an DUNLOY CONGREGATIOIY OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 including a Statetnent of Assets alld Liabilities a5 at that date. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Dunloy Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Correspondence address.. Main Street, Dunloy, Co. Antrim. BT44 9AB. Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105306). CIIARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were tnjstees at the date of this report were: Rev Rodney Moody (resigned i oth September 2023) Mr Stuart Gowland Mr Jonathan Gault Mr Jim Sayers Mr Harris GeoW Mr Thomas Paul PIUNCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister.. Clerk of Session.. Treasurer.. Rev Rodney Moody (resigned l O September 2023) Mr Jonathan Gault Mr Stuart Gowland (resigned 22. May 2023) Mr Harris Gerrow (appointed 22 May 2023) INDEPENDENT EXAMINER James Gillespie (F.C.A.) Stevenson and Wilson Chartered Accountants 22-30 Broadway Ave, Ballymena. BT43 7AA. BANKERS Dallske Bank SOLICITORS Greer Hamilton Galley Muryhy Carey 27 High Street, Ballymoney, BT53 6A
Presbyter an DUNLOY COIYGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IIY 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 govenunenl of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Kirk Session seek5 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 Sessions has delegated to its Congregational Comminee the temporal affairs of the congregation including administering all fiu]ds and propety belonging to the congregation. Members of the Kirk Session are ex-officio meTnbers 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 thal 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 five times in 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 KArk Sesslon. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of those who vote. Presbytery Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland fonn of governance the corporate oversight of a congr¢gatÉon 15 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. Dunloy congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Route Presbytery of the Presbyterian Churcb An Ireland. The membership of the Pre5btry consists mainly of the active mtnisters of congregations assigned to it by the GcneTal Assembly, min5ter5 who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the 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 suprellLe legislative, adtnini5tration and judicial authority. in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is nornially constituled during the rst week in June for worship and to conduct its business. At the end of business it is dissolved. The Tnembership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation. retired minslers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.
an DUNLOY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) DESCIUPTION AND PURPOSE The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion. Dunloy Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, as a Refornied Church within the wider body of Chrisl is grow)ded 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 rnembers to play their part it) fulfilling God's tnission to our world. The congregation's mission statement is as follows by the grace of Go4 10 help people of oil ages becomefully devotedfollowers ofjesus Chrisi. Our vision is, by ihe grace ofGod, to be an inclwive, welcoming community of Christ's people ofall ages. which.. is increasingly characterised by lovefor God. andlove and concernfor others,. is commiiied io the hisloric Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible,. is relevant to people ofthis time andplace. The congregalion aims to live oul its Mission and Vision as afamily ofGod's people by being.. A Covenani Community.. where our relalionships ore rooled in ¢hepromises of God by livingfaiihfylly toward kim and toward one anoiher An Infergenerafional Community.. where adulrs inlenlionally take ihe lead io engage with, encourage and mlriureyounger members lo malurity in Chrisl. An Outward looking Community.. where we wanl the blessings of God thai belong to t4s in the gospel to become blessingsfor others beyond the bounds ofour community. As a congregation of the Presbyierian Church in Jrelan4 we believe ihai ihe Bible is the supreme atsihority over all we do, andthat ihe Weslminsler Confession ofFaith, along wilh the Larger andshorler Catechisms set out what we undersland ihe Bible teaches on key matters of Chrislianfaith andpraclice. ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The SacraTnent of the Lords Supper is observed on several occ&5ions 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 sMdy meeting5 atkd has a wide rdnge of organisations including.. Sunday School Bowling Club Presbyterian Women Mid-W¢ek
an DUNLOY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CIIURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES AIYNUAL REPORT (cont'd) ACHIEVEMEwfs AIYD PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation nornially meets for worsbip each Sunday at l 0.45am. During the week the Bible Study provides an OppOrtLlty for member5 to meet together for fellowship. to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer. There is also a prayer meeting before the Sunday service at 10. L5am and a monthly prayer meeting on the second Tuesday of the month at 8.00pm. At 31 December 2023 there were 79 communicanl Jnembers and 54 families connected with the congregation. The average week attendance at morning worship is 40. Pastoral care Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age who would have been visited on a regular basis by the rninister, elders or by phone if unable to call round in person. Mission and outreach At a local level the congregation ran a tnessy chukn nighi and a kids n]ovi¢ nighi. From the Midweek collection we support a child through adopt a child and through our Sunday school collection we support a chlld from Uganda. Through the Presbyterian Woman, there was donations to PW Mission Fund of £600, The Alzheimer's Society of £300, Presbyterian Church Wider World of £112 and senior citizens Christmas hampers costing a total of £266. 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 fmanrial support for mission personnel at home and overseas, a55ists congregations with the deployment of locally based staff. enables church planting. provides grant support for the upkeep of church pr¢mis¢s. asslst with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church's training college for ministy students, and fmancially supports congregation in the areas of Worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care.
an DUNLOY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTEIUAIY CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT {cont'd) 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 the representative elder were nominated to attend the meetings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Irelan¢ held in Assembly Buildings in Belfast, in June. Property There were no significant property projects undertaken during 2023. Expenditure related to general repairs and ongoing maintenanc¢. Organisations The Presb erian Woman's organisation meets on the I st Monday of every month from October through to April. There are currently 16 members on it's roll. Meetings consist of bible study and guest speakers with a Christian Ethos. The PW nonnally raises money through fundraisers such as the Pudding Party night and it's annual church service. Money was also raised from donations from the church and PW members and this helped support charities such a5 the PW Missions Fund. Dunlo Bowlin Club meets each Thursday night from Septernber to mid-April. We have approximately 24 members. We belong to the North West Bowling League and play competitive matches once a week. We also run an annual 5ingle8 tournament in early January with the proceeds going to local clwities. Sunda School is held each Sunday and Consists of a junior class for ages 4 - 9 and a senior cl&8s for ages l O - early teens. On average there are roughly 4 - 6 children attending the junior class and 2 - 4 children the senior class. The children help support a child in Uganda through their weekly collection. There was a Christmas party and Sunday School trip during the year. Volunteers The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on committees and helpitig with organizations and other church activities.
an DUNLOY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERtAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEKS ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT The Presbyterian Church in treland meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its Members and the general public by making known the Chrisiian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion. The direct benefits whtch flow from the purposes of the Church include the gatning of an understanding in ChristiarA beliefs as set out it] the Bible and in the Church's subordinate standards (the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms) leading to spiritual and mordl 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 presbyt¢ri¢s or ar¢ orgauised and d¢liv¢r¢d 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 advertisernent, websites. and social media or in other ways. The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the services and infornial and ad-hoc feedback from members, their families, and members of the public. The purpose does not lead to harn). The only private benefit flowing from our purpose is related to Minisrers, 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 charitsble 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 service5 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.
an DUNLOY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) FINANCIAL REVIEW There was a total income of £49,257 in 2023. increasing from £45,956 in 2022. Total expenditUTe decreased from £73.500 in 2022 to £49.545 in 2023. The main reaso1] for this decrease was a Teduction in the level of repairs and maintenance expenditure in the 2023 year. STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the fanCIal statements of the congregation in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice. As the congregation s total income doe5 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 transaclions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding tbe assets of the congregation and hence for tsking reasonable step5 for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session on 28th August 2024 and signed on its behalf by.. sIgnare. Signature: Name: Mr. Harris Gerrow (Trustee) Narne: Mr. Jonathan Gault (Clerk of Sessioll)