2025-12-31-annual-report - Largy Presbyterian Church

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

LARGY CONGREGATION

OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2025

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105355)

LARGY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2025 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Largy Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Drumrane Road Limavady BT49 9LQ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105355)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Rev Dr Clive Glass Mr Tommy McGregor Mr Jim Donaghy Mrs Kathleen Smyth Mr Stanley Cromie

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Dr Clive Glass Clerk of Session Mr Jim Donaghy Treasurer Mrs Sandra Mullan

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mrs May Thompson 128 Terrydoo Road Limavady Co. Londonderry BT49 0PF

BANKERS

Danske Bank Ulster Bank 46 Catherine Street PO Box 3 Limavady 29 Clooney Terrace BT49 9DB Londonderry BT47 6AS

SOLICITORS

R G Connell & Son 13 Main Street Limavady BT49 0EP

LARGY 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 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.

Stated meetings of the Kirk Session are usually held monthly after each Committee meeting (Sep – Jun) and on other occasions as required.

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 the votes cast.

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. Largy 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 each congregation.

LARGY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

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, administrative and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted in the month of 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.

Largy 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 become more like the church of which we read in Acts 2 following Pentecost i.e.

A learning church – where the Bible is foundational;
A caring church – where the Bible is lived out in everyday relationships;
A worshipping church – where the focus is on bringing glory to God;
An evangelising church – where we endeavour to reach out to both congregation and community with the good news of the gospel.
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.

LARGY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation normally meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join us. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is usually observed twice a 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 Table. The congregation holds regular Bible study meetings and has a wide range of organisations to suit all ages. These include:

Sunday School
Children’s Church
Mothers & Toddlers
Luncheon Club
Women Together & PW
Midweek Fellowship

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and Prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 12 noon and on alternate months at 7.00 p.m. During the week the Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the Scriptures and for a time of prayer.

As well as our regular services, we conducted three funeral services for those who had been bereaved during the year. We also had one wedding service.

On 31[st] December 2025 there were 174 communicant members and 110 families connected with the congregation. The typical weekly attendance at morning worship is approximately 55.

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. A CD ministry is also available to those who wish to avail of it.

LARGY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Mission and Outreach

At a local level the congregation supports the work of Roe Valley CSSM practically and financially. The work of our PCI missionaries is highlighted through the use of Digital Dispatches. The Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox appeal is supported each year. 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 denomination’s 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 representative elder. This provides an important link between the congregation 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

The church has leased a hall to the Largy Community Group.

LARGY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Organisations

The Church hosts Children’s Church (4 young children) and Sunday School (16 children) each Sunday morning.

Luncheon Club (16 senior citizens, together with some visitors from time to time) is held monthly on Tuesday mornings in the Church Hall.

Women Together @ PW (13 women) is held monthly on Tuesday evenings in the Church

Hall. This is a shared venture with Dungiven Presbyterian Church, meeting month about in each of the two congregations.

Mothers & Toddlers (14 babies + carers) is held weekly on Wednesday mornings in the Church Hall.

Midweek Fellowship (10 adults) is held on Wednesday evenings in the Church Hall. This is a shared venture with Dungiven Presbyterian Church, meeting month about in each of the two congregations.

The congregation supports Roe Valley CSSM which is held during the second week in August. This year there were around 148 children and young people present.

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.

LARGY 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 Presbytery 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, Global Mission Workers, 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.

LARGY 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 Freewill Weekly Offering (FWO). There were 95 contributing families during the year (92 in 2024) donating a total of £43,484 (£41,871 in previous year, 2024).

The total income of the congregation during the year was £71,669 (£74,279 – 2024). The total expenditure for the year was £70,039 (£66,463 – 2024).

The Church held net cash funds at year end of £58,520 (£65,889 – 2024).

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) 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 30[th] April 2026 and signed on its behalf by

Rev Dr Clive Glass 30/4/2026

Mr Jim Donaghy 30/4/2026