an LO HWATER CON REGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN HURCH IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT The Trustees of Cloughwater Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland present their Annual Rep)rt and Financial ststenEnts for the year ended 31st December 2022 and a Ststsment of Assets arKI Liabilities as at that date. REFERENCE AND ADMINsfRATIVE DEfAILS Cloughwater Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 125 Cloughwater Road, Ballymena, Fr43 6QR Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105373) CHARTfY TRusfEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Rev Alistair Mccracken Mr lan Brown Mr Ivan Davison Mr David Galbraith Mr Adam Harbison Mr Andrew Mauger Mr John Mccullough Mr William McKeown Mr Edward Montgomery Mr Stephen Porter Mr Robert Simpson Mr Stephen Simpson PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Ministsr Clerk of Session Treasurer Secretary Rev Althir Mccrdcken Mr Robert Simpson Mr Ian Brown Mr Uel Houston INDEPENDEKf EXAMINER Mr John Hamilton, D T Camn & Co, Chartered Accountsnts, 51-53 Thomas Street, Ballymena, r43 6AZ BANKERS Danske Bank , 1-2 Broadway, Ballymena, 43 7AA
an CLO GHWATER C NOFTHEP BYTERIAN H IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONfD STRucfuRE AND MANAGEMENT The lfjrk Session The charity trustees of the congregalion are the nEmbers of its Session. Under the congregation s governing d¢xument, 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 LK)unds. It ensures pastorBI Ca is in place in the congregation and seeks to fvrther the contribution of the Church to Christian witness and service in the local community. The Kirk Session has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temtx)ral affairs of the congregation induding administering all funds and property belonging to the congregation. Membe[5 of the Kirk Session are ex-officio members of the Congregational Committee. Tlie Kirk Session consists of the ordaine(] tninister and the ruling ddet5 of the congations. All members are entitled to prop%e, speak and exercise equal votes at meeb'ngs, except that the Moderator, the minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting ststed meetings of the rk Session a held in January, March, May, September and November. To be cho*n for the office of the ddership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant on its ordinances. The selection of those proSed to be called to the office can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are eWed if they obtsin the votes of two-thirds of those who vote. Presbytery Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland form of governance the corporate oversight of a congregation is the responsibilrty of a Presbytery which superintends generally the spiritual and temFK)ral effairs of the congregations assigned tr) it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Cloughwater 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 ministets of congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly, ministers who have retired from active duty and an elder appjinted by each of the Kirk Sessions of the congregations. The General Assembly The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representing in one tdy the whole Church and acting as its supreme legislative, administrat've and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during a week in June for worship and to condutt 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 Ministe and a representstive elder appointed by the rk Session of each congregation.
an HWATE ATI FTHEP H IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONfD DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advanment of religion. Cloughwater 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 tY3dy 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 our members to play their part in fulfilling God's mission to our world. Just as, "Man's chief end is to glorify GCMI and enjoy Him foreverf,, we believe this is our purpose as a congregation. We are "A chosen people, a royal priesthwd, a holy nation, a people bek)nging to God, that you (we) may declare the praises of him who called you (us) out of darkness into his wonderful light., (I Peter 2.9) We take from the catechism and this verse that we are to be engaged in worship as we glorify and praise (knl tCMJether' in proclamab'on, as we decla the word of Godlgo£pel within and outside the congregation, at home and abroad; in fellowship, living, seNino and orowino tooether "in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Saifjour JS Chrisv,. ACTIVITIES AND OBJEcfIvES The cOnggation meets for worship every Sunday and vrsttot5 are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord's 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 m*tings and has a wide range of organi5ab.ons including Afternoon Fellowship Girls, Brigade Flame (Youth Fellowship) Choir & Praise Group Creche Focus (20,5 & 30's Group) Boys, Brigade Presbyterian Women Sunday Sch(X•l l Fuel Tea & Tots ACHIEVEMENTSAND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation normally meets for w0h1p each Sunday at 11.30 am (llam July & August) and 7pm September to June (1st and 3rd Sundays). Creche is provided for pre-school children during morning worship and other children up to the age of eight leawng the main church during the service for kids club. During the week the Midweek Prayer and 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 of worship, we acknowledged GLKI'S gift of new life with five sacraments of baptism. We were able to conduct one marriage service in the church during the 2022 year. We give thanks for faithfully attended services when we were able to gather again and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. At 31st December 2022 there were 149 communicant members and 156 families connected with the congregation. The average attendan at morning worship was 120 and 40 at the evening service.
