## **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND** **Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022** **Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105573)** **RINGSEND 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 2022 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** RINGSEND congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 139 Cashel Road, Garvagh, Coleraine, BT51 4HW Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105573) ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were John Adams William King Ian Black Colin Martin Arthur Crowe Elizabeth Smyth Robert Graham Tracey Watson ## **PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS** Minister Colin Martin Clerk of Session Ian Black Treasurer Arlene Moon ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** Olive K. Wallace, ACMA, CGMA 101 Coolyvenny Road, Englishtown, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3SF ## **BANKERS** Ulster Bank, The Diamond, Coleraine, BT51 1DP ## **SOLICITORS** McCallum O’Kane, 8 Blindgate Street, Coleraine, BT52 1E2 **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** ## **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 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 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 with additional meetings held as required. 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. RINGSEND 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. ## **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 **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** 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. Ringsend 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 congregations mission purposes is to _strive side by side for the faith of the gospel_ . To that end we seek, by God’s grace, to help people of all ages to come to know Jesus Christ, and to become His fully devoted followers, learning to live in His love and to demonstrate that love to each other and to those around us. ## **ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES** We are pleased to report that as 2022 progressed many of the COVID19 and various lockdown restrictions were eased meaning that we were able to return to most of our previous activities. The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are 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’s range of meetings and organisations includes: - Prayer LIFE (Mid-week Prayer and Fellowship service) - Presbyterian Women - Ringsend Girls’ Brigade **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** ## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE** ## **Worship and prayer** The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10:45 a.m. with occasional evening services throughout the year. During the week Prayer LIFE provides a weekly opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to be updated about the work of the Church around the world and for a time of prayer. Presbyterian Women provides fellowship for the women of the congregation and prayerful and financial support for PCI missionaries. Ringsend GB is a new and developing work for girls aged 3 and older. At 31 December 2022 there were 169 communicant members and 80 families connected with the congregation. The average weekly attendance at morning worship is 47. ## **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 pastoral visitors, as permitted by the prevailing CV19 restrictions. ## **Mission and outreach** We seek to support, encourage and equip members to engage in the spreading of the good news of the love of God as demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To that end members are encouraged both to share their own experiences of life as His followers, and to demonstrate His love in practical ways through charitable living and prayerful and financial support for works of mission and mercy. 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 congregation in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School project and any other special appeals. **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** ## **Presbytery** The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and / or 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** The property of the congregation is in generally good repair with no major work being needed in 2022. ## **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. **RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** ## **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 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 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 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 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 Commissions Public benefit requirement statutory guidance. RINGSEND CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES, ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL REVIEW The congregation'5 main source of income is member5, contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 95 contributors during the year (88 in previous year, 2021) donating a total of £29,644.12 (£31, 553 in previous year, 2021> Total Income of the congregation during the year wa5 £55,969 compared to £70,629 in the previous year. Total expenditure decreased from £72,715 to £58,560 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. A5 the congregation'5 total income doe5 not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 to prepare a recelpts and payment account and a statement of assets and liabilities. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accountin8 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 pcevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 19th February 2022 and Signed on its behalf by IName] IDate] IDatel .1,/27