an SESKINORE 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 2022 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date. REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEfAILS Seskinore Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 78 Letfern Road, Seskinore, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT78 IUQ Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105400) CHARITY TRUSTEES The charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were: Mr David Bates Mr Norman Morrison Miss Amanda Dunlop Rev Robert Orr Mrs Barbara Giles Mr James Patterson Mr Fred Giles Miss Jean Patterson Mrs Joy Mccracken (appointed 22 May 20221 Mrs Shirley Riddell (appointed 22 May 20221 Mr Johnnie Mitchell Mr Robert Riddell (appointed 22 May 20221 PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister: Clerk of Session: Treasurer: Rev Robert Orr Mr James Patterson Mr Norman Morrison INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Lisa Hamilton Lisdoo Road, Clady, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82 9RQ BANKERS Danske Bank 5 - 7 Market Street, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT78 IBN SOLICITORS Mcconnell & Fyffe The Old Rectory, 21 Church Street, Omagh, Co Tyrone, BT78 IDG
an SESKINORE 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 Congregational Committee. The Kirk Session consists of the ordained minister and the ruling elders of the congregation. 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 twice in each year or as appropriate. To be chosen for the ofPice of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant at 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-third5 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. Seskinore Congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned 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 Se55ion of the congregation. 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 ministers and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.
an SESKINORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion. Seskinore 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 playtheir part in fulfilling God's mission to our world. The congregation's mission statement: We seek to declare God's love: by enthusiastic and relevant worship services," by providing appropriate resources and opportunities for spiritual growth for all age groups. We seek to demonstrate God's love: by practical care and concern for every member; by involvement and co-operation with other congregations and in the communityi by support and involvement in mission and relief agencies at home and overseas. The mission statement establishes the ways in which we try to work out and fulfil our purpose: Worship services - Our aim is to make Sunday worship enjoyable, enthusiastic and relevant for all who come along; Resources and opportunities- Recognising that any congregation is made up of different age groups and interest groups we endeavour to provide a range of activities and opportunities that will allow every member to come to know Jesus and subsequently grow in their faith. Care and concern - Along with visitation from church leaders we seek to encourage members to be concerned and to care for one another; Co-operation - We enjoy good relations with neighbouring congregations and seek to develop these links as well as playing a part in the local community e.g. in our practical sUPPOrt of the local school; Support of mission and relief agencies- We seek to support, in prayer and financially, agencies such as Tearfund, Christian Aid as well as local charities and Belfast Bible College students, scheme and grants to youth members involved in summer mission work. A1vlEs AND OBJECTIVES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are always welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord's 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.
an SESKINORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worship and prayer The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 12 noon. 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. As well as our regular Services during the year we acknowledged God's gift of new life at I Sacrament of Baptism, we conducted I marriage service and gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year. At 31 December 2022 there were 237 communicant members and 116 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship is 70. 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 the congregation's pastoral care visitor. Mission and outreach Seskinore Presbyterian Church congregation has set out its aims as a Christian place of worship through its congregational mission statement. This statement declares the congregation's intent to declare God's love, to provide a place of worship where relevant worship of God can take place and provide the opportunities, resources and role models to disciple all who wish to follow the teaching of God as set out by the Bible. As a result of our deep held beliefs we also seek to demonstrate God's love through practical help and concern for all those in our community irrespective of whether they are a member of the church or not or believe in God or not. This care and concern for others is demonstrated further through our support for mission and relief agencies both at home and overseas. Being a small congregation, we seek to use our resources wisely and to best effect. Primarily, we fulfil our aims through Sunday worship which includes facilities for a Crèche, Sunday School and Young People Discipleship Classes. Discipleship training and support is then augmented by our organisations which provide both a spiritual and social experience. These include Presbyterian Women, Midweek Bible Study, Home Group Bible Study, Bowling Club and Girls, Brigade as well as Christian outreach events. Whilst acknowledging we are a small congregation; we recognise that we play a big part in the community of Seskinore and we take our responsibilities towards the community seriously. We engage with the community through organised coffee mornings providing a place to drop in and chat irrespective of background or faith. Through these we seek to raise awareness of such things as cancer support by supporting agencies working in our community as well as spiritual matters. We also allow our facilities, halls and car park, to be put to good use by our local primary school who uses the halls for concerts, cross-community school events and school social events. Sadly, there are times of trouble, but we seek to support our community when it is needed most, through providing for example funeral teas or pastoral care, again without regard to background.
an SESKINORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) During the year the congregation supports by making donations to various charitable organisations, locally, nationally and world wide. The congregation's primary means of support is through the United Appeal for Mission which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. This fund enable5 congregations to support the wider mission of the denomination and to do mission and outreach on a denominational basis beyond the financial ability of what the congregation could do on its own. Presbytery The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an irnportant 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. Property There were no major repairs or refurbishment projects carried out during the year. Organisations Crèche Crèche provides care for young children aged o- 4 years old during the church service. Promiseland Promiseland meets most Sundays for 45 minutes during the church service and is for children aged 4 to 12 years old. Breakfast with God Breakfast with God is the name of the Senior Bible Study Class in our Sunday School and is for teenagers aged 12 to 16 years old. -pw Seskinore and Edenderry PW meet on the second Monday of the month from September to April. Ladies Fellowship Group This group whose main purpose is to make and encourage disciples amongst our young women in the congregation meets on a regular basis. Praise Group Seskinore Praise Group who meet fortnightly to practice and learn new pieces of praise to help lead our worship. Girls. Brigade Seskinore Girls, Brigade meets each Thursday evening from September to March with an attendance of approximately 40 girls. The girls range from 3 to 21 years old with four sections Within the company; Explorers, Juniors, Seniors and Brigadiers and is open to girls throughout the community.
an SESKINORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYtERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) Bowling Club Seskinore Bowling Club meets weekly on Tuesday night from September to April. - Mug and Bean Mug and Bean meets the last Wednesday of every month from September to June for coffee. This is an opportunity for the wider community to meet and socialise. There are approximately 60/70 people aged from 60 years to 95 years attend. Kingdom Kids Kingdom Kids is a baby and toddler group which meets each Thursday morning during term time. 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 preSberian 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 through the use of notice boards, 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 doe5 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 benefTciarie5 of this purpose are member5, their families, other individuals that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in direct and indirect contatt 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 Commission's Public Benefit requirement statutory guidance.
an SESKINORE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation's main source of income is members, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 89 contributing families during the year12021: 89) donating a total of £41,939 12021: £36,927). Total income of the congregation during the year was £88,437 compared to £79,934 in the previous year. Total expenditure increased from £76.755 to £83,098. The main reason for the change in income and expenditure is that Church life and activities resumed during the year as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic decreased. STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES 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{3) of the Charities Act {Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare a Receipts and Payments Account and 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 27 March 2023 and signed on its behalf by: Rev Robert Orr Mr James Patterson Date: Date: