2022-12-31-annual-report - Waringstown Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

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Waringstown Presbyterian Church a Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Trustees Annual Report ~~and Financial Statements~~

for the year ended 31 December 2022

Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; NIC 1 05076

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

a 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 2022 including a Balance Sheet as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Waringstown congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 21 Mill Hill

Waringstown BT66 7QL

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105076)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:

Tyrell Arnold Rev Stuart Hawthorne (resigned Aug 22) Steve Bond Basil McDowell Bobby Boyd Ken McKeown David Crawford James McNeill Michael Cregan Sam Moffett Gilbert Crook David Munroe Brian Hanna Andy Patterson Brian Taylor

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Stuart Hawthorne (until end August 2022) Vacancy Convener Rev Robin Brown (from end August 2022) Clerk of Session Mr David Crawford Treasurer Mr Gilbert Crook

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT cont’d

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS

McCleary & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors Garvey Studios 14 Longstone Street Lisburn BT28 1TP

BANKERS

Danske Bank 45/48 High Street, Portadown, Craigavon, BT62 1LB

SOLICITORS

Watson & Neill 23 High Street Lurgan BT66 8AH

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a 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 congregation. 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 monthly from September through to June each 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.

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. Waringstown Presbyterian Church has

been assigned to the Armagh Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.

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, administrative 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.

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

Waringstown 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.

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in

Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT cont’d

The congregation’s mission purpose is to know Jesus Christ and make Him known. With the Holy Spirit's help, we want to:

GROW in the knowledge of God {Col 1:1 0) through the teaching of God's Word, fellowship and prayer (Act s 2:42)

LOVE and serve one another {Gal 5:13, John 13:34)

OFFER HOPE to our community and world through the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

WORSHIP God together and glorify Him through the way in which we live each day (1 Peter 4:11)

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

The congregation met for worship every Sunday. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper was observed on several occasions during the year using individual sealed bread and wine cups Ministry activities were reassessed as COVID restrictions relaxed and the activities carried out in 2022 were as follows.

Sunday School – Preschool to P7 with approx. 70 children on the roll.

Fun Club - P.5 to P.7. previously around 65 children took part.

Youth Programme Year 8 to Year 14 with approx. 45 young people involved.

Parents and Toddlers - Little Lambs Parent/Carer & Toddler Group for birth to Pre-school age, with approx. 35 babies/toddlers attending with parents.

Bowling Club - for retired Men with around 18 members.

Flourish - Ladies Fellowship with attendance of approx. 70 ladies.

Mens’ ministry -for men of all ages with around 15 to 20 men attending.

Boys' Brigade - for boys aged between 6 & 18 years old with over 100 boys attending.

Girls Brigade - for girls aged between 4 & 18 years old with over 80 girls attending (started Sept 22). Luncheon Club - for the elderly of our congregation and community, with 20+ members. Life Groups - 18 small groups meeting mid-week involving approx. 180 people.

Blast - Group for children and young people with additional needs, with approx. 10 children.

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in

Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT cont’d

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation met for worship each Sunday at 9:30am, 11:30am with over 300 people attending each week and our regular evening services recommenced in September 2022, with attendances of around 100.

As well as our regular services during the year we acknowledged God's gift of new life at 6 Sacraments of Infant Baptism and conducted 1 adult baptism on profession of faith. We conducted three marriage services and gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.

At 31 December 2022 there were 393 communicant members and 306 families connected with the congregation.

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, elders or by one of the congregation's pastoral visitors. Each week one morning service and the evening service are live streamed via the internet and CD copies of services are also available each week for distribution to those unable to attend.

Mission and outreach

At a local level, the congregation seeks to know Jesus Christ and make Him known through pastoral and practical support to the local community. Financial assistance is also provided to several social witness, mission and outreach organisations at local, national and global levels through the church Mission Support Fund.

The congregation supports 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, assists 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.

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.

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.

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT cont’d

Property

In April 2022 the congregation took ownership of the New Church Hall, after 14 months of building work and it was officially opened by the Moderator (Rt Rev Dr David Bruce) in May 2022. The overall cost of approx. £2.5 million is supported by a long-term bank loan of approx. £1million and the generosity and commitment of the members of the congregation.

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 wider 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 using 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 adhoc 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 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.

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a 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, donating a total of £190,805 (£173,939 - 2021) Total Income of the congregation during the year was £716,163, compared to £647,387 in 2021.

Total expenditure increased from £306,296 (2021) to £380,086 (2022).

RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The Trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the congregation and the financial activities for that year. In preparing the financial statements the Trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Funds will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the funds transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the congregation and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities (1 January 2015)”. 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.

GOING CONCERN

The activities of the congregation are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees are of the opinion that the congregation has sufficient resources at the date of approval of these financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and subject to the continuing support from members to fund on an ongoing basis the congregation’s current activities and other financial commitments.

WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT cont’d RESERVES POLICY

The Trustees are to review the level of unrestricted reserves that it is

appropriate to hold taking account of current and ongoing commitments. It is the policy of the Trustees to hold at least three to six month’s normal

expenditure. At the year-end unrestricted reserves held in bank and cash were £157,158 which represents a higher level of reserves. The Trustees, however, consider it prudent to hold reserves at this level as the funding of its present activities is dependent of the ongoing financial support of members.

RISK REVIEW

A review of major risks, systems and procedures implemented to manage identified risks, will be taken in the coming year.

The principal risks are in relation to the likelihood of reputational damage and financial risks associated with the expectation of ongoing financial support from members. These risks are mitigated by the Trustees, and the

Congregational Committee, regularly monitoring the various activities of the congregation at stated meetings and by encouraging members in their regular giving.

The major capital cost for a new church hall was previously fully discussed by the Congregation at a special general meeting in 2018. At that meeting the congregation voted to proceed with the build project and have committed to financially support the project through a mix of regular donations and large single donations. A bank loan of £1 million was drawn from Danske Bank (less than the

£1.39 million loan facility granted) and ongoing donations are monitored to ensure the loan is affordable.

Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 23 March 2023 and signed on its behalf by

David Crawford Clerk of Session

Gilbert Crook Treasurer