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2023-12-31-annual-report

GREENISLAND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104910)

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GREENISLAND 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

Greenisland congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 166 Upper Road, Greenisland, Carrickfergus BT38 8RW

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104910)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who served during the year were

Alan Bell Gwyneth Hanna Eric Chalmers Rosemary Kelso Stewart Dickson Susan Mannis Sandra Dickson Joan Page Gillian Douglas Colin Sullivan Stanley Goudie Gavin Watt

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Reverend David Cromie Clerk of Session Joan Page Treasurer Iris McCleery Congregational Committee Secretary Wendy Boyd

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS

Peter Lawther FCA, 17A Lylehill Road, Templepatrick B39 0EN Marilyn Mills FCA, 11 Gorman Close, Greenisland BT38 8GA

BANKERS

Ulster Bank, High Street, Carrickfergus.

SOLICITORS

Magennis & Creighton Solicitors, Shore Road, Newtownabbey.

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GREENISLAND 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 in January, March, May, September 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 its ordinances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office is on proposals from the congregation. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of the votes cast.

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. Greenisland 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, minsters who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.

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GREENISLAND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES 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 was constituted on 21st June. The opening night saw the formal nomination, election and installation of the new Moderator for 2023/2024, Rev Dr Sam Mawhinney of Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church in Dublin , the first Moderator to come from a congregation in the Republic of Ireland in nearly a quarter of a century. The vast majority of the sessions were open to the public and were streamed live. At the end of business the Assembly 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.

Greenisland 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 vision is to be a Christ-centred, Bible-believing, Spirit-led community that focuses on

The congregation aims to live out its vision by being:

Last year the vision of the church was reviewed and refreshed resulting in the new mission praxis around three key words – Sow, Grow and Go.

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

In Sowing we seek to help others to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour through evangelism and mission and also by extending the love of Jesus to those we meet.

In Growing we recognise that we are called to be disciples and to be effective disciples we are to grow and mature in our own faith.

In Going we recognise the call of the Great Commission to Go out and share Jesus Christ with the whole world.

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meets for worship every Sunday morning and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is observed bi-monthly on the first Sunday of every other month between September and June 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.

Sunday morning services were streamed on YouTube every week from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and continue to be streamed weekly.

The congregation holds regular Bible study meetings in small church-based and home-based Bible study groups. During the year 6 small groups met on a regular basis. On average 60 members attend the small Bible study groups.

The congregation has a wide range of organisations including

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00 am. During the year a number of Praise and Thanksgiving services were held in the evening.

During the week the church-based and home-based Bible Study groups provide an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer.

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

As well as our regular services during the year, we gave thanks for faithful service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. The sacrament of baptism was administered to one infant of members of the congregation at a service during the year. It was also administered at another service to a young person.

A number of other special services were also held during the year - Children’s Day in June, Presbyterian Women’s Service in September, Harvest Thanksgiving in October, Remembrance Sunday in November, Boys Brigade Enrolment in November, Young Peoples Nativity Service in December and the Carol Service in December.

At 31 December 2023 there were 292 families connected with the congregation (654 persons of all ages) of which 229 are communicant members.

165 The average weekly attendance at morning worship was

Pastoral care

Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or advancing years are visited on a regular basis by the minister, pastoral assistant or an elder.

Mission and outreach

In October 2022 the congregation appointed a part-time Youth Work Intern. The main function of the Youth Work Internship is to develop and deliver the youth work of Greenisland Presbyterian Church in line with the church’s overall vision and being, first and foremost, a Pastoral support and servant leader to the young people. The Internship ended on 31 August.

At a local level, the congregation provides food hampers for Christians Against Poverty to distribute to those in need in the community on a regular basis throughout the year.

In October the Harvest Thanksgiving Appeal went to support Christian Aid’s work in Libya and Morocco in light of the floods and earthquake this year, Christians Against Poverty providing support to those vision is for a world where most in need in the local community and Wycliffe Bible Translators whose everyone can know Jesus through the Bible. Wycliffe’s mission is to serve local partners worldwide as they bring God’s Word to their communities in the language which speaks to them best.

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

Prior to Christmas, as is its custom, the congregation provided toys and gifts for the Salvation Army to Samaritan’s distribute to those in need, provided shoes boxes with gifts for children overseas to the Purse Organisation and provided Christmas Food Hampers for Christians Against Poverty (CAP) to distribute to those in need in the local community.

During the summer mission teams went to South Africa to work alongside the Sports Academy in George and to Uganda to work with Abaana.

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, leadership and pastoral care.

The congregation also contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal, the Presbyterian Children’s Society and any other special appeals.

The congregation collects 1p and 2p coins in a display-model toilet for the Toilet Twinning Organisation.

The congregation held a family fun day in May to mark the coronation of King Charles 111. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring the community of Greenisland together for fun, food and fellowship where the more mature people were able to reminisce about the late Queen’s coronation and how so much has changed over 70 years and an education for the younger people who were experiencing their first coronation. Approximately 350 people of all ages attended.

