Raloo Presbyte.rian Church
a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 December 2023
Registered with the charlty Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 104916

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
The Trustees present thelrAnnual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended
31 December 2023 Includlng a Balance Sheet as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Raloo Congregatlon of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland
72 Raloo Road
Larne
Co. Antrlm
BT40 3DU
Reglstered charlty In Northern Ireland INIC 1049161.
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charlty Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report
were;
Roy Beggs (Junl
Robert Campbell
Sandra Graham
William Holllnger
Geoff McBrlde
Bryans Mcllroy
JIM Rlce
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Vacancy Convenor
Supply Mlnlster
Clerk of Sesslon
Treasurer
Rev. Dr Cecll Grant
Geoff McBride
Helen Rlce
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
MBS
Chartered Accountants
3 High Street
LARNE
BT40 IJN
BANKERS
Danske Bank Llmlted
8-9 Donegall Square North
BELFAST
BTI 5GB
First Trust Bank Llmlted
322 Antrim Road
Glengormley
NEwfowNABBEY
BT36 SEQ
Ulster Bank Llmlted
9 Upper Cross Street
LARNE
BT40 ISZ

RALOO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNIIAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED YI DECEMBER 2023
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
The Klrk Sesslon
The charlty trustees of the Congregatlon are the member5 of Its Klrk Sesslon. Under the
congregatlon's governlng document, The Code, the book of the constltution and government of the
Presbyterian Church In Ireland, the Klrk Sesslon seeks to watch over and promote the splrltual
Interest of the congregatlon and of persons not connected wlth any congregatlon who are wlthln Its
bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place In the congregatlon and seeks to further the contrlbution
of the Church to Christian wltness and se￿Ice in the local community. The Kirk Sesslon has delegated
to its Congregational Commlttee the temporal affalrs of the congregatlon Including admlnlsterlng all
funds and property belongln8 to the congregatlon. Members of the Klrk Sesslon are ex-offlclo
members of the Congregatlonal Commlttee.
The Klrk Session conslsts of the ordained minlster and the rullng elders of the congregations. All
members are entitled to propose, speak and exerclse equal votes at meetings, except that the
Moderator, the mlnlsters In actlve duty In the congregatlon, has no dellberatlve vote only a casting
vote,
Stated meetlngs of the Klrk Sesslon are held at least twlce In each year or as approprlate.
To be Chosen for the offlce of the eldershlp in the congregatlon a person must be a votlng member
and a regular attendant on Its ordinances. The selectlon of those proposed to be called to the offSce
can be elther by the congregation or by the Klrk Sesslon. Members are elected ifthey obtain
two-thlrds of those who vote.
Presbytery
Under the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland form of governance the corporate overslght of a
congregation Is the responslbillty of a Presbytery whlch superlntends generally the splrltual and
temporal affairs of the conBregatlons assigned to It by the General Assembly of the Presbyterlan
Church in Ireland. Raloo conBregatlon of the Presbyterlan Church has been asslgned to the
Carrlckfergus Presbytery of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland. The membershlp of the presbytery
consists malnly of the actlve mlnlsters of congregations asslgned to it by the General Assembly,
mlnisters who have retired from actlve duty and an elder appolnted by the Kirk Sesslon of the
congregation.
The General A$5embly
The General Assembly Is the supreme court of the church, representlng In one bodythe whole
church and actlng as Its supreme leglslatlve, admlnlstratlon, and judlclal authorityp In dealin8 With all
matters brought before It. The General Assembly Is normally constStuted during the flrst week In
June for worshlp and to conduct its business. At the end of buslness, 5t Is dissolved. The membershlp
of the General Assembly conslsts malnly of the actlve mlnlsters of each congregation, retlred
mlnlsters and the representatlve elder appolnted by the Klrk Session of each congregation.

RALOO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
The charitable purpose of the congregatlon15 the advancement of rellgion.
Raloo congregatlon of the Presbyterlan Church Is a congregatlon of the Presbyterlan Church In
Ireland. The Presbyterlan Church In Ireland, as a reformed church wlthln the wlder body of Chrlst,1s
grounded In the scrlptures, and exlsts to love and honour God through falth In HIS Son and by the
power of His Spirit, and to enable her members to play thelr part In fulfllllng God's mlsslon to our
world.
Raloo con8regatlon's mlsslon purpose and statement is, by the grace of God "to encouragement
people of all ages to make a professlon of faith and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Chrlst."
Our vlslon is, by the grace of God, to be an incluslve, welcomlng communlty of Christ's people of all
ages, whlch:
Is Increasingly characterlzed by love for God, and love and concern for others;
Is committed to the hlstorlc Chrlstlan gospel as revealed in the Blble;
Is relevant to people of thls time and place.
The congregatlon alms to1Sve out Its Mlssion and Vision as a famlly of God's people by belng:
A Covenant Communlty: where our relationships are rooted In the promises of God by livlng
falthfully toward hlm and toward one another
An Intergeneratlonal Communlty: where adults Intentlonally take the lead to engage wlth,
encourage, and nurture younger members to maturlty in Chrlst.
An Outward looklng Communlty: where we wantthe blesslngs of God that belong to us In
the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bounds of our communlty,
As a congregation of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland, we belleve that the Blble 55 the
supreme authorlty over all we do, and that the Westmlnster Confesslon of Falth, along with
the Larger and Shorter Catechlsms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key
matters of Chrlstlan falth and practlce.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJEcfivES
The Congregatlon meets for worshlp every Sunday and vlsltors are always welcome. The Sacrament
of the Lords Supper is observed on several occaslons during the year and all those who have been
baptised and who have a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admltted to the Lord's
Supper. The con8regatlon holds regular prayerlbible study meetlngs and has a wlde range of
organlsations Includlng Sunday School, Toddlers, Glrls Brlgade, Boys Brlgade, Youth Fellowshlp,
Frlendship Club, Bowllng Club & PW (Presbyterian Women).
The maln church, church halls and facllltles are also used on a regular basls for fund ralslng towards
varlous mlssions, good causes and fund-ralslng. The local prlmary school also makes use of the
facilitie5 for services and concerts. External youth and communlty groups and other rellglous
fraternltles, whose alms and objectlves are not In confllct wlth those of Presbyterlan Church In
Ireland, also make use of the facllltles at Raloo Presbyterian Church.

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worshlp and Prayer
The congregatlon normally meets forworshlp each Sunday at 11.30am and Sunday evenlngs as
announced. Durlng the week the Prayer/Bible Study provides an opportunlty for members to meet
together for fellowshlp, to study the scrlpts and for a tlme of prayer.
At 31, December 2023 there were 112 communlcant members and 196 famllSes connected with
Raloo Presbyterlan Church. The average weekly attendance at Sunday mornlng worshlp 80.
Pastoral Care
Members of the Congregatlon who are unable to attend church due to slckness or age are vlslted on
a regular basi5 by the mlnlster, elders or by one of the congregatlon's pastoral vlsltors/commlttee
members.
Mlsslon and Outreach
At a local level the congregation exlsts to love and honour God through falth In HIS Son and by the
power of His Spirit, and to enable members to play thelr part in fulfllllng God's mlsslon locallv.
The congregatlon supports the Unlted Appeal for Mlsslon whlch Is a central fund of the Presbyterlan
Church In Ireland. Thls fund enables congregatlons to support the wlder mlsslon of the
denominatlon and to do misslon and outreach on a denomlnatlonal basis beyond what the
congregation could do on Its own. The United Appeal Fund provldes financlal support for mlsslon
personnel at home and overseas, asslsts congregations wlth the deployment of locally based staff,
enables church plantingi provldes grant support for the upkeep of church premlses, assists wlth the
runnlng Costs of Unlon Theologlcal College, the church's tralnlng college for mlnlstry students, and
flnanclally supports congregatlons In the areas of worshlpi dlsclpleshlp, global mlsslon, outreach,
leadershlp, and pastoral care.
When practlcal, the congregatlon also contrlbutes to the denominations annual World Development
Appeal and other speclal appeals,
The congregation supports local and overseas mlsslon and Christlan charities on a regular basls.
Presbytery
The congregatlon was represented at the regular meetlngs ofthe Presbytery by our Mlnlster and
one ofthe Elders. Thls provldes an Important Ilnk between the congregations and the wlder
structure5 of the Church.
General Assembly
The mlnister and one of our elders were nominated to attend the meetlng of the General Assemblv
of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland held Assembly Bulldlngs, Belfast, In June.

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Property
The property conslsts of a maln church bulldlng wlth tollet facllltles & offlces, 2 maln halls In
separate bulldlngs each wlth their own meetlng rooms, toilets and caterlng facllltles. The church
manse is In close proxlmlty to the maln church and halls. There Is also a large adjacent car park and
graveyard.
Organlsatlons
The followlng Is a brlef summary of the organlsatlons wlth average attendances (pre COVID
restrlctlons) In brackets:
Sunday School - durlng Sunday mornlng worshlp durlng school term tlme for chlldren 4-11
years (29)
Toddlers- pre-school aged Chlldren on a Tuesday morning durlng the school term {20 +
mlnders}
Girls Brlgade- unlform organlsatlon held on a Monday evenlng from Septemberto March for
glrls aged 3 to year 14 {601
Boys Brlgade- unlform organlsatlon held on a Frlday evenlng from September to March for
boys of prlmary and secondary school age {40)
Youth Fellowshlp- flrst and last Sunday evenlng of the month for young persons of
secondary school age (181
Frlendshlp (Thursday Club) - held durlng the day on Thursdays for adults {301
Bowllng Club-Tuesday and Wednesday evenlngs from September to June for all ages (131
Hollday Bible Club- Monday to Friday evenlngs for one week In August {30)
Presbyterlan Women IPWI- held once a month on Tuesday afternoon from September to
March for women of all ages (61
You can vlslt our webslte at www.raloo
c.com or call us for further Informatlon.
Volunteers
The Trustees wlsh to acknowledge thelr deep appreclatlon of those who glve freely of thelr tlme by
servSnB on commlttees and helpin8 With organisations and other church activities.

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
The Presbyterian Church In Ireland meets the public benefit requirement by provlding benefit to Its
members and the general public by maklng known the Chrlstlan Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
through the advancement of rellglon.
The dlrect beneflts whlch flow from the purposes of the Church include the gainlng of an
understandlng In Chrlstlan beliefs as set out Sn the Blble and In the Church's subordinate standards
(the Westminster Confesslon of Falth and the Shorter and Larger Catechlsms) leadSng to splrltual and
moral development and opportunlties for response to Bible teachlng. In turn, thls framework leads
to practlcal expresslons of Chrlstlan beliefs and standards in the local communlty such as through
the care of those In need {includlng the slck, dlsabled, and bereaved).
Generally the above benefits are delivered locally by congregations and thelr members, or are
facllStated through presbyterles or are organlsed and delivered centrally. Local dellvery is facllltated
by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of
notlceboards, printed materlal, press advertlsement, websltes and soclal medla or in other ways.
The beneflts are demonstrated through regular evaluatlon of the servlces and Informal and ad-hoc
feedback from members, thelr famllles, and members ofthe publlc.
The purpose does not lead to harm. The only prlvate beneflt flowlng from our purpose Is related to
Mlnlsters, Misslonarles, Deaconesses, Irlsh Misslon workers and Lay Agents who recelve beneflts as
a result of thelr holding office or employment, However, thls is incidental and necessary In order to
further our charitable purpose. There are no other private beneflts. The beneficiarles of this purpose
are members, thelr famllles, other indlvlduals that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in dlrect and
indlrect contact with, the communlty In whlch pastoral servlces are provlded and other communltles
throughout Northern Ireland, the Republlc of Ireland, and worldwide whlch benefit from our
engagement with and support for both Chrlstlan and other secular organisatlons, ¢harltles and
Individual members of the publlc.
The Klrk Sesslon has had regard to the Charlty Commissions publlc benefit requlrement statutory
guidance.

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregatlon's main source of income Is members, contrlbutions throuEh the Weekly Freewlll
Offering. There were 152 contrlbutors durlng the year1146 In previous year, 20221 donatlng a total
of £56,379 (£55,822) in prevlous year, 20221.
Total Income of the congregation durln8the year was £111,218 compared to £117,463 In the
previous year, excludlng bequests,
No bequests were recelved durlng the year.
Total expenditure Increased to £78,099 from £77,921.
RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPEcf OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the flnanclal statements In
accordance with applicable law and Unlted Kingdom Generally Accepted Accountlng Practlce.
The Trustees are requlred to prepare financlal statements for each flnanclal year whlch give a true
and falr vlew of the state of affairs of the congregatlons and the flnan¢lal actlvitles for that year. In
preparlng the flnanclal statements the Trustees are required to:
Select sultable accountlng pollcles and then apply them conslstently
Makejudgements and estlmates that are reasonable and prudent
Prepare the financlal statements on the going concern basis unless It is inapproprlate to
presume that the funds wlll contlnue In operatlon.
The Trustees are responslble for keeping adequate accountlng records that are sufflclent to show
and explaln the funds transactions and disclose wlth reasonable accuracy at any tlme the flnan¢lèl
posltlon of the congregatlons and enable them to ensure that the flnanclal statements comply wSth
the Statement of Recommended Practlce"Accountlng and Reportlng by Charltles (l January 20151"
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregatlon and hence for taklng
reasonable steps for the preventlon and detectlon of fraud and other irregularltles.

RALOO PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
GOING COhtCERN
The activltles of the congregatlon are dependent on onEolng contributlons from Its members. The
Trustees are of the oplnlon that the congregatlon has sufficlent resources at the date of approval of
these flnanclal statements to meet commltments whlch will arlse In the yearfrom the date of
signing thls report and subject to the contlnulng support from members to fund on an ongoing basss
the congregation's current actlvltles and other flnanclal commitments
RESERVES POLICY
The Trustees have consldered the level of unrestrlcted reserves that It Is appropriate to hold taking
account of current and ongolng commStments. It Is the policy of the Trustees to hold at least I
month's normal expenditure from unrestricted funds. At the year end unrestrlcted reseNes were
£114,418 whlch represents a higher level of reSe￿eS. The Trustees however, conslder It prudent to
hold reserves at thls level as the fundlng of Its present actlvltles Is dependent on the ongolng
flnanclal support of members.
RISK REVIEW
Flnanclal risks are kept under revlew by the Trustees and systems and procedures Implemented to
manage Identlfled rSsks. The prlnclpal rlsks are in relation to the Ilkelihood of reputational damage
and flnanclal risks assoclated wlth the expectatlon of ongolng flnanclal support from members.
These rlsks are mitigated by the Trustees, and the Congregatlonal Commlttee, regularly monltorlng
the varlous a¢tlvlties of the congregatlon at stated meetings and by encouraglng members in thelr
regular glvlng.
th
Approved on behalf of Klrk Sesslon on 24 September 2024 and slgned on Its behalf by
Rev Andrew Watson
Chair/Moderator & Vacancy Convenor
Geo
Clerk of
cBri
ion at Raloo Presbyterlan Church
Date." 29 September 2024
Date: 29 ' September 2024