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2023-12-31-annual-report

1ST DUNBOE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 105377)

The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

1st Dunboe Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 5 Liffock Court Castlerock BT514DQ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105377)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Andrew Barr Rev Keith Hibbert (Chairman) Hugh C Conn William Jeffers Ian Conn Peter Kirk James Conn Simon McCaughey Julie Conn Ronald Millen Noel Dobbin Kenneth Moles Hazel Ferguson James Pollock Ann Henderson Norman Thompson

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev Keith Hibbert (Chairman) Clerk of Session Peter Kirk Treasurer Robert Brown (Retired May 2023) Alan Livingston (June 2023)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

OK Wallace - 101 Coolyvenny Road, Englishtown, Coleraine, BT51 3SF

BANKERS

Danske Bank - 22 The Diamond, Coleraine BT52 1DE

SOLICITORS

Macaulay Wray - Solicitors 35 New Row, Coleraine BT52 1AH

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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 at least twice in each year 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 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. 1st Dunboe 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.

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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.

1st Dunboe 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 Purpose of any church is determined by

We are situated on the North Coast, close to Mussenden Temple. At a certain time of year, early in the morning, the sunlight shines through the eastern window of the temple and out through the western window. We believe that we should be open to the Lord and to the world, so that, just as the sunlight shines through Mussenden Temple, His light can shine through us.

Key Value - God’s Glory

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness." (Psalm. 115:1)

Above all else we seek to honour God in all our life together. The times we spend worshipping together are central to this as we draw near to God through the Word and the sacraments of baptism and communion. In our services we aim to be welcoming and inclusive towards people of all backgrounds and ages, using language, form and music appropriate to Scripture and to our time and culture. We intend to be informal enough for all kinds of people to feel at home among us, and yet to show true reverence in all that we do. Our services include both traditional and contemporary styles.

We are committed to honour the Lord in all of our other activities, whatever form that may take.

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Key Value - God’s Word

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." (John.1:14)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the source of the church's life (Jn.3:16) We believe that the Bible is God's Word written and that we come to know Jesus Christ as God speaks through it by His Holy Spirit (Rom.10:14,17). In the light of this conviction we are committed to preaching and teaching the Scriptures in a way which is Christ-centred and Spirit-filled.

We readily acknowledge that without Christ we can do nothing (Jn.15:5). In the light of this conviction we are committed to pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work through the preaching and teaching of His Word so that the kingdom of God may be extended.

We regard prayer as a vital necessity. (Luke.18:1)

Key Value - God's World

"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous deeds among all people" (Psalm.96:3)

We seek to reach others with the love of God (Mt28:18-20).

We believe that our first responsibility in this task is to pray for the Lord to send out workers (Mt.9:36-38). Our calling is to be Christ’s witnesses in Articlave, in the Coleraine area and to the ends of the earth (Acts1:8). We are committed to faithfully support those serving the Lord both at home and overseas.

We accept our responsibility to reflect God's care for creation, for the poor and oppressed and for true peace.

We aim to reach out to others in every way which the Lord Jesus Christ did (Jn.20:21)

Key Value - God's People

"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God" (1 Peter.2:10)

As a church we are not merely a gathering of individuals, but are called to become a people who genuinely care for one another because we have experienced God's care for us (John.13:34, 35)

We freely admit that we are all sinners and are therefore a fellowship of people who accept our need to be changed -

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We recognise the wide variety of people who are part of our church family and see this as a source of creativity and richness in our church life. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ welcomed all who came to Him without distinction, so we welcome all who come.

We have a range of organisations and groups which provide opportunities for people to grow to know each other better and to serve the local community.

We belong to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and seek to work together with others for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

TO KNOW JESUS AND MAKE HIM KNOWN

Many people, faced by the state of the world in which we live, can see nothing but a hopeless end; with Jesus Christ we rejoice in an endless hope. That’s why we aim to know Jesus and to make Him known. Because of all that Jesus has done for us, because of all that Jesus is doing in our lives and because of all that Jesus has promised to us. WE HAVE HOPE

Heart of our purpose - Hope

HOPE can also help us to remember the heart of our purpose:-

God’s Glory Honour the Lord God’s Word Obey His Word God’s World Promote His Kingdom God’s People Encourage His people

The apostle’s prayer in Romans 15 v13 is our prayer for you

“May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him

So that you may overflow with hope

By the power of the Holy Spirit.”

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ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was held on Sunday 2[nd] April 2023. We had 176 Communicant members taking part we also welcomed 3 new members. We held Communion on Sunday 1[st] October 2023 and had 161 Communicant taking part.

Baptism

The Rev Keith Hibbert conducted the no baptisms during 2022.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation meet for worship each Sunday at 11.30am (July & August 11am). 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.

Pastoral care

Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age have been visited by elders or by one of the congregation’s pastoral visitors.

Mission and outreach

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 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 the regular 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.

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 in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June 2023.

Property

General maintenance has been carried out in the Church properties during the year as required.

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Organisations

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 using 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 because of their holding office or employment. However, this is incidental and necessary 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 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.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members. contributions through the weekly Freewill Offering. There were 248 contributors during the year 2023 (388 in 2022) donating a total of £82104 (£80438 in 2022). Total income of the congregation during the year was £140768, compared to £151537 the previous year and the total expenditure was £147415 in 2023 compared to £145188 in 2022. Donations received were similar to 2022 except that gift aid has yet to be claimed on 2022 donations. Income from Charitable activities including grants of £3867 increased from £9844 in 2022 to £11872 in 2023. Congregational running expenses increased by £5K and premises cost by £4K. Donations to missions and charities decreased by £lK. STATEMENT OF TRusfEE RESPONSIBIUTIES The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted practice. As the congregation's total income does not exceed £250,oc￿}. the Trustees have elected under Section 64131 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 transections and disclose with reasonable accurary at any time its financi31 position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detertion of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by Kirk Session at a meeting on Thursday 16th February and signed on its behalf by: Name Name Minister Rev Keith Hibbert Clerk of Session Peter Kirk Date 25th April 2024 Date 25° April 2024