# **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND** **Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022** **Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105340)** ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND** ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT** 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** Croaghmore congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Moycraig Road Bushmills Co. Antrim BT57 8YB Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105340) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Mr Andrew McGugan Mr Bob McConaghy Rev John Philip Stanbridge Mrs Hazel McGugan ## **PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS** Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer Rev John Philip Stanbridge Mr Andrew McGugan Mr Richard Bell ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** Mrs Heather Bell (Management Accountant) 5 Kennedy Way Lisburn BT27 4HX ## **BANKERS** Danske Bank 22 The Diamond Coleraine Co. Londonderry BT52 1DE ## **SOLICITORS** Greer, Hamilton & Gailey (inc. Murphy Carey) 27 High Street Ballymoney Co. Antrim BT53 6AJ ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN 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 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 bi-monthly from September to May or as appropriate. 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 to be called to the office of ruling elder can be proposed either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Ruling elders are formally elected if they obtain two-thirds or more 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. Croaghmore congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Route 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, ministers who have retired from active duty and representative elders appointed by the Kirk Session of their respective 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 ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation. ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** ## **DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE** The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion. Croaghmore 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 Vision Statement is that: We are resolved to provide an open door for everyone in the community and to give a welcome to all irrespective of background, race, or social status so that they may have the opportunity to hear the good news of the Kingdom of God and come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. We seek to do this by: Sunday Services: we aim to provide Sunday Services in an attractive, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere with prayer, the Word of God plainly preached, and a blend of traditional and modern praise to appeal to a wide range of age groups. We endeavour to give a warm welcome to all who come within our doors, particularly any visitors. We will continue to place a strong emphasis on our Sunday School, seeking to teach the Christian message in modern and innovative ways and endeavouring to make the experience for the children both interesting and attractive, thus attracting both children and young couples. Into the community: We aim to reach out into the community through a CSSM Holiday Bible Club for children in the summer, through our BB Company in partnership with Toberkeigh Presbyterian Church, through inviting parents to bring their children to our Sunday School, and through social events such as barbeques where there will be a Christian atmosphere and input. We will encourage every member of the congregation to understand their mission as witnesses for Christ in word and deed and the need for them to play their part in attracting other to join the congregation. Advertisement: We will continue to advertise our services as effectively as we can in hotels, guesthouses and the local Whitepark Bay Hostel ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** The congregation meets for worship every Sunday 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 Supper. The congregation holds regular bible study meetings and has a number of organisations / activities including: - Sunday School - Boys’ Brigade (Joint Company with Toberkeigh Presbyterian Church) ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer** The congregation regularly meets for morning worship each Sunday at 9:45am with appropriate evening services held when required at 7:30pm. As well as our regular services during the year we have invite guest speakers from a number of other charities to speak and inform us of their current activities, inviting a response from our membership to support them. As of 31 December 2022, there were 89 individual people on the congregational books amounting to 35 families connected with the congregation of Croaghmore, we welcomed no new members into church membership in 2022. The average week attendance at morning worship is twelve to twenty-two persons. ## **Pastoral care** The minister and elders visit members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness, age or infirmity. ## **Mission and outreach** At a local level the congregation actively supports the work of the Ballycastle Foodbank, which works under the stewardship of the Ballycastle Church Action (BCA). The congregation also works closely alongside five other churches known as the Northern Group of Route presbytery and facilitate on average four mission outreach services each year, where invited speakers are invited to address the meetings. The congregation also hosts and invites the annual SUNI CSSM Bible Club to use their facilities in the first week of August. The congregation also facilitates other outside agencies and charities that work within our community to come and address and inform the members of their work within our local community and further afield on the mission work. The congregation also supports the annual Carol Service with Toberkeigh Presbyterian Church, where members are actively encouraged to invited friends and neighbours to join the celebration of Christmas. ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** 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, pastoral care and social action projects. The congregation also contributes to the denominations annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School project and any other special appeals. ## **Presbytery** Our minister and one of the elders elected by the Kirk Session represented the congregation at the regular meetings of Route Presbytery throughout the year. 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 during the first week of June. ## **Property** The Congregational Committee have conducted a number improvements and repairs to the property of Croaghmore Presbyterian Church, namely general maintenance of the building, the plumbing and heating system. ## **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 all other church activities. ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** ## **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 notice boards, 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. ## **CROAGHMORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)** ## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 38 contributors to Weekly Freewill Offering (WFO) during the year (47 in previous year, 2021) donating a total of £10,224.00 (£11,257.00 in previous year, 2021). Total Income of the congregation during the year was £30,493 compared to £31,318 in the previous year. Total expenditure increased from £23,064 in 2021 to £30,462 in 2022. ## **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 congregation’s 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 on 17[th] April 2023 and signed on its behalf by John Stanbridge Mr Andrew McGugan 17[th] April 2023 17[th] April 2023