## **MAGHERALLY 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 (NIC105062)** ## **MAGHERALLY 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** Magherally congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 22 Kilmacrew Road Banbridge Co Down BT32 4ES Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105062) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Mr. Raymond Adams Mr. William Adams Mr. Robert Boyd Mr. Hugh Fleming Mr. Robert Jamison Rev. Nigel Kane Mr. Alexander Martin Mr. Jack Montgomery Mr. John Montgomery Mr. George Thompson Mr. Hugh Thompson - Mr. Norman Thompson ## **PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS** Minister Rev. Nigel Kane Clerk of Session Mr. Alexander Martin Treasurer Mr. Norman Thompson ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** Eamonn Devlin FCCA Hunter Sinton & Co. 50 Commercial Road Banbridge Co Down BT32 3ES ## **BANKERS** Ulster Bank 22 Bridge Street Banbridge Co Down BT32 3JT ## **SOLICITORS** Trevor McBurney 37-39 Rathfriland Street Banbridge Co Down BT32 3LA ## **MAGHERALLY 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 Sessions 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. Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held at least quarterly. 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. Members 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. Magherally 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, minsters who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the congregation. ## **MAGHERALLY 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 is normally constituted during the third 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. ## **MAGHERALLY 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. Magherally 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 is to promote the worship of God, and build a congregation of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The congregation aims to live out its mission by: - inviting people to worship with us. - biblical preaching, Christian education, and prayer. - encouraging believers to live in obedience to God’s word. - seeking to be salt and light in society. - fulfilling the Great Commission: Jesus said, **“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”** (Matthew 28:18-20) Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which is: - increasingly characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others. - committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible. - 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. ## **MAGHERALLY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s 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 the following organisations: - Tea & Tots - Sunday School - Devotion - Presbyterian Women - Connect - Equip - Men’s Fellowship - Valley Friends - Bowling Club ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **Worship and prayer** The congregation meets for worship each Sunday at 11am. The Wednesday night Midweek Meeting at 8pm provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the Scriptures, and pray. At 31 December 2023, there were 139 communicant members, and 176 families connected with the congregation. The average attendance at our morning worship services was 90, and the average attendance at our Midweek Meeting was 18. ## **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 and elders. ## **Mission and outreach** At a local level, the congregation held its annual Holiday Bible Club in August, and a Gospel Mission in October (conducted by Rev. Kenny Hanna – Rural Chaplain). We were also able to support a number of missionaries and missionary organisations which work on the island of Ireland, and throughout the world. ## **MAGHERALLY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** The congregation supported 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, assist with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church’s training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregation in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributed to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal, Presbyterian Women’s Mission Fund, Presbyterian Children’s Society and other special appeals. ## **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 congregation 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** No significant work was carried out on our property during the year. ## **Organisations** On average six children and their carers came to our Tea & Tots group which met monthly (except for July & August). At each meeting the children had the opportunity to play and have a snack and their carers listened to a short talk. There were 12 children on the roll of our Sunday School which ran practically every Sunday. Each week provided an opportunity to be taught from God’s word. The Sunday School took part in special Children’s Day and Christmas services. On average four young people came to the youth fellowship that is called Devotion which met monthly (except for June, July & August). At each meeting there were games, a time of teaching from God’s word and discussion about it, and food to round off the evening. The Presbyterian Women (PW) group met monthly from January to March and September to December. Their average attendance was approximately 24 and their meetings were organised around their theme. Usually, they had a guest speaker but sometimes they conducted the entire meeting themselves. They organised the very popular congregational meal in February whose proceeds went to the PW Mission Fund. Ladies from the PW took part in a special service on Sunday 23 April at which the guest speaker was Rev. Peter Burke. Our Connect small group Bible study for women met monthly (except for June, July & August). The average attendance was 12. Our Equip Bible Study for men was met monthly (except for June, July & August). The average attendance was ten. The Men’s Fellowship held a very successful trip to the Revival Movement Association factory in Kinallen in April. Approximately thirty people attended the Valley Friends group which met monthly (except for July & August). At each meeting there was normally some congregational singing, a guest to sing God’s praise, and another guest to share a message from God’s word. The afternoon was rounded off by afternoon tea being provided for everyone. In June, the group went by bus to Mount Stewart, Harrisons for lunch, and Bangor. On average 12 people attended the Bowling Club which met weekly from January to March and September to December. ## **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. ## **MAGHERALLY 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. an MAGHERALLY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 136 contributors during the year [157 in previous year 2022] donating a total of £64,056 (£69,440, 2022) Total income of the congregation durlnB the year was £143,801, compared to £156,049 In the previous year. This was largely due to decreased donations in the year in respect of Freewill Offerin8, Missions and Moderatorfs Appeal. Total expendlture decreased from £146,515 to £113,356. Some of this decrease related to less refurbishment expenditure on the caretakers cotta8e which was completed during the prevlous year, STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES The Trustees are responslble for preparing the annual report and the flnanclal statements of the congre8atlon 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 keepin8 adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explaln 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 and signed on its behalf bv: Rev Nlgel Kane Minister Alexander Martln Clerk Of Session Date: 13 June 2024 Date: 13 June 2024 10