2023-12-31-annual-report - Templepatrick Presbyterian Church

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TEMPLEPATRICK 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 (NIC 105000)

TEMPLEPATRICK 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

Templepatrick Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland,

750 Antrim Road, Templepatrick, BT39 0AP.

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105000).

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who were trustees at the date of this report were:

James Arthur Paul Lynas Tom Bill George Mackarel Danny Bill Wilma Mackarel Karen Boyce Derek Martin Llewellyn Hamill Colin McClean Maurice Hart Hilton McGregor Ken Henderson David McMullan Audrey Heslip Olga Ross Jason Kenny Stephen Warke Richard Kerr Stewart Wilson Brian Lynas

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Richard Kerr Assistant Minister until July 2023 Mr Billy Abwa Clerk of Session Brian Lynas Treasurer David McMullan Secretary Ken Henderson

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Hopper & Co, 6 Doagh road, Ballyclare, BT39 9BG

BANKERS

Danske Bank, 18 The Square, Ballyclare, BT39 9BB

TEMPLEPATRICK 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 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. The Assistant Minister may be given the right to speak if he attends a Kirk Session meeting. Mr Abwa, the assistant minister, was given permission to speak at Kirk Session meetings

The Kirk Session met five times during 2023 as well as before four Communion Services.

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 elected either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of those who vote. In 2023 December, we had an election carried out by the Congregation for four new elders. Two members were successful in that they obtained two-thirds of those who voted.

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. Templepatrick Congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Templepatrick 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. Mr Colin McClean filled this role in 2023.

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. Colin McClean was our representative elder and Ross Blackbourne our youth (under 30) representative at the 2023 Assembly.

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

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.

Templepatrick Congregation 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 statement reads: “To know God better; to make God better known”

Our Vision is to be an inclusive, welcoming an all-age community of Christ’s people which:

is increasingly characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others;
is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible;
is relevant to people of this time and place.

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.

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

At the beginning of 2023 we had 356 families connected to the congregation.
Several members from our church, joining with others from other local churches, continue tp help refugees with their English. This work is still continuing.
The war situation in Ukraine is serious. We were able to raise a considerable amount of money to help our partner church in Fornos in Ukraine.
Templepatrick Church of Ireland Church and ourselves successfully completed “Christianity Explored” and “Alpha” Courses during 2023.
Kirk Session was very pleased to see at least a dozen young people attending or helping at summer missions and camps in 2023.

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

During 2023 we continued our Praise Nights. Our music coordinator and several groups have been leading the praise on the third Sunday evening of each month.
With the help of our assistant minister our young people managed to enact the Christmas and Easter Stories involving music.
The Pastoral Care Team has 14 volunteers visiting 23 homes.
To celebrate Harvest in 2023 we successfully encouraged members to bring along suitable non-perishable produce that was sent to local Food Banks.

Usually the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is observed on 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. In 2023 we had two morning and two evening Communion Services and we welcomed two new communicants

We have a wide range of activities and organisations as below and we are pleased to report that these are getting back to strength numberwise after Covid:

Sunday School, Bible Class, Crèche - on Sundays mornings
Young People’s Bible Study (16 – 25 years)
Young Women’s Bible Study
Temple Tots: a mums’ and toddlers’ group
Girls’ Brigade and Boys’ Brigade
Edge – a new, once a month activity, on Sunday evening, involving secondary school aged young people
N:Gage (Youth Club for Years 7-12)
Presbyterian Women – a missionary organisation for women of all ages
Church Choir, Praise Band and instrumental groups
Bowling Club
Bible Study – meeting monthly
Waiting on God – a monthly prayer meeting
Three Living the Life Groups – home groups
Friendship Circle – fellowship meeting with a variety of topics.
Nights out for men and women
Dorcas – a fellowship group around knitting, crocheting, and sewing

Worship and prayer

During 2023 the Congregation met for worship every Sunday and visitors were made welcome. The morning service was preceded by a prayer meeting. Evening worship was held on the first Sunday of the month and a more informal meeting was held in the hall, on the third Sunday of the month this developed into a praise night after October. The morning worship services continued to be live- streamed. Bible Study and a meeting for Reflection and Prayer were held monthly. Weddings, baptisms and funerals were held in the church when required.

Pastoral Care

Members of the Congregation who were unable to attend church due to sickness or age were visited by the minister, assistant minister, elder or a member of the Pastoral Care Team.

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

Mission and Outreach

At a local level the Congregation seeks to engage in outreach within our community with the church choir singing at the turning on of the Christmas lights in Templepatrick Village.
The Holiday Bible Club met for a week at the beginning of August. This involved primary school aged children from the local community. Teenagers had several evening outings during July and August.
The Congregation supports the United Appeal for Missions which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church. 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 areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care.
The Congregation also contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School Project and other special appeals made by the Presbyterian Church. We also support the Children’s Society.
Our Congregation supports prayerfully Mission Africa and the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (as the Orme Family, serving as missionaries in Japan, has links with our congregation).
We have a partner church in Fornos, a small village in Ukraine. It is part of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia.
Eight of our Young Adults, led by the assistant minister and Judith Macartney, the leader of the young adults “Living the Life” Group went to Arua, Uganda and spent two weeks helping the local church there. This was a very successful trip for the young adults but also for the Congregation who helped raise money and have an interest in an overseas project.

Presbytery

The congregation is represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and a nominated elder, Colin McClean, in 2023. This provides an important link between the Congregation and the wider structures of the church.

Property

The Congregation continues to maintain its buildings and facilities with consideration being given to the redeveloping of the church site which may include the relocating and building of a new manse.

Organisations and Activities

These organisations and Activities use the church buildings and facilities extensively throughout any week and especially from September until Easter.

TEMPLEPATRICK CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

(cont’d)

Organisation Age Range Frequency of meeting Average attendance

The attendance is more by those who have registered in the “organisations” as numbers fluctuate from meeting to meeting

Sunday School & Bible class,	3 – 18	Sunday mornings (Sept – June) 55 - 60	Sunday mornings (Sept – June) 55 - 60
Crèche	0 – 3	Sunday mornings	4 - 8
Young People’s Living the Life	16-25	Sunday evening (twice monthly) 10 – 15
Edge	11 – 18	2ndSunday evening of month up to 50 (but 30 would be more
realistic)
Living the Life (3 home groups)	Adults	Twice monthly	24 – 30
Waiting on God (Time of prayer)All ages		Monthly (Sept – June)	12 - 15
Temple Tots	0 – 4	Weekly (Sept – June)	35 - 40 toddlers
Girls’ Brigade	3 – 18	Weekly (Sept – April)	90 girls
Boys’ Brigade	P1 – Yr 14	Weekly (Sept – March)	50 –55 boys
Youth Club (N:Gage)	P7 – Year 12	Twice monthly (Sept – March) 15
Presbyterian Women (PW)	All ages	Monthly (Sept March)	30 - 35
Church Choir	All ages	Monthly (Sept – April)	20
Praise Band and Instrumentalists All ages		When required	10
Bowling Club	All ages	Weekly (Sept May)	22 - 25
Friendship Circle	Retired	Monthly (Sept – June)	25 - 30
Summer Walking Group	All ages	July/August	10
Social nights	Men		25 + (depending on activity)
	Women	Approx every 2 months 45 + (depending on activity)
Bible Study	All ages	Monthly	15 – 18
Young Women’s Bible Study		Twice monthly (Sept – March) 6 – 8
Dorcas (knitting, crochet, etc)	All ages	Weekly (Sept – March)	25-30

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who have given freely of their time by serving on committees, leading and helping with organisations and other church activities.

TEMPLEPATRICK 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 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.

TEMPLEPATRICK 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 261 contributors during the year (258 in 2022 ) donating a total of £134,623 (£125,431).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £305,271 compared to £241,500 in the previous year.

Total expenditure of the congregation increased, from £236,754 to £261,221.

The rise in both the income and expenditure was due to raising funds to carry out remedial work to the Church building and supporting a Youth Group mission trip to Uganda.

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.

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 and signed on its behalf by;

Signed: S K Henderson Signed: W S Wilson Date: 16[th] June 2024 Date: 16[th] June 2024