Waringstown Presbyterian Church a Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Trustees Annual Report
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland; NIC105076
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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 2023 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 Mark Haugh (From September 2023) Steve Bond Basil McDowell Bobby Boyd Ken McKeown David Crawford James McNeill Michael Cregan Sam Moffett Gilbert Crook (to April ’23) David Munroe Brian Hanna Andrew Patterson Brian Taylor
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Vacancy Convener Rev Robin Brown (until September 2023) Minister Rev Mark Haugh (From September 2023) Clerk of Session Mr David Crawford Treasurer Mr David Hewitt Congregational Secretary Mr Paul Barbour
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
McCleary & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors Garvey Studios 14 Longstone Street Lisburn BT28 1TP
BANKERS
Danske Bank 39 Market Street Lurgan BT66 6AB
SOLICITORS
Watson & Neill 23 High Street Lurgan BT66 8AH
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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.
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 meets for worship every Sunday morning and evening. The sacraments of The Lord’s Supper and Baptism are observed throughout the year. Members of the congregation are involved in a range of ministries serving the wider community listed below.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
| - Adoption / Fostering Support | - Flourish (Ladies Ministry) |
- Music Ministry |
|---|---|---|
| - AV (Audio Visual) | - Flower Ministry | - Newcomers |
| - Badminton | - Friday Fun Club | - Pastoral Care / Visitors |
| - Banner Group | - Friendship Circle | - Prayer Ministry |
| - Blast | - Girls’ Brigade | - Shine (Holiday Bible Club) |
| - Boys’ Brigade | - Life Groups | - Sunday School |
| - Catering Team | - Little Lambs | - Weavers Cancer Support |
| - Child Protection | - Luncheon Club | - WPC Office / Communication |
| - Coffee Rota | - Men's Bowls | - Young Adults |
| - Connect WPC | - Men’s Ministry | - Youth Ministry (Fri Night) |
| - Creche | - Men’s Football | - Youth Club (Sat Night) |
| - Door Ministry | - Mission Support | - |
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer.
The congregation meets for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30am, 11:30am with over 350 people attending each week. Our evening services recommenced in January 2023, with attendances of around 120. In September 2023, we paused our evening services, except for our Harvest and Christmas Carol Service and invited church members and attendees to a series of Sunday evening dinners, as an opportunity to ‘get to know’ our new minister and wife and enjoy fellowship over a meal. Around 600 people in total attended over ten weeks. Regular evening services recommenced in January 2024.
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 several marriage services and gave thanks for the faithful service of individuals and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. At 31 December 2023 there were 403 communicant members and 308 families connected with the congregation.
Pastoral care
Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church for medical and/or health reasons 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 DVD/CD copies of services are also available each week for distribution to those unable to attend.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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
Presbytery oversaw the running of the congregation during the period when no minister was in place, and ensured that pastoral and spiritual needs were met. The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by one of the elders and latterly our minister (after he was installed) also attended meetings of presbytery. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.
General Assembly
One of our elders was nominated to represent the congregation at the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.
Property
At the end of 2023 our new church hall has been in operation for over 18 months and is a valuable addition to the ministry of the church. The total cost of the build was approx. £2.5 million and the generosity of the congregation means that the outstanding loan is below £750 thousand. The congregation also own the historical listed church building and the Craig Hall on the Mill Hill site and a manse at Cherryhill on the Dunkirk Road. Six acres of land on the Banbridge Road are held as an investment.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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 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 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.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering, donating a total of £184,530 ( £190,805 - 2022) Total Income of the congregation during the year was £634,023 , compared to £716,163 in 2022.
Total expenditure increased from £380,086 (2022) to £483,070 .
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:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
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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.
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WARINGSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH a Congregation of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
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 months’ normal expenditure. At the year-end unrestricted reserves held in current assets were £188,174, 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 on the ongoing financial support of members.
RISK REVIEW
A review of major risks, systems and procedures implemented to manage identified risks, is an ongoing activity and any issues highlighted are addressed by the Trustees with the support of the congregational committee.
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), which was reduced to £750 thousand by end of 2023. Ongoing donations are monitored to ensure the loan is affordable.
Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 14 March 2024 and signed on its behalf by
David Crawford Clerk of Session
Rev Mark Haugh Minister
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