RAMOAN PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN 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 Ramoan Presbyterian Church congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 137 Moyarget Road Ballycastle Co. Antrim BT54 6HL Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105389) CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were Robert Getty Robert Hartln Trevor Mccormick Elizabeth White Rev. Philip L McKelvey PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARER5 Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer Rev. Philip L McKelvey Robert Getty Diane McFadden RAMOAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBITERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (conyd) INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Dr R I Peters Gallagher, OBE, FCA Moore INI) LLP 32 Lodge Road Coleraine BT52 INB BANKERS Dankse Bank Limited Donegal Square West Belfast BTI 6JS Progressive Building Society 17 The Diamond Coleraine BT52 IDW RAMOAN PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN 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 P3Stor31 care ig 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. Member5 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 ordinancp..£. 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 re5pon£ibility 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. Ramoan Presbyterian Church congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Route 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. RAMOAN PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PREs8￿ERlAN 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. administration and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly 15 normally constituted during the first week in June forworship and to conduct its business. At the end of business, it is di5501ved. 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. Ramoan 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 powerof His Spirit. and to enable her members to play their part in fulfilling God's mission to our world. The congregations mission purposes are by the grace of God, to help people of all ages becomefully devotedfollowers ofjesus Christ. Our vision is, by the grt7ce of God, to be un inclusive, welcoming community of Christ's people of all ages, which.. is increasingly characterised by lovefor God, and love and concern for others,. is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible." is relevL7nt to people of this time ond place. The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as afamily of God's people by being.. A Covenant Community.. where our rel(7tion5hips ore rooted in the promises of God by livingfaithfully toword him and toward one another An Intergenerational Community.. where adults intentionally take the leod to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ. An OutWL7rd looking Community.. where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in rhe gospel to become blesslngsfor others beyond the bounds of our community. As o 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 Catechi5rns set out wh(7t we understand the Bible teoches on key matters of Chrlstlanfaith and pructice RAMOAN PRESBITERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) AcfiviTIES AND OBjE￿IVEs The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visltors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on several 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 Bowing Club pw ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer th On 30 April Rev Philip McKelvey was installed as Minister of Ramoan and Toberkeigh congregations. The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10.30am. During the week the Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the 5cripture5 and for a time of prayer. As well as our regular services during the year we conducted two baptism services and one marriage service. There were no new communicants. We gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved. At 31 December 2023 there were 96 communicant members and 95 families connected with the congregations. The average week attendance at morning worship is 48. Pastoral rare 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 pastoral visitors. Mission and outreach At a local level the congregation aims to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with members and those living within the community. Sharing and caring is of upmost importance where visiting the elderly, sick and housebound is carried out. Welcoming members and visitors is viewed as a special act of warmth within the congregation. Donations were made to Sunday School Project, PW Missions, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Presbyterian Children's Society, World Development Appeal, Royal National Institute for Blind. M.S. Society, Christian Aid and Royal British Legion. RAMOAN PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (conyd) 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 bd5ed 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 contribute5 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 held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June. Property Land of approximately 3.81 hectares is owned. This is valued at around £80,000. Organisations The Bowling Club, Sunday School and P.W. have not resumed this year. 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 activitie5. RAMOAN PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (conyd) 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 ￿lIgIOn. 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 belief5 and standard5 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 way5. The benefit5 are demonstrated through regular evaluation vf the 5eivices 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 member5, 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, charlile5 and individual members of the public. The Kirk Session ha5 had regard to the Charity Commissions Public benefit requirement statutory guidance. RAMOAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT {conYd) FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income 15 members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were a number of contributors during the year donating a total of £28,838 {2022 - £27,582) Total Income of the congregation during the year was £43,687 (2022- £41,108) Total expenditure for the year was £45,224 {2022- £37,845) 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{31 of the Charities Act {Northern Ireland) 208 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 posltion. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fra ud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on and signed on its behalf by Rev. Philip L McKelvey Date". Date..