an HWATE FTHEP 8ERIAN CHURCH IN IREL4ND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONTD Pastoral care Members of the congregation are visited ty the minister and elders throughout the year, whenever this was unable to be carried out, telephone communication was utilised throughout the year. Thc6e who a sick, the elderlyi the bereaved and those facing difficult Circumstan a given speaal attention through visits and the provision of support, friendship and prayer. A Care Team is established to visit those membw5 of the congregation in hospitsl or residentiallnursing homes, aiming to show the concern of the church and to share sensitively the gospel message. The Care Team also provides prattical care to those at times of specific need including, for example, 5[tat[on of new mothers. Mission and outreach At a local level the congregation seeks to reach out to the surrounding community with the Good News of the gospel. The congregation is connett& with two neighbouring Primary schooLs (Clough & Kirkinriola) and our minister regularly attended the schools to conduct worship at moming assembly from the start of the academic year in September 2022. There is a missionary committee within the congregation who together organise support for mission at home and abroad, providing updates/information on our mission partnets and the work they are involved in across the globe. Dedicated missionary fund by the congregation help provide charitable donations to a number of mission organisations such as, Compassion, Hamsayeh International, Pioneers, Wycliffe Bible Trdnslation, Calvary Mission, scriptu Union Projects, Mission Africa, Faith Mission and Release Internab'onal. The congregation also supports the United Appeal for Mission which is a ntral fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. This fund enables congregations to SUPP)rt 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 stsff, enables church planting, provides grant support for the upkp of church premise5, assists with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church's training college for ministry students, and financially supwrts congregab'on in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributes to the denominatior6 annual World Development Appeal and any other special appeals throughout the year. Presbytery The congregation was represented at the regular m&ts"ngs of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an important link betWn the congregats'on and the wider structures of the church. Property The congregation ensures that the church property is kept in good condition and all work is overseen by the church committee.
an ER NOF HEP H IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONfD Organlsations Boys. Brigade The objett of 1st Cloughwater BB is the advancement of Chrisvs kingdom aL)ng boys and the promotion of habits of obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness. We rnt on Monday nights between September and March and there are 3 secknons. Before Christmas the Anchor Boys did a series on Little People, Big Dreaffs. We Iwked at the lives of different people e.g. Marie Currie and Marcus Rashford who come from humble beginnings and went to make a difference. We also looked at characters from the bible e.g. David who was a shepherd boy who God made king, and we tslked about how God can use us for his purpcse. After Christmas the tws did a series on the Fruits of the Spirit. Every week we have games and cratL The anihovi had a visit to the fire sLaLion which Lhe bjys all enjoyed. The Junior section this year were looking at sotrE of the bigger questions from the bible. e.g. who is who are we, what went wrong, who is Jesus, why did he come to earth. As well as other attivities, the boys also learnt how to make ballccsn models which the leader5 seemed to get quite a bit of enjoyment from too. The Junior Settion also had a trip to the fire station as well. We also had a night where the Anchor Boys and Junior section had a bouncy castle. This year the company section did a series on Jesus Explored which looked at who Jesus was, why he came here and what he means for us, which really engaged the boys. We were able to have our annual fcM)tball match with Clough this year which we unfortunately lost 4-3. This year the W had an outing to an Ulster Rugby match against the Vodacom Bulls which was an enjoyable night. Girls. Brigade There are 46 girls (aged 3 to 18 years) registered in our GB company. There are 7 COMMI10ned Officers, 5 Associate Leaders and 3 Sub Officers leading our company. We meet on a Thursday evening from mid-september until the end of March. Throughout the year we have succeeded in having a varied badgework programme for ali sethorB covering Spiritual, Educational, Service and Physical aspects. Each night we follow the GBNI scripture course in all secb'ons and this year we have teen Icoking at the charattertstics of God. Our Explorer section each night have been listening to their bible story and filling out their activity bwks, playing games, singing and doing attivities such as planting bulbs, making Christmas decorations, decorating pancakes and making Motherfs Day gifs. Our Junior section, as well as bible class, have been doing crafts, learning how to play volleyball and other team games, and lookj'ng at various disabilities and how we can hdp people wtth different needs. They rai*d money for Castle Tower school and the Guide Dog Association. They Msited Castle Tower schcol, enjoyed Seeing all their equipment and facilities and also had a visit from a blind person who brought along her guide dog. The Senior and Brigader section have also been busy with their bible class, doing crafts, playing badminton and other games and Icoking at all aspects of wedding planning. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme continues to run in our Companyi with 3 girf5 workj'ng for Bronze, I working for Silver and I working towards Gold level. We had a very successful fund-raising event in Decemlxr when we held a cookery demonstration and cake sale to raise funds to purchase a cardiac defibrillator for our church and local area. All girls attended this event and the Seniors and Brigader_q helped to organise the night. Attendance has been very good throughout the year. FLAME (Youth Fellowship) FLAME meets fortnightly for young people aged 11 to 18 years old. An avernge of 25 young people attend and enjoy a mix of fijod, game> and Bible Study together. They enjoyed a wide variety uf dcliviLies including Pi£La makiiig, sundae creating and mountsin biking in the church hall. They also had some outings together from a beach walk in the summerto a winter BBQ and carol singing in the local cornmunity in December. A number of guest speakers came along to help the members think about what the Bible says aLx)ut a variety of topics such as exam stress, pr pressure, our purpose and how to share faith with others.
