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2022-12-31-annual-report

Registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC105304

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended

31 December 2022

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2022

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

2[nd] Saintfield Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Fairview, Ballynahinch Road, Saintfield BT24 7AD

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105304)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Rev. John Torrens Mr Robert Barr Mr Gordon Campbell Mr Garth Leaker (Resigned 22/01/22) Mr Trevor Leaker Mr Stanley McFarland

Mr Colin Black Mr James Gilmore Dr Scott Laidlaw Mr John McAllister Mr Bryan Rea

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Clerk of Session Deputy Clerk of Session Treasurer

Rev. John Torrens Mr Stanley McFarland Mr Trevor Leaker Mr Roy Copes

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

BANKERS

Jones Chartered Accountants 4 Comber Street SAINTFIELD Co. Down BT24 7AZ

Danske Bank 32 Main Street SAINTFIELD Co. Down BT24 7AB

SOLICITORS

W.G. Maginess & Son 68 Bow Street LISBURN Co Antrim BT28 1AL

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2022

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 oversee the spiritual life and witness of the congregation and of persons not connected with any congregation who are within its community. It ensures pastoral care is in place in the congregation and 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. The Kirk Session typically formally meets five to six times per annum.

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. 2[nd] Saintfield Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Down 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.

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2022

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

2[nd] Saintfield Presbyterian Church exists to love and honour God through faith in His Son and by the power of His Spirit, and to enable members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.

The congregation’s mission purpose is by the grace of God, to help people of all ages become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We aim to achieve this, by the grace of God, by being an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people, which:

The congregation aims to live out its Mission as a family of God’s people by being:

ACTIVITIES AND PARTICIPATION

Following the two year of Covid 19 restrictions most of the congregation’s normal wide range of meetings and organisations summarised below have recommenced. Sunday morning worship returned to normal in 2022 with the exception of a few pews roped off for those who wish to maintain a 2m space.

(See also MINISTRY and ACTIVITIES and MEMBERS and VOLUNTEERS sections.)

Meetings Frequency Participants/Age Range
Sunday Worship Weekly All welcome
Lords Supper 5 times per year. Professing Christians
Sunday School (JAM) Weekly 4-10 years old.
Junior Bible Class Weekly (Sunday) 11-14 years old.
Saintfield Youth Weekly (Sunday) 12-18+
Girls’ Brigade Weekly (Monday) 4-18
Boys’ Brigade Weekly (Tue & Thur) 4-18
Ladies Badminton Weekly (Monday) All ladies welcome
Senior Badminton Weekly (Tuesday) All adults welcome
Junior Badminton Weekly (Wed.) Year 5 to year 14.
Indoor Bowling Weekly (Friday) All adults welcome
Soup Lunch Monthly (Tuesday) All adults welcome
Midweek Bible study Monthly (1stWed.) All adults welcome
Ladies Bible study (Impact) Monthly (2ndWed.) All ladies welcome
Men’s Bible Study Monthly (3rd Wed.) All men welcome
Presbyterian Women Monthly (4thWed.) All ladies welcome

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2022

MINISTRY and ACTIVITIES

The Kirk Session formally met 6 times throughout 2022 one of it’s first tasks being to hold an election for a new committee in January. This new committee then met on 3 occasions in 2022. The Kirk Session also met informally 4 times in 2022 for fellowship, prayer and discussion.

It was encouraging to return to normal worship services on Sunday mornings and for the usual ministries and activities to take place throughout 2022. Our newly established Care Team continued to provide enhanced care for the more needy and were instrumental, along with one of our elders, in arranging to support and house a Ukrainian family here in Saintfield. Nadia, Vera and Viktoriia Vivchar moved to Saintfield in the summer of 2022 and regularly join us for worship on a Sunday morning.

Prompted by General Data Protection Regulations the Kirk Session’s primarily focus for 2022 has been on seeking permission from all members to hold necessary details on our ‘Omega’ church data base. This has inevitably led to the review our member and communicant lists and great care has been taken to do this in a gracious and caring way, the desire being to encourage those back to worship and communion. Since it has been many years since this was last done this has taken longer than expected with elders spending considerable time visiting and discussing matters with individual members and their families. The plan is to complete this process in the summer of 2023.

Towards the second half of 2022 the Kirk Session asked the Meeting House Refurbishment sub-committee to resume work on this project which was stalled by Covid 19 pandemic. An important part of this was the production of a Meeting House Refurbishment Vision document unanimously agreed by session which will help provide direction for this project.

Letting out of our church halls to outside organisations has resumed in 2022 and we continue to be pleased to be able to assist our local health clinic, Blood Transfusion Service and others in the community by providing these facilities.

Other additional, notable ministries and activities in 2022 include.

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

for the year ended 31 December 2022

MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS

The Kirk Session and the Rev. John Torrens are very aware that none of the above ministries and activities could take place without the dedication and service of our faithful church members. Throughout the year they have continued to support us practically and financially, and in addition have organised soup lunches and supported the wider community through our food bank.

This year one of our elders (trustees), Garth Leaker resigned from his role as elder as he and his family decided to worship elsewhere. We wish to express our sincere thanks to Garth and Suzanne for their years of dedicated ministry here in Saintfield and wish them every blessing in the future.

As mentioned above we elected a new Church Committee in January and wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who had previously served on the Church Committee especially through the difficult Covid years.

As we have said in previous years we depend heavily on our volunteers and so it is very important that we thank all our volunteers who selflessly serve our congregation for the extension of our Lord’s kingdom here in Saintfield.

In 2022 sadly 13 of our members have passed away, there have been 9 baptisms and one wedding. There have also been 10 new people admitted to the Lord’s table for the first time.

We continue to be thankful to almighty God and look forward to experience His grace and mercy as we gather to worship, reach out with the gospel and serve those in our community.

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 31 December 2022

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 Commission’s public benefit requirement statutory guidance.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 140 contributing families during the year (150 in 2021) donating a total of £103,926 – (2021 £102,953).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £214,763 compared to £158,396 in the previous year.

Total expenditure reduced to £191,972 from £154,783 in 2021.

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SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD

a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT

for the year ended 31 December 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 congregations and the financial activities for that year. In preparing the financial statements the Trustees are required to:

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 congregations 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 AND POST BALANCE SHEET EVENTS

The activities of the congregation continue to be dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. With the progressive lifting of all Coronavirus restrictions through 2022 the Trustees are pleased to note that the total income for 2022 (£214,763) has virtually returned to prepandemic levels in 2019 (£217,267). 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 on-going basis the congregation’s current activities and other financial commitments.

RESERVES POLICY

The Trustees have considered 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 12 month’s normal expenditure. At the year-end unrestricted reserves were £1,321,302 (2021 – £1,325,398) which represents a reduction of £4,096. 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.

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SECOND PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH SAINTFIELD a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the ear ended 31 December 2022 RISK REVIEW A review of major risks has been undertaken by the Trustees and systems and procedures implemented to manage identified risks. 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. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 27 March 2023 and signed on its behalf by.. BRYAN REA COLIN BLACK