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CASTLEROCK CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31° December 2025
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105337)
CASTLEROCK CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
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The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Castlerock congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
32 Circular Road, Castlerock, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 4XA
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 105337)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:-
Rev Peter Fleming Miss Heather McSparran Mrs Alma Andrews Mr Lindsay Montgomery MrAlastair Doherty Mr George Munce Mr James Hughes Dr David Stewart Mr Geoffrey Warke
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Rev Peter Fleming Clerk of Session Miss Heather McSparran Congregational Secretary Mr Alastair Doherty Treasurer Mr George Munce
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Olive K Wallace ACMA, CGMA
101 Coolyvenny Road, Englishtown, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3SF
BANKERS
Danske Bank 22 The Diamond Coleraine BT52 1DE
SOLICITORS ANDERSON GILLAN BARR SOLICITORS; 14 Victoria Street, Ballymoney, BT53 6DW
CASTLEROCK CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
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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 Sessions 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 each year prior to the Communion Seasons in May and November. 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. Castlerock congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Coleraine & 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.
CASTLEROCK CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
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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.
Castlerock congregation 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 exists to glorify God by worshipping Him, growing in faith, caring for one another & reaching out to others.
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 two occasions during the year and all those who have been baptised and who have madea profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Lord’s Supper. The congregation holds regular bible study meetings, has a Presbyterian Women’s Group and holds activities to raise funds and support the activities of the wider church. We continually carry out Outreach initiatives to the Castlerock community and wider afield.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00am.
At 31st December 2025 there were 172 communicant members and 151 families connected with the congregation. The average week attendance at morning worship is 77.
Pastoral care
Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are normally visited on a regular basis by the minister or district elder.
Mission and outreach
At a local level the congregation supports financially, practically and prayerfully the work of Castlerock C.S.S.M.
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 congregations 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 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.
Property
Currently there are a number of problems in the Church building which are being addressed by the Church Committee. These include weather-proofing the tower and associated work, repairing the water-damaged plaster in the church and replacing a section of tiles on the West Wing roof to prevent further ingress of rainwater. We are also considering reconfiguration and renovation of the room and corridor behind the Pulpit area at the rear of the building.
Organisations
A Group of ‘Presbyterian Women’ meet monthly from October. They have a busy agenda which included a range of activities and speakers. There is also a walking group which meets every Thursday morning, a Ladies Bible Study group meeting on Wednesday mornings and a mid-week gathering where we enjoy various activities.
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 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.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 121 contributing families during the year (118 contributors in 2024) donating a total of £52197 (£51626 in previous year, 2024)
Total Income of the congregation during the year was £99914 compared to £110133 in 2024. Total expenditure amounted to £79094 in 2025 compared to £92146 in 2024. In addition, Fixed Assets to the value of £9769 were purchased. Free Will Offering contributions increased by £571 in 2025 compared to 2024. Our Free Will offering was augmented by Gift Aid amounting to £9635.
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 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 Z | 2| > l and signed on its behalf by
Rev P. Fleming Minister
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Rev P. Fleming Mr G. Munce
Minister Treasurer
Date: Date:
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