunicant members. 185 families are connected with the congregation and the average attendance at morning worship is approximately 200 plus online attendance. The congregation aims to Iwe 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 ioward one an¢)ther. An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurtu younger members to matttrity in Chrlst. 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 atrthority <)ver all we do, and that the WestmTrnster Confession of Falth, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key mattÈts of Christian faith and practice.
GREYSTONE ROAD CONGREGATION OFTHE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT ACTlVtnES AND OPJEcnvES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to joln with us. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is observed on several occasions during the year and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of fa5th in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Lord'5 Supper. The consre8ation holds regular bible study and prayer meetings and has a wide range of organisations including: Sunday School (Prime fime) Youth Fellowship Worship Music Team Boys Brigade Girls Brigade Christian Endeavour Women's Fellowship (Fuslon) Thursday Club Bible Study and Prayer Rock Cafe Parents and Toddlers (Buzzy Bees) Bowllng Club Men's Fellowship (Men Out Together) Worship and Prayer The congregation meets for worship each Sunday at 10:30am and 6:30pm. During the week a Blble study and Prayer time is held on alternate Thursday evenings at 7:30pm. As well as our regular services during the year we celebrated communion around the Lord's Table on five occasions. Mlssion and outreach The congregation supports the United Appeal for Mission which Is a central fund of the Pre5berIan 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 Untted Appeal Fund provldes financial support for mission personnel at home and overseas. assists congregations with the deployment of Ioc311y based staff. enables church plantin& provides grant support for the upkeep of church premises. assist with the running cost5 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, ieadershlp and pamoral care. In Greystone Road we support, through finance and prayer, a number of overseas missions: Tearfund: Asia Link: Middle East Refonned Fellowship," Child Evangelism Fellowship in Romania and Moldova; the Reid family working with the Maasai people in Kenya. MCCP and Destiny Academy church plant Myanmar.
GREYSTONE ROADCOIi4EGATl0N OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRU5fEE5 ANNUAL REPORT Volunteers The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who 8ive freely of their time by serving on committees, helping run our organisations. those involved with the live streaming of services together with our music teams who lead our pralse. PUBUC BENEFIT STATEMENT The Presbyterian Church in Ireland meets the public benefrt requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by making known the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through tne advancement of religion. The direct benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church indude the galnlng of an understanding in Christian beliefs a5 sel out in the Btble and in the Church's subordinate standard5 (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 prartical expressions of Christian beliefs and standards in the local communtty such as through the care of those in need (includlng the slck, dlsabled and bereaved}. Generally the above benefits are delivered locallv bv congregations and their members, or are facilitated through presbyteries or are organised and delivered centrally. Local del:':-_' IVFI y is facilitated bv central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of notice board5. printed material. press advertisement. websites. and social media or in other ways. The benefrts are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the services and informal and ad-hoc feedback from members. thelr famllie5, and members of the public. The charitable purpose of the advancement of religion does not lead to harm. The only private benefft flowin? from our purpose is relateo to Ministers: Missionaries: Deaconesses: Irish Mission workers and Lay Agents who re1ve benefits as a result of their holding office or emDlovment. However. this is incidental and necessarv in order to further our charitabl- purpose. There are no other private benefits. The lieneficiaries of this purpose are members. their families. other individua15 that the PsbV(erian Church in Ireland is in direct and indirect contsct with. the community in which pastoral services are provided and other communities throuohout Northern Ireland. the ReDublic of Ireland. and worldwlde which benefit from our enRagement with and support for both Christian and other secular orqanisations. chariTies ano individual m@mt)ers of the DUDiiC. The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commission's Public benefft requirement siatutorv ouiaance.
GREYsfoNE ROADCONGREGATION OFTHE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRU5fEE5 ANNUAL REPOKt presbytery The congregation is repsented a.t Presbytery by our minister and / or one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church. The representative Elder appointed this year for Greystone Road congregation wa5 Mr. David Bea(. General Assembly The minister and one of the elders are nominated to attend the meetlng of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast. The representative Elder appointed this year for Greystone Road congregation was Mr. David Beatty. Property Qur Church buildings and internal furnishings are in good condition. To comply wtth Health dnd Safety regulations some external work is being appraised. This year saw the completion of a major refurbishment of our Manse along with some internal maintenance on our church premises. Thls was overseen by our property convener Mr. lan Higgins. Dats Protectlori To comply with Data Protection policy the Trustees adopted our own Data protection policy whlch Is reviewed each year thi5 ensures that we comply with data protection law and follow good practice. It protects the rights of members and adherents. staff. volunteers and other people we have a relationship with or may need to contact. Mr Richard Cairns is our Data Protection OfFicer for Greystone Road Presbyterian Church. FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 184 contributors during the year1199 in previous year, 2022) donating a total of £156.020 (£155.944 in previou5 year, 2022). The total income of the congregation increased slightly during the year from £210,686 in 2022 to £216,074 in 2023. Totsl expenditure increased significantly from £163,258 to £355,299. This was mainly as a result of the costs of a major refurbishment of our Manse as well as the costs of a Minister for the full year compared to 4 months the previous year. The Elders meeting wish to have in hand an amount equal to six months regular expenditure as free resepdes to meet future shortfalls in income and unexpected expenses. This has been achieved as the balance of free reserves as at 31 December 2023 wa5 £118,995 (£90,245 in previous year 2022).
GREYsfop4E ROADcOPGATK1H OFTHE PRESBYtERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRU5TEE5 ANNUAL REPOKt STATEMENT OF TRusfEE RESPONSI8ILmES 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 toLIl 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 Ilabilities. 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 finanaal position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and deteaion of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 30 April 2024 and signed on its behalf by:" Rev. Chris Wilson Mr. John James Warwick 30 April 2024 30 April 2024