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2025-12-31-annual-report

DRUMLOUGH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105187)

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DRUMLOUGH 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 2025 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Drumlough congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 5 Rafferty’s Hill Hillsborough Co Down BT26 6QB

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105187)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Mr Robert Cairns Mr William Jordan Mr Andrew Catherwood Mr Samuel Kerr Mr David Gibson Rev László Orbán Mr Reginald Jess Mr Ferris Sudlow Mr Samuel Jordan Mr William Young Mr Thomas Jordan

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev László Orbán Clerk of Session Mr David Gibson Treasurer Mr Nigel Murdock

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr Paul Kennedy 21 Hillside Road Ballynahinch Co Down BT24 8UL

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

BANKERS

Danske Bank

62-66 Bow Street

Lisburn

Co Antrim

BT26 1YS

SOLICITORS

Mc Farland Graham and McCombe

41-43 Bachelors Walk

Lisburn

Co Antrim

BT28 1XN

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DRUMLOUGH 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 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 twice 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. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of the votes 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. Drumlough congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Dromore 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.

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DRUMLOUGH 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 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.

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

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

Drumlough 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 statement is to bring glory to God and to enjoy Him through meaningful worship , caring fellowship and relevant evangelism . Because eternity matters…

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DRUMLOUGH 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 Lords Supper is observed on three Sundays 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, worship and prayer meetings and has a wide range of organisations including

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 12 noon and the first Sunday in the month at 6.30pm. A prayer meeting has an attendance on average of 8 at 6pm, before the evening service. Prayer meeting also takes place every other Wednesday of the month at 8pm in the Minor Hall. On average 6 people attend. During the week the Midweek Bible Study (Wednesday 8pm, shared with Anahilt) provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer. Mission Partners also visit regularly at our Midweek.

As well as our regular services during the year we conduct marriage services, sacraments of baptism and give thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. There were no marriages and one baptism throughout 2025.

At 31 December 2025 there were 111 communicant members and 124 families connected with the congregation. The average week’s attendance at morning worship is 60.

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. CD and DVD recordings of our services are delivered to members of our congregation who are unable to attend due to health or age.

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

Mission and outreach

At a local level the congregation serves the over 50s in our community with the VIP Club. We reach out to children of our membership and the wider community through an annual Holiday Bible Club. At our midweek mission evenings, we supported those guest speakers who spoke of the work they are doing around the world. We also supported global mission with other special offerings.

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 congregation in the 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 any 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 congregations and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

The minister and one of our nominated elders would normally attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.

Property

During 2025 no structural work was carried out on the church property, only general maintenance that was required for the upkeep of the property.

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

Organisations

Bowling Club

We met each Tuesday from 7:30pm in our new church hall from January to April 2025 and September to December 2025. Numbers have increased to 27 because of the facilities in our New Hall, but on average there are 21 regular attendees. We organise practice games and internal competitions during our weekly sessions, including singles, doubles and group games. We also attend friendly matches with other bowls groups, both Home and Away. These activities provide regular social and recreational opportunities for members.

Sunday School

We meet during Sunday morning worship, approximately 12:30 – 1:00pm. Sunday School takes place from January to May and breaks off for the summer months and returns in September to December. We open with prayer, then have singing, depending on numbers, before dividing into two young groups: Nursery to P3 and P4-P7.

In each group a Bible lesson is taught, and children have workbooks to complete, to help them remember the lesson. We use the Go Teach material. There are three teams of three people helping on a monthly rota. There are 6 children on the roll. Average attendance is 4. Secondary school age young people have their own group – Bible Class. 10 meets on selected Sundays and have two leaders who rotate to teach them. Average attendance is 6.

We have special Family services throughout the year when all children and young people stay in church. Children take part in singing, reading, praying etc. in these services. Dates of these Family services were: 30[th] March 2025 Mother’s Day 20[th] April 2025 Easter Sunday 4[th] May 2025 Children’s Day

14[th] December 2025 Nativity and attendance prize presentation

Our special week for our children and young people was Monday 18[th] August to Friday 22[nd] August 2025, 7pm – 9pm. All children in the local area were welcome to attend Holiday Bible Club. Our New Hall proved to be a great venue for this.

Choir

We have a mixed choir of around 16 members attending. On Sunday 20/04/25 am we held our Easter Service. Approximately 3 weeks beforehand 14 people met in the church on Thursday evenings to practice 2 pieces for the service. The annual Orange Service took place on 04/05/2025 and again the Choir provided special music for this. Our Harvest Services on 12/10/2025 gave the Choir another opportunity to sing 2 pieces. We met end of September/early October on Thursday evenings in the church to practice special music, accompanied by organ/piano. We concluded the year by singing at the Carol Service on 14/12/2025 accompanied by organ and piano. Practices again took place a few weeks beforehand in the church on a Thursday evening 8:00 – 9:00pm. We enjoy serving God through music.

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

PW

PW met on the first Monday of January – April and October – December at 8pm with an average of 18 ladies in attendance. We had a varied program at the start of 2025 with visiting speakers taking. Our annual outing took place in our Minor Hall where we made pieces of jewellery under the supervision of Naomi McCullough followed by a meal in the Millbrook Hotel in Ballynahinch. We were blessed with good weather and a fun and enjoyable day. Our new season started in October where we were the guests of our sister congregation Anahilt. We finished of the year with a Christmas supper and entertained ourselves with a quiz and a number of group games.

Table Tennis Club

Each Monday between January and May, and September and December, our hall is used by the Table Tennis Club for practice. Around 20 members from age 8 to 85 were regular attendees. Two teams, A and B played matches competing in the East Down Churches Table Tennis League. We hosted a Charity match where over £1000.00 was raised and donated to Children’s Cancer.

VIP Club

We are a group for the over 50’s ladies and gentlemen who meet on the 3[rd] Thursday of each month 2:30 – 4:00pm. We met January to April 2025 and October to December 2025. We have a variety of speakers from Safety on the phone and internet, a representative from Hillsborough Castle, keeping active and advice from LCCC on benefits. In April we ended the season with a roast dinner and trifle, which was enjoyed by all. On 18[th] October we entered the Grand Choice event run by LCCC and we were successful in our application. Average attendance was 30 - 35.

Women’s Fellowship

On the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month between January and May, and September and December, our Women’s Fellowship meet in the hall from 10am – 11:15am approximately. Our average attendance is 8. We have deep, enlightening, and enjoyable bible study and discussion, which takes up approx. half our time with the remainder spent in prayer. We finish our season at summer and winter with a special tea/coffee time.

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.

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DRUMLOUGH 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.

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DRUMLOUGH 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 104 contributors during the year [109 in previous year, 2024] donating a total of £40,608 (£42,070 in previous year, 2024)

Total Income of the congregation during the year was £120,196, compared to £155,276 in the previous year. The Total Receipts are shown as £250,376 for 2024, but this includes £63,000 in Member Interestfree Loans plus £32,100 part-payment for Old Hall site (i.e. sale of fixed asset) which, under CCNI reporting rules confirmed by Church House, DO NOT qualify as part of Gross Annual Total Income - therefore, £95,100 has been deducted to get this figure. (See note 1 and 11 in SOFA’s Notes to Accounts). Therefore, the change in income is down about 23%. Total expenditure decreased from £305,355 to £98,925 due to the completion of the new hall in the previous year. (Decrease in income unexpected – fall in number of members at regular meetings and decrease in expenditure from 2024 as expected given that construction/fitting out of New Hall has been completed.)

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. As the congregations total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 208 to prepare a receipts 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 for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 26[th ] January 2026 and signed on its behalf by

[Name] [Name] [Date] [Date]

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