GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESB￿ERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Glenwherry Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Church Road, Glenwherry, Ballymena. Co Antrim. Registered Charity in Northern Ireland INIC1053561 CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Mr Samuel Bonnar Mr Martin Farquhar Mr Hill Hamilton Mr Andrew Hoey Mr Huston Hoey MrTrevor Hoey Rev Trevor D Kane {Chairmanl Mr Henry Mcconnell Mr Geoff McKane Mr Colin McKee Mr Brian McKinstry Mr Nigel Moorehead Mr Victor Rea Mr Michael Saunderson Mr Thomas Saunderson PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister- Rev Trevor D Kane Clerk of Session - Mr Andrew Hoey Treasurer Mr Brian McKinstry INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Mr Ryan McFaul, DT Carson & Co., 51-53 Thomas Street, Ballymena, BT43 6AZ BANKERS Danske Bank, 1-2 Broadway Ave, Ballymena BT43 7PE First Trust, 78 Wellington Street, Ballymena BT43 6AF GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) SOLICITORS Anderson, Agnew & Co Solicitors 14 Mill St, Ballymena BT43 SAE 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 I rela nd, 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 a nd seeks to further the contribution of the Church to Christian witness and service within the local community. The Kirk Session has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temporal affairs of the congregation inclLSding 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 the meetings, except that the moderator, the ministers in active d uty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote. Stated meetings of the Kirk Session are held at least four times a year or more if 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 it 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 superi ntends genera Ily the spiritual and temporal affairs of the congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Glenwherry Presbyterian Church congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Ballymena 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 an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the congregation. GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OFTHE PRESB￿ERIAN 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 them. 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. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion. Glenwherry Presbyterian Church 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, a nd to enable her mem bers to play their part in fulfilling God's mission to our world. The congregation's mission purpose is to "Make Disciples" as we are called by God in the Bible in Matthew Chapter 28 v 18-20 to go into all the earth and make disciples. In practice this means we endeavourto share our faith with others and help the spread of the Gospel not only in the corner God has placed us but also into the world as well. 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 a5 afamily of God's people by being.. A Covenant Community.. where our relationships ore rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another. An Intergenerationol Community.. where adults intentionally take the leod to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ. An Outward looking Community.. where we want the blessings of God thot belong to us in the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bound5 of our community. As o congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, we believe that the 8ible is the supreme authority over all we do, and thot the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Lorger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice. GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OFTHE PRESB￿ERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitor5 are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord5 Supper is observed on three 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 wide range of organisations including: Sunday School BB GB pw Care Team Friendship Group Young Adults Group Baby & Toddler Group ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation meets for worship each Sunday morning at 12noon, and from I, April 2023 each Sunday evening at 7pm, During the week the Midweek Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer. We also have interactive Bible Studies ca51ed Grow Groups were Christians come together to study and graciously debate the Scriptures. These groups sometimes meet in the Church Building or in someone's home. As well as our services during the year we acknowledged God's gift of new life at three Sacraments of Baptism, along with four adult Baptisms during 2023. We as a Church Family were deeply saddened with the death of three of our highly esteemed members. At the 31 December 2023 there were 131 communicant members and families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship is around 120. GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OF THE pRE5B￿ERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) Pastoral Care Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are normally visited by the minister, their District elder or by someone from the Church Care Team. Mission and Outreach As a church family we prayerfully and financially supported the work of several missionary and charitable groups, namely The Presbyterian Children's Society, European Missionary Fellowship and Grace & Hope Church IA new Church plant in North Belfast} An overseas project under the umbrella of Asia Link, which seeks to support believers in Asia ha5 been practically and financially supported for many years by Glenwherry Presbyterian Church. 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 congregation5 Wlth the development of locally based staff, enables church planting, provides grant support for the upkeep church premises, assists with the running costs of Un ion Theological College, the Church's training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregation in areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributes to the Moderators Appeal which seeks to help those who are in great need throughout our world. 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 congregation and the wider structures of the church. General Assembly All essential business wa5 conducted by the 2023 Standing Commission of the General Assemblv. Property There was some spending in 2023 within the Church Building, the Committee decided to repaint the whole building internally. {A5 It hadn't been done in 25 years). The manse underwent redecoration with some wallpapering and painting, also new curtains were added, In the Church Hall we fitted some new cupboards for storage purposes. The Church Committee decided to purchase the farm land directly behind the Church property so as to provide space for future improvements. The dwelling house along with the yard and outbuildings are a Iso part of the deal. Our Cha rity Trustees called a Specia I Congregational Meeting in October 2023 seeking the Congregations approval for the acquisition and to ascertain whether we had the Congregations support to go ahead with the deal. Financing the deal plus our long term thinking behind the plan was presented to Church member5. A figure no larger than the asking price of £500k was proposed and seconded and subsequently agreed. After this ratification a delegation of the Charity Trustees met the seller who agreed to sell to us for 500k. The congregation has with the help of much th generous sacrificial giving raised £323k of the £500k required. A date of February 29 2024 was earmarked as the date of completion of the acquisition. The balance of £177k ha5 been obtained as a result of interest free loans being provided by donors within the fellowship. A realistic plan of how these can be paid back has been drawn up and subsequently agreed by the Charity Trustees. GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OFTHE PREsB￿ERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) 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 Presbyteria n 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 benefit 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 subord inate 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 a nd 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 a re organised a nd delivered centrally. Local delivery is facilitated by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of noticeboard5, 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 member5 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 OVERVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 185 contributors during the year,1146 in the previous year, 2022) donating total of £76,794 (£68,846 in the previous year, 2022) Total Income of the congregation during the year wa5 £379,968, compared to £130,211 in the previous year. Total expenditure in 2023 was £146,133 compared with £105,817 in 2022. GLENWHERRY CONGREGATION OF THE PRESB￿ERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITES 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 in 2023 has exceeded £250,000, the trustees have elected under Section 6413) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare the accounts on an accrua15 basis with a statement of assets and liabilities to accompany them. The trustee5 are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the congregation's transactions a nd d isclose 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. I ith.Ncrth lolw...... and signed on its behalf by: Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on Rev Trevor D Kane (Minister) Chairman Date: Mr B McKinstry (Treasurer) Date..