an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN 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 DEfAILS Drumquin congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 2 Castlederg Road Drumquin Co Tyrone, BT78 4PH Registered Charity in Northern Ireland INIC105388) CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Dr Paul Booth Mr Ross Hemphill Mr John Nethery Mr David Hemphill Mr Ross Hunter PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Convener Clerk of Session Treasurer Vacant Rev Edwin Frazer Dr Paul Booth Mrs Alison Irwin INDEPENDENT EXAMINER R Cathers & Co Chartered Accountants 107 Main Street Fintona BT78 2AH BANKERS Danske Bank 5- 7 Market Street Omagh BT78 IBN First Trust Bank 8 High Street Omagh BT78 IBH SOLICITORS AF Colhoun & Co 41 Dublin Road Omagh, BT78 IHE an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) STRucfuRE 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 Congregation31 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 minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote. Stated meetings of the Kirk Session are held at least three times in each year. 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. Drumquin congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been a55igned to the Omagh 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. an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) 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 it5 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. Drumquin 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, by the grace of God, to help people of all ages become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. 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 as a family of God's people by being: A Covenant Community.. where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another. An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ. An Outward looking Community: where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bounds of our community. 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, sets out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice. an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES The congregation normally meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome. The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is normally observed on two 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 and prayer meetings and has a number of organisations including Sunday School Youth Group Presbyterian Women's Group ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE 2023 was the congregation's third year without a minister, although it has greatly benefitted from the care and oversight of its vacancy convener, Rev Edwin Frazer. The congregation's application to the PCI'S Linkage Commission for Leave to Call a minister remains in abeyance pending reorganisation of the ministerial charges in Omagh Presbytery. Worship and prayer The congregation normally meetsfor worship each Sunday at 10.30am or at 11am when there are joint services with Dromore congregation, with which we are linked. Joint services take place at Christmas, Easter and in July and August. As an experiment, in 2023 the two linked congregations began to hold midweek Bible Study meetings during the summer months instead of winter, continuing through the winter as a Prayer Meeting with Bible reading. As a consequence attendance at Bible Study has increased slightly, and the new arrangement is continuing. There was one baptism in 2023. There were no marriage sep4ices, and no new communicant members were admitted into church membership. At 31 December 2023 there were 88 communicant members and 55 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship was 37. This was a small increase over 2022, but still a significant decrease compared with 2019, before attendance was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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, elders or by one of the congregation's other an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) members. Also letters from the vacancy convener have been distributed to members and adherents. Mission and outreach As well as our regular services every Sunday during the year the congregation, along with Dromore congregation with which it is linked, the congregation has held a series of evening Praise services. These are designed to reach out into the community, to people of other churches in the district and into our own congregations. They were not continued in autumn 2023, pending exploration of the possibility of holding them at other times of year, when it is hoped that attendance may be boosted. The Holiday Bible Club was held again in June, with materials and teaching provided by the local CEF worker and with volunteer help from our own congregation and other nearby churches. Several children came from other churches. and some with no known church connection at all. Annual collections were also held to support the British Legion PoppyAppeal and Presbyterian Children's Society. The annual harvest collection is also given to a number of local and foreign missionary societies. 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 contributed to the World Development Appeal as organised by PCI, to the Sunday School project and to any other special appeals. Presbytery The congregation is represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister or our vacancy convener and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church in the local area. General Assembly Generally the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is attended by the minister (or vacancy convenerl and a nominated elder. an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) Property Routine repair work was completed on the Church buildings during the year; there were no major projects undertaken. Organisations Sunday School normally takes place on Sunday mornings from 9.45-10.30am from September to June. The Sunday School has 'adopted' two children in Tanzania and pays for their care and education. A mid-week Bible study and prayer meeting for the two congregations was held every other week up to March, and then from May through to October. Attendance by members of both congregations ranged between about 6 and 12. Prayer meetings continued throughout the year. The Presbyterian Women's Group continued to hold regular meetings from October to March. The Youth Group normally meets twice a month from October to March in Dromore Presbyterian Church Hall. Attendance ranges from 6 to 12, with an average of around 9 young people of secondary school age. Activities provide for the social, physical and spiritual aspects of the young people and include social games, physical recreation including pool, table tennis, air hockey and football, and bible teaching often involving a speaker. 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 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) an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE pREsB￿ER1AN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) 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 noticeboards, printed material, press advertisement, websites, and social media or in other ways. The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the service5 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 communitie5 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. FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 61 contributors during the year [65 in previous year, 20221 donating a total of £23,4321£26,549 in previous year, 2022). Total Income of the congregation during the year was £59,236, compared to £55,507 in the previous year. The income in 2023 included two bequests of £5,000 each, one of which is still to be invested. Total expenditure increased to £38,868 from £36,348. The increase was expected given the increased electricity costs an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {cont'd) RESERVES POLICY The reserves of the charity are set by the Church Committee which includes the Trustees. The reserves will be held primarily as cash. The level of reserves will be reviewed annually as part of the management process. The Trustees aim to maintain to sufficient free reserves in unrestricted funds to bridge any funding gaps experienced by the Church, and to mitigate the risks and costs of unplanned closure of the organisation. GOING CONCERN The activities of the congregation are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees are of the opinion that the congregation has sufficient resources at the date of approval of these financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and, subject to the continuing support from members, to fund on an ongoing basis the congregation's current activities and other financial commitments. an DRUMQUIN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT {conVd) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE 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 accounting practice. As the congregation's total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section 64{31 of the Charities Act {Northern Ireland) 2018 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 16 May 2024 and signed on its behalf by [Name] Ross Hunter [Name] Paul Booth [Date} 16 May 2024 [Datel 16 May 2024