Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report **Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended** ## **31st December 2022** **Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105314)** 1 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2022 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** MYROE congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 110 Seacoast Road Limavady BT49 9EG Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105314) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were; Mrs. Dorothy Cunningham. Mr Peter McGregor Mr Richard Blair Rev J G Jones. **PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS** Minister Rev. JG Jones. Clerk of Session Mr. Richard Blair Treasurer Mr. Austin Montgomery ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** William Clyde 46 Roemill Road, Limavady. BT49 9BB. ## **BANKERS** Danske Bank. 46 Catherine Street. Limavady. BT49 90B. ## **SOLICITORS** R G Connell & Son. 13 Main St, Limavady. BT49 OBP 2 | P a g e Myroe 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 congregations. 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 monthly (9 times per 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 one third 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. Myroe congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Coleraine and Limavady 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. 3 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **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. 4 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE** The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion. Myroe 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 purpose is to Worship and Glorify God by Bible based Evangelism, Education and care for others, by the grace of God, to help people of all ages become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ's people of all ages, which: - is increasingly characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others; - is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible; - is relevant to people of this time and place. 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 Inter-generational 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. 5 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. Services are recorded and uploaded to YouTube for the benefit of those who are unable to attend and as an outreach to others. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on three occasions throughout the year. 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 weekly Prayer Meetings and Bible Study on a Wednesday night and has a wide range of organisations including - Sunday School - Meet up Monday’s club - Youth Club --- S.N.L. - Monday night Bible Study on zoom - Senior Citizens club - Presbyterian Women - Holiday Bible Club in August - Joint Meeting of Ladies Bible Study in Second Limavady PC ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## Worship and prayer The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10.15am. During the week the Prayer Meeting and Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, and for a time of prayer. As well as our regular services during the year we gave thanks for faithful attendance at services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. At 31 December 2022 there were 280 communicant members and 132 families connected with the congregation. ## **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 and elders. 6 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **Mission and outreach** At a local level the congregation's local mission and outreach, including donations to external missions and agencies, include the following: Saturday Night Live, P.W. Coffee Evening. P.W. Guest Night, Praise Service, Holiday Bible Club, meet up Mondays and Missionary Sunday The Global Mission we supported: Garden of Hope in Kenya and International Meeting point under the auspices of The Presbyterian Church in Ireland. 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, assist 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 denominations 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 / or 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 elders were nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June. ## **Property** There was no significant investment in property during 2022. 7 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **Organisations** A brief summary of our organisations that meet throughout the year are as follows: S.N.L. (youth club) meets in our hall on the 1st Saturday of each month with an average attendance of 15 young people. Senior Citizens meet on the 3rd Tuesday of each Month. They have a guest speaker at each meeting. There are about 35 people attending these meetings. Our Holiday Bible Club runs annually during the first week in August. The numbers attending have grown year on year to approximately 50 young people of primary school age attending each day. We have 30 helpers from the Congregation. Our P.W. meets monthly from September to Easter with approximately 25 ladies attending each night. Our Sunday School and Creche meets weekly with an attendance of 30 children. Meet up Monday’s – Meet weekly to provide opportunities for fun, fellowship and craft for all ages. Ther are around 20 each week. Ladies Bible Studies meets weekly jointly with Second Limavady with 7 from Myroe attending. Monday Night Bible Study on Zoom meets weekly and has 12 attending. ## **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. 8 | P a g e Myroe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Trustees Annual Report ## **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. 9 | P a g e Myroe 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. There were 111 contributors during 2022 compared to 108 in 2021 donating a total of £39,374 in 2022 compared to £35,168 in 2021. Total Income of the congregation during the year was £80,099, compared to £62,741in the previous year. Regular direct giving contributed £72,819 to funds during 2022 compared to £60,491 during 2021. Social events are returning to the church calendar allowing the return of fund-raising activities for charitable purposes. The congregation’s response to the Moderator’s Ukraine Appeal was generously supported with donations of £6,095 received, a total of £6,959 (including gift aid) was sent to Church House by the congregation of Myroe. A sum of £3,200 was sent to Dorcas Ministries for the Garden of Hope in Kenya and £2,400 to the International Meeting Point. Total expenditure for 2022 was £77,127 compared to £57,601 in 2021. There was no significant expenditure during 2022 which is reflected in a surplus of income over expenditure of £2,972. ## **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) 2008 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 8[th] November 2023 and signed on its behalf by [Name] Date 08/11/2023 Date 08/11/2023 10 | P a g e