During the first week in August a number of young people from the congregation joined with young people from the other churches in Greenisland and ran a Community Week. Every morning during the week over 130 primary school children were welcomed to a Holiday Bible Club and activities were organised for a daily average of 30 Y 8 and Y 9 children as well. In the afternoon the young people undertook a number of community service activities including a car wash to raise funds for the local

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

nursing homes, a litter pick and a tidy up of gardens and hedges. A street party was also held which saw over 60 children and their families attend for an afternoon of fun and games. A team of over 120 young people were involved in the community week. This was a great opportunity for young people to experience community, to be encouraged and grow in their faith and we rejoice that some young people came to faith during the week.

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and / or one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregation and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

The minister and our Representative Elder attended the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.

Property

The congregation ensures that the Church property is kept in good condition and undertakes repairs and maintenance on a timely basis. An independent valuation of the church property was undertaken during the year and the property valuations were updated for insurance purposes.

During the year a new photocopier was purchased for the church office.

Organisations

The church halls are extensively used by the organisations throughout the week.

On a Sunday morning children leave part way through the service to attend CLICK and SWITCH for age appropriate Bible teaching and to explore their faith. The average numbers of children attending CLICK was 20 and on average 8 young people attend SWITCH. The annual Children’s and Young People’s Day Service was held in June, at which a Bible based story book was presented to all the children. The children and young people also participated in the Nativity Service in December.

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

Youth Fellowship, for Young People aged Y 8 to Y 14 meets on alternate Sunday evenings. It is a safe and relaxed space for young people to meet and be encouraged and challenged in their faith and shown how real Jesus is. On average 70 young people attend Youth Fellowship.

Each Monday morning during term time the Mothers and Toddlers Group meets for fun, friendship and fellowship. On average 35 children and their careers attend. Funds raised at Mothers and Toddlers went to support the Presbyterian Children’s Society and Christian Aid.

The 1[st] Greenisland Boys’ Brigade Company has a membership of 77 boys and meets weekly between September and April, with Anchor Boys (Y2 – Y5) meeting on Friday evenings, Junior Section (Y5 – Y7) meeting on Monday evenings and Company/Senior Sections (Y8 – Y14) meeting on Wednesday evenings. The Boys’ Brigade provides fun, fellowship, games, sport, craft, outings, skills, badge work, Bible Class, competitions and weekend camps. During the year the boys enjoyed a variety of team games including football, basketball, badminton and table tennis. The Company Section has participated in a number of the East Antrim Battalion and National Competitions in table tennis, badminton and Masterteam. In table tennis the team qualified and represented Ireland at the UK and ROI Finals, finishing runners-up in the competition. Having won the NI Final of the badminton the team travelled to England for the National Final and reached the final stage of the competition. The annual Parents’ Evening and Awards Presentation was held in March. A number of boys having attended the Leadership Skills Courses gained their Queen’s Badges and seven boys were presented with President’s Badges. The company was well represented at the East Antrim Battalion Parade and Church Service in Carrickfergus in October. The annual enrolment service was held in the church in November.

The Presbyterian Women’s (PW) group meets monthly between October and April and has a varied programme of events and activities. The members use mission boxes to collect money for the support of deaconesses in training, special projects and missionary work. The annual PW Service was held in September. It was followed by a soup lunch with all proceeds from the lunch going to support the Special Projects - supporting Mental Health through the work of REACH and Biblical Counselling Ireland and supporting women and girls across the Middle East and North Africa through SAT-7, a media organisation that presents a new way of living for women and girls based on Biblical values.

The Bowling Club meets on a Tuesday to play indoor bowls. The Club has a membership of 8, both male and female.

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

The Art Club meets on a Monday and has a membership of 10. Members paint and draw using various media. Individual members display their works at art exhibitions.

The Model Railway Club has 6 members and meets monthly on a Monday evening. The Club is open to anyone with an interest in anything to do with railways/model railways. During the year the members visit Model Railway exhibitions.

Greenisland KSCC Group (Knitting, Sewing, Crocheting and Craft) is a group of ladies who meet to do something which they enjoy while at the same time producing useful items for local hospitals and the Simon Community. During the year a large number of blankets, cardigans, hats and mittens were knitted and crocheted and delivered to the neonatal units in the Ulster Hospital, Antrim Area Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. In addition the ladies also made a large number of hats and scarves which were taken out to the Sports Academy, George, South Africa and a large batch was sent to the Simon Community.

Safeguarding

The Kirk Session has appointed 2 Designated Persons to advise the Kirk Session in respect of its responsibilities in relation to Safeguarding. The Designated Persons meet regularly with the leaders of the organisations providing for children and young people, in order to ensure that Risk Assessments are completed and that all prospective leaders are first subject to a criminal background check via AccessNI before they take up post. The names and contact details of the Designated Persons are prominently displayed throughout the premises and on various communications.

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on committees, leading / helping with organisations, undertaking administrative duties in the church office and other church activities. On average there are 50 volunteers both from within the congregation and from other local churches.

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

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

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 182 contributors during the year [171 in 2022] donating a total of £107,568, [£110,587 in 2022].

Total Income of the congregation during the year was £229,801 compared to £199,129 in the previous year. The main reason for the change was an increase in one off gifts.

Total expenditure of the congregation during the year was £220,375 compared to £191,011 in 2022. The increase in expenditure is due mainly to the increased cost of electricity, gas, insurances, catering and refreshments, staff and support to the missionary teams.

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) 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 and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 29 January 2024 and signed on its behalf by

Name: David Cromie Name: Joan Page Date: 29 January 2024 Date: 29 January 2024

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