an CLOUGHW GREGATION O EPRE HURCH IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONT'D Presbyterian Women The Cloughwater Presbyterian Women's group meet on a Tuesday night, On a WK)nth from October to March with approximately 30 ladies in attendance. We had speakers from various organisations including a Children's Canr charity, and Teams from Mission stations in Zambia and Kenya. We held an appeal, over two rTL)nths, when our ladi colletted health and hygiene materials to fill a contsiner to go to Romania Whe some of our members had visited in past few years. We also enjoyed food, fun and fellowship at our Chrisknas evening. Our annual church service was held in February when the women heard how many foreign nationals who come to Belfast can get help with language and applications for s&lang asylum. Through the yearfs theme of Dper Together some ideas from the annual inspirations tx)ok issued by the Presbyterian Women's panel were discussed and many were challenged to grow in our motto of Living for Jesus. Sunday School Sunday School normally meet each Sunday morning from 10:30 to 11:15 running from September to June. There are 62 children registered ranging from age 4 to 17 wrth 8 teachers spread out across each class group. The teachers follow Go Teach" literature during each class and the children a19) leam catechisms and memory verses. Volunteers The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep apprlatiOn of those who give frlY of their time by seNing on committees and hdping with organisats'ons and other church activites.
an HWA F THE PRE H IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONT PUBLIC BENEFTh sfATEMENr The Presbyterian Church in Ireland meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by tThiking known the Christian Gc6pel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion, The direct benefits which flow from the purpos of the Church include the gaining of an understanding in Christian beliets as set out in the Bible and in the Church's sutyjrdinate standards (the Wesbninster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms) leading to spiritual and moral development and opportunitie5 for response to Bible teaching. In turn, this framework leads to practical expressions of Christian beliets and Standards in the local communty such as through the care of those in need (including the sick, disabled and bereaved). Generally the above benefits are 1Ved l(Kally ty congregatK)ns and their memters, or a facilitsted through presbyteries or are organised and delivered ntrally. Lcral delivery is facilitsted by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of noticeboards, printed matsrial, press adverb'sement, websites, and social media or in other ways. The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the Servi and informal and ad-hoc feedback from members, their families, and members of the public. The purpose Joes not lead to harm. The only private benefit flowing from our purpjse is relatecl to Minister5, Mis5ionari&s, Deaconesses, Irish Misston workeis and Lay Agents who receive benefits a5 a Fe5uIt Df their holding office or employment. However, this is incidentsl and neCery 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 contsct with, the community in which pastoral services are provided and other communities throughout Northern Ireland. the Republic. of Irpjand. and worldwide which benefit from our engagement with and qupport for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual member5 of the public. The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Comms1OnS Public benefrt requirement statutory guidance. FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 119 contribub.ng families during the year [118 in 2021] donating a totsl of £56,426 [£54,932 in 2021] Totsl Income of the congregation during the year was £121,042 compared to £110,907 in the previous year. Totsl expenditure (including that of organisations) was £117,513 compared to £101,203 in 2021.
an CLOUGHWATER CONGREGATION OF ThE PRESBYfE H IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT- CONfD STATEMEMf OF TRusfEE RESPONSIBILMES The Trustees a rsponsible 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 totsl income does not exceed £250,OLK), the Trust have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Att (Northern Irdand) 2008 to prepare a receipts and payment account and a statement of assets and liabilitie5. The Trustees are r&stK)nsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the congregation's transattions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hen for tsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the rk Session at a meeting on 23Td May 2023 and signed on its behalf by: 7L Rev Alistsir Mccracken Mr Robert Simp9Jn