Presbyter an MALL CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND Trustees, Annual Report and Financial Ststements for the year ended 31 December 2023 Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 104948) an MALL 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 Mall Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Mall West, Armagh, BT619AL. Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 104948) CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who seNed during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: _ Mr. l Adair, Mr. G. Auld, Mr. N. Barbour, Mr. C. Berry, Mr. J. Clarke, Rev P. Gamble, Lord Kilclooney, Mr. R. McDonald, Mr. J. Mark, Mr. W. Moffett, Mr. W. Nesbitt, Mr. T. Savage, Mr. D. Scott and Mr. W. Scott. PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer Rev Peter Gamble Mr Colin Berry Mr William Turbitt INDEPENDENT EXAMINER WHR Accountants Ltd. Chartered Certified Accountants Statutory Auditors 56 English Street Armagh Co Armagh BT617LG an BANKERS Danske Bank Scotch Street Amiagh Co Amiagh SOLICITORS Walker McDonald 2-6 Edward Street Portadown CRAIGAVON BT62 3LX. an 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 govemment 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 Servi￿ 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 congregations. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, ex￿pt 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 normally held five times a year bimonthly. To be chosen for the Offi￿ 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 Offi￿ can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are elected if they obtain the votes of 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. The Mall 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 each congregation. an 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 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. Mall 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 congregation's mission purpose is to help people become fully committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. reach and grow people as disciples of Jesus Christ. ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES The congregation normally meets for worship at 11.30am and 6.30pm every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is normally 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 normally holds regular midweek Bible study meetings. The congregation has a wide range of organisations including: Sunday School Bible Class Junior Church Boys, Brigade Girls, Brigade Youth Fellowship Presbyterian Women Badminton Club Bowling Club Mall Men an ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.30am and 6.30pm. During the week the Midweek Bible Study 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 1 Sacrament of Baptism. We conducted 8 funeral services. At 31 December 2023 there were 241 communicant members and 208 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at moming worship is 150. 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 or the elders. Mission and outreach At a local level the congregation seeks to build good relationships in the community around the church building. We also hold ServI￿S 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 ￿ntral 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, 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. an Presbytery The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church. Throughout the year these meetings were held online. General Assembly The minister and one 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. This did not happen due to lockdown. Organisations Sunday School - Sunday School normally meets each Sunday morning during September- May from 10:15am - 11.'15am and is attended by approximately 16 primary aged children. It teaches children the basics of the faith using an established Christian curriculum. Bible Class - Bible Class normally meets each Sunday morning during September- May from 10.30am- 11.15 am and is attended by approximately 5 teenage children. It teaches children the basics of the faith using an established Christian curriculum. Junior Church - Junior Church normally takes place during the latter part of the morning servi all year and is attend by approximately 16 children up to Primary 6. It teaches children core Bible stories in an age-appropriate way. Boys, Brigade - Boys, Brigade normally meets each Tuesday night from September to March and is attended by approximately 50 boys. Each night they engage in a varied programme which seeks to produce rounded Christian character among boys. Girls, Brigade - Girls, Brigade normally meets each Monday night from September to March and is attended by approximately 100 girls. Each night they engage in a varied programme which seeks to produce rounded Christian character among girls. Youth Fellowship - Youth Fellowship normally meets monthly on a Sunday evening and is attended by around 6 teenage young people. It seeks to encourage discipleship among teens by relevant Bible teaching. Presbyterian Women - Presbyterian Women normally meets on the second Wednesday of each month from September to March and is attended by around 30 women. Through a varied range of meetings and speakers they seek to encourage the faith of members and further engage them in the life of the church. Mall Men - Mall Men meet monthly on the fourth Wednesday of each month from September to April and is attended by around 20 men. Through Bible study and fellowship, they seek to grow as men who seek to live out their faith in a way which honours Jesus Christ and encourages one another. an 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. 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 ￿ntrally. 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 ServI￿S 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 Commission's Public benefit requirement statutory guidance. an FINANCIAL REVIEW During the year receipts of £159,766 were received for the Unrestricted Funds and £57,900 for the Restricted funds. Annual contributions from the congregation in Weekly Freewill Offering envelopes plus loose collections amounting to £118,854 and Gift Aid of £33,812 represented the vast majority of receipts. Income from rent and investment interest amounting to £5,641 contributed to the remainder in the Unrestricted Funds account. The main payments include the gross stipend and expenses of the Minister and cleaner plus the cost of general housekeeping overheads. The charity managed to achieve an in year surplus of £25,654 on the Unrestricted Funds account. The Restricted Funds include the Repairs Fund plus all the Organisations, and all remained in balance at 31 December 2023. At the year end, total fund balances were £407,876, consisting of £275,706 Unrestricted Funds and £132,170 Restricted Funds. 68 % of funds are Unrestricted, providing greater flexibility for their use. The market value of the Endowment Fund investments at 31 December 2023 increased by £6,108 to £73,953. 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 ac￿pted 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) 2018 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 5th September 2024 and signed on its behalf by Trustee Trustee