# **SECOND NEWTOWNARDS CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND** # **Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022** **Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105270)** 1 The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** Second Newtownards Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 26 Mary Street Newtownards Co Down BT23 4DQ Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105270) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Mr Henry William James Lennon Mr Norman Willis McClean Mr George Ivan Patterson Mr James McMaster Mr William Robert Martin Mr James Wallace Robinson ## PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer Vacant Mr George Ivan Patterson Mrs Anna Langtry ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** Mr G Ferguson 23 Stratheden Heights Newtownards BT23 8TD ## BANKERS Danske Bank 35 High Street Newtownards BT23 7HS. ## **SOLICITORS** Russell & Co Solicitors 11 Lower Mary Street Newtownards BT23 4JJ. 2 ## **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 congregations. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, the minister on 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 a year. To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant at 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. Second Newtownards congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Ards 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 each congregation. ## **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. Second Newtownards 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. 3 The congregation’s Mission is _to_ glorify God in our worship and witness and to seek the lost for Christ. Our aim is to continually present the Gospel in our Church and wider community by - Building a fellowship of believers - Demonstrating in a practical way the love and concern of Christ - Encouraging the work of Outreach/Mission in the wider community and overseas ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** The congregation meets for worship every Sunday morning 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 Table. The congregation has a range of organisations including. - Sunday School - Crèche - Mums & Tots - Presbyterian Women - Men’s Fellowship - Missionary Committee - Pastoral Care Committee ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **Worship and Prayer** The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00am. During the week the Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer. Prayer is an integral part of church life and time is set aside on Thursday mornings to focus on this aspect of our witnes **s.** As well as our regular services, we sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. At 31 December 2022 there were 57 communicant members and 108 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship was 30. ## **Pastoral Care** As a congregation we have adopted PCI “Taking Care” policy and programme safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in every aspect. Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are visited by the minister, elders or by one of the congregation’s pastoral visitors. In addition, recordings of the services are distributed to those members of the congregation who are unable to attend services. ## **Mission and Outreach** The congregation supported financially and practically several local and international Christian charitable organisations and agencies. Locally the congregation had an on-going collection for the local Food Bank and catered for mothers and preschool children one morning a week in its Mums and Tots Club In addition the church premises were made available for use by local groups including Valhalla Street Theatre, the local branch of Child Evangelism Fellowship and a young people’s Archery Club. 4 24% of total expenditure (£12,600 ) went towards supporting the wider mission of the Presbyterian Church and a range of local and international Christian Organisations. The congregation’s main vehicle for financially supporting the work of the Church overseas is the United Appeal for Mission (UA) and the congregation contributed £3,800 to it in 2022. UA 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. UA 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.it also 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. In addition to United Appeal the congregation also contributed £1,566 to the Presbyterian Church’s World Development Appeal and £1,985 to the Church’s Ukraine Appeal, £570 to Presbyterian Children’s Society, £600 to Mission Africa. Financial support totalling £4,100 was also provided to 20 local and international Christian organisations: Local organisations supported included, Patterson Ministries, CEF Fellowship, Belfast City Mission, Bible Society NI and Seaman’s Missionary Fellowship. The international organisations supported included. - European Missionary Fellowship - Wycliffe Bible Translators - Operation Mobilisation - Asia Link - Open Doors - Leprosy Mission - Barnabas Fund - Mission Aviation Fellowship - Logos Ministries International - Shelter Now UK ## **PRESBYTERY** The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church. ## **GENERAL ASSEMBLY** One of the church elders was nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast. ## **PROPERTY** The Church’s property generally is in a good state of repair with routine maintenance tasks completed to the church, the manse and church halls. 5 ## **ORGANISATIONS** ## **Sunday School** The Sunday School provides a Christian Education mainly to the children of the congregation and to a small number of children from non-member families. Sunday School meets during the time of the Sunday morning service **.** ## ~~**M**~~ **ums & Tots** Each Wednesday morning our main hall was used by up to **15** members of Mums & Tots (our mothers and toddlers’ group) and attendance averaged 12 children and their carers. Men’s Fellowship, Presbyterian Women, each met monthly with an average attendance of 20. ## **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 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 because 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. 6 ## FINANCIAL REVIEW Total Income of £53,496 was £13,700 less than in 2021. However, 2021 total income of £67,200 included a bequest of £20,000 from a former member of the congregation. Stripping out the bequest total direct giving in 2021 was £47,200 meaning on a like for like basis total income (£53,496)was £6,300 higher than in 2021. The congregation’s main source of income, members’ contributions, through the Weekly Freewill Offering (FWO), totalled £28,133 and was just over £2,000 higher than in 2021. Total expenditure of £46,975 was £4,693 higher than 2021 reflecting the fact that church was open for all of the year while it had been closed for the first three months in 2021. In addition, the church was not immune to the rise in the cost of living which impacted on running costs over the year. By way of example electricity at £4,000 were nearly £1,800 higher than in 2021. Despite this income exceeded expenditure by £6,521 and the bank balance increased by this amount to £70,167. 7 sfATEMENT OF TRusfEE RESPONSIBILMES 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 practices. A5 the con8regation's total income does not exceed £250,￿0, the Trustees have elected under Section 64131 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare a receipt and payments 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'5 transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. Thy are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities. th Approved by Trustees at a meeting on 20 February 2023 and signed on its behalf by= Si8ned Date 21Y February 2023 George Ivan Patterson Signed Date 21yh February 2023 James Wallace Robinson INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TOTHE TRusfEES OF SECOND NEwfowNARDS CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND I report on the accounts of the °Church° for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pages 9 to 15. Respectlve responslblllties of Char￿ trustw and examln As the thariws trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charitie5 Art (Northern Ireland) 21x18. It Is my responslblllty to: examine the atcounts under section 65 of the Charities Act follow the pr¢xedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Commission under sedion 65191{bl of the Charities Act state whether particular matters have come to rny attention. 8asls of Indep￿dent examIn￿$ report I have examined your charity accounts as required under sertion 65 of the Charities Act and my examination was carried out in accordance with the general Direction5 given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65191(bl of the Charities Act. My examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosure5 in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charty trustees concerning any such matters. My role is to state whether any material matters have come to my attention giving me cause to believe- l. That accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 63 of the Charities Act 2. That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records 3. That the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act 4. That there is further information needed for a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. I have completed my examination and have no concerns in respect of the matters {1} to141 listed above and. in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland: I have found no matters that require drawing to your attention. Name: G Ferguson .1 Relevant professional qualification or body: 23 Stratheden Heights Newtownards BT23 8TD Date: a•23