FIRST MAGHERAFELTCONGREGATION 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 DETAILS First Magherafelt congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 26 Meeting Street, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, BT45 6BW Registered Charity in Northern Ireland INIC105608) CHARITY TRUSTEES The Charity Trustees who served durln8 the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were Mrs l Brown, Mr R Campbell, Mrs A Cr05sett, Mr W. Currie, Rev Drj A Curry Mr H. Duncan, Mrj Hamilton, MrA.R. Ho Dr. E. Hunter, Mrs. H. McKay, Mr R.G. McKeown Mr J. Smyth, Dr. M Stevenson, Mr H Stewart, Mrw. H.J.Todd, Mr E. Wylie PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minlster Rev Drj A Curry Clerk of Session Mr R J Hamilton Treasurer Mr E Glasgow INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Hopper & Co, 6 Doagh Road, B311yclare, BT39 9BG BANKERS Danske Bank, 18 Ballymoney Road, Ballymena BT43 5BY
¥*Èll Jtt FIRST MAGHERAFELTCONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) STRUCfUREAND MANAGEMENT The Klrk Session The charity trustees of the congregatlon are the members of Its Klrk Session. Under the congregation's governing document. The C<xle, the book of the constitution and 80vemment of the Presbyterian Church In Ireland, the Klrk Sesslon seeks to watch over and promote the spirltual interest of the congregation and of persons not connerted with any con8regatlon who are within Its bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place In the con8re8ation and seeks to further the contributlon of the Church to Christian wltness and service in the local community. The Kirk Sessions has delegated to Its Congregational Committee the temporal affairs of the congregatlon Including administering all funds and property belongingto the congre8atlon. Members of the Klrk Session are ex-officio members of the Con8regational Committee. The Kirk Session conslsts of the ordained min15ter and Ihe rulin8 elders of the congregations. All members are entitled to prop05e, speak and exerclse equ31 votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, the minlster5 in actlve duty in the con8regatlon, has no deliberative but only a castlng vote. Stated meetings of the Klrk 5esslon are held five tlmes each year. To be chosen for the office of the eldershlp in the congregatlon a person must be a voting member Hnd a regular attendant on Its ordlnances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office Can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Se5slon. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of those who vote. Presbytery Under the Presbyterlan Church in Ireland form of governance the corporate overslght of a congregation Is the responsibiltty of a Presbytery which Superintends generally the splritual and temporal affairs of the congregatlons asslgned to it by the General Assembly of the presbyterian Church in Ireland. First Magherafelt congre8atlon of the Presbyterlan Church has been assigned to the Tyrone Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists malnly of the active min55tsrs of congregatlons assigned to it by the General Assembly, minsters who have retired from artive duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Se55k)n of the congregation.
FIRST MAGHERAFELT CONGREGATION OF THE PREsBERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) The General Assembly The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representln8 In one body the whole Church and atting as Its supreme legislative, admlnistratlon and judlcial authorlty, In dealing wlth all matters brought before It. The General Assembly Is normally constituted during the flrst week in June for worship and to conduct Its business. At the end of busines5 it Is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the actlve minlsters of eath congregation, retlred minsters and a representative elder appointed by the Klrk Se5slon of each conggation. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE The charltable purpose of the congregatlon is the advancement of religion. Flrst Ma8herafelt congregation of the PresbY(erian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland. The Presbyterlan Church In Ireland, as a Reformed Church withln the wlder body of Christ is grounded In the Scriptures, and exists to love and honour God through falth In His Son and by the power of HIS Spirit, and to enable her members to play their part In fvlfilllng God's mission to our world. The congregations mlsslon purpose Is :_ As those who knowjesus, taking the Gospel in the power of the Holy SpirlL to others, so that they ml8ht become disclples of Jesus Chrlst. Our vision Is to be those who GLORIFY GOD as we Experience GRACE as His children, Share LOVE in HIS family and Demonstrate COMPASSION to Hi5 world. The congregation aims to live out its Mi551on and Vislon as a famlly of God's people by being: A Covenant Communlty: where our relatlonshlps are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentSonallytske the lead to engage with, encourage and nurtu younger members to maturity in Christ. An Outward lookin8 Community: where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in the gospel to become bleIngS for others beyond the bounds of our community. As a congregation of the Presbyterlan Church In Ireland, we believe that the Blble is the supreme authority over all we do, and that the Westminster Confesslon of Faith, alon8 with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christlan falth and practice]
FIRST MAGHERAFELTCONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRusfEES ANNUAL REPORT Icont'd) ACTivmES AND OBJEcfivES The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visltors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on six occasions durlng the year and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of falth in the Lord Jesus Chrlst are admitted to the Lord's Supper. The congre8ation holds regular blble study and prayer meetin8s and has a wide range of organisations including: Sunday School Creche Jr Church Youth Fellowshlp Girls Brigade Ladles @First Crafty Ladles Parents and Toddlers English Language Classe5 - Youth Club Mission Awareness - Coffee Mornings ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Worshlp and prayer The congregation normally meets for worshlp each Sunday at 11am and 6:30pm. Durlngthe week the fortni8htly Bible Studies and weekly prayer meeting provides an opportunity for membersto meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for prayer. A5 well as our regular servlces during the year we acknowledged God's glft of new Ilfe at the Sacraments of Baptlsm, we conducted marrlage servlces and gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comlort those who had been bereaved duringthe year. At 31 December 2023 there were 226 communicant members and 294 famllie5 connected wlth the congregations. The avera8e week attendance at morning worship Is 160 Pastoral care Members of the congregatlon who are unable to attend church due to slckness or age are visited on a regular basis bythe mlnister or elders. Mlsslon and outreach We run Engllsh language classes for mlgrants and many from all sections of the community attend our minirtry programs such as Birls brigade. We run a community coffee morning each week in partnership wlth the local special need school. We have strong mi5slon links wlth Malawi and support various mlssion organisatlons. The congre8atlon supports the United Appeal for Mlssion which is a central fund of the Presbyterfan Church In Ireland. Thls fund enables congregations to support the wlder mission of the derbornination and to do mlssion and outreach on a denominational basls
beyond what the congregation could do on its own. The United Appeal Fund provides financlal support for mission personnel at home and overseas, assists congregatlons with the deployment of locally based staff, enables church plantln& provide5 grant support for the upkeep of church premises, assist wlth the runnlng costs of Unlon Theologlcal College, the Church's tralning college for ministry students, and financially supports CQn8regations in the areas of worship, discipleshipi global mlssion, outreach. leadershlp and pastoral care. The congregatlon also contributes to the denomlnations other special appeals. Presbytery The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minlster and one of the elders. This provides an important Ilnk between the congregatlons and the wider Structure5 of the church. General Assembly The minister and one of our elders were nomlnated to attend the meetlng of the General Assembly of the Presbyterlan Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildln8s, Belfast, In October. Property The con8regation operates from its church bullding and hall complex located oil Meetln8 Street, Ma8herafelt 3nd from Its manse in King Street, Ma8herafelt Or8anlsatlons Small Group Bible Studles Thi5 key aspect of our mldweek fellowship meets fortnlghtly and is open to everyone. It does not requlre you to have any part5cular level of blble knowledge simply a desire to learn together from God's word. We encourage those who attend to read the passa8e and to answer the questions they can beforehand. On the evenln8 they are free to share their answers or simply listen as others do 50. The leaders of the groups will have meet with Rev Curry and been through the studles and we also preach on the passa8es studied In our Sunday evenlng Services. Prayer Meetlngs- the opportunltle5 for people to Join is In prayer include (l) Maln Congregational Prayer Meetln& on Thursdays @8pm. 12) Weekly Prayer Time for Wor5hlp, Sundays 10.30-10.45 Junlor Sunday School Junlor Sunday School for Primary Sthool aged chlldren contlnues to meet every Sunday at 10am to 10.45am frorn September to June. We take part in various services throughout the
year and really appreciate the effort the chlldren put into practislng and the support from home. We use stories, songs and craft to encourage the chlldren to learn more about God. We start each session with the children comlng into thelr clas5e5. We chat with them about their week and getto know them more. We a150 open In prayer in our own classes. Then we do our storles and activlties together. All the cla55es meet up together at the end of the session to sing together from a variety of action songs to share God's love. Senior Sunday Sthool and Blble Class We continue to meet each sunday mornlng at 10am to 10.45am from September to June. We have a good group of young people but would always welcome more. The, young people take part in varlou5 family and youth services durlng the year, communicating the message of Jesus through drama, readlng the Blble, prayer and song. Creche Crèche continuesto meet every Sunday morning durfngthe thurch service. Each ¢hlld comