an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE PREsB￿ERIAN 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 Liabiltties as at that date. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE. congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland The Manse Scarva Street Banbridge BT32 3AD Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105052) CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustee5 at the date of this report were K BENTLEY T HILLEN MRS S CAMPBELL W LUThON A CLOSE A MOORE MRS Y CLYDESDALE MRS E CROTHERS C HARRIS D HAYES K QUINN G RADCLIFFE LREA T REID F HODGEN E ROWAN T LINDSAY J R SANDS N BELL R WILSON PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer REV C HARRIS LREA MRS P MORTON INDEPENDENT EXAMINER SMVINT&CO 8 NEWRY ROAD BANBRIDGE BT32 3HN an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE. CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) BANKERS ULSTER BANK 22 BRIDGE STREET BANBRIDGE BT32 3JT SOLICITORS JOHN MCBURNEY 5 CHURCH SQUARE BANBRIDGE BT32 4AS an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE. CONGREGATION OF THE pREsB￿ERlAN 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 Sessions has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temporal affair5 of the congregation including administering all funds and property belonging to the congregation. Members of the Kirk Session are ex-off icio members of the Congregational Committee. The Kirk Se55ion consists of the ordained minister and the ruling elders of the congregations. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetinES, except that the Moderator, the ministers in active duty in the congregation. has no deliberative but only a casting vote. Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held at least four times per year. 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 either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Member5 are elected if they obtain 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. Scarva Street Banbridge, congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Iveagh 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, ministers who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the congregation. Presbyter an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) The General Assembly The General Assembly isthe supreme court of the Church, representing in one body the whole Chu rch and acting as its supreme legislative, ad ministration and jud icial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during the firstweek injunefor worship andtoconduct its business. Atthe end of businessit is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation, retired ministers 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. Scarva Street Banbridge. 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 15 grounded in the Scriptures, and exist5 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 mission purposes is- WORSHIP We seek to glorify God and udvonce Christ's Kingdom through a voriety of service5 t7nd activities designed to drow people of all ages ond background5 to Him in savingfoith. FELLOWSHIP We seek to be a welcoming, caring. encouraging community of believing people. loving each other and serving Christ together. DISCIPLESHIP We seek, L75 followers of Christ, to leorn from Him and grow in His grace through Bible study. prayer and act5 of proctical service. OUTREACH We seek to be witnesse5 to Christ. by our word5 und actionsfurthering His mission of salvation locally and world-wide. an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) AcfiviTIES AND OBJECTIVES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitor5 are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on several 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 holds regular bible study meetings and has a wide range of organisations including Sunday School, Children's Church, Youth Fellowship, Mums and Tots, Boy's Brigade, Girl's Brigade. Bowling Club, Presbyterian Women. Men's Fellowship, Bereavement Committee and Warm Space. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation normally meet5 for worship each Sunday at 11.00am and 6.30pm on the third Sunday in the month. During the week the mid-week Bible Study meets on the first and third Wednesdays each month with the prayer meeting on the second and fourth Wednesday in the month. As well as our regular services during the year we sought to comfort those who had been bereaved durir)g the year. At 31 December 2023 there were 243 communicant members and 275 families connected with the congregation. The average week attendance at morning worship in 2023 was 140. For those unable to attend worship in person, the service is recorded and downloaded on YouTube on Sunday evening and DVD'S continue to be delivered to those with no access to YouTube. Pastoral care Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are visited on a regular basis by the minister or by telephone. Mi55ion and outreach As part of our overseas mission outreach, donations were made to a variety of projects including Moderatorfs appeal and Tear Fund. The congregation supports the United Appeal for Mission which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church in an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) 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, asslst 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 denominations annual World Development Appeal and any other special appeals. Presbytery The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and / or one of the elder5. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church. 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. Property During the year £131.943 was expended on emergency work to the church hall annex. Grants andlor bequests none. Volunteer5 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. an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE pRE5B￿ERIAN 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 notice boards, 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 member5 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, antj 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. an SCARVA STREET BANBRIDGE, CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT {cont'd) FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is member5, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 170 contributors during the year [174 in 20221 donating a total of £102,1621£92,560 in 2022). Total Income of the congregation during the year was E180.837 compared to £188,122 in the previous year. STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIE5 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 64131 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 208 to prepare a recelpts 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 fortaking reasonable steps forthe prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 7th April 2024 and signed on its behalf by Rev C Harris (Minister) L Rea (Clerk of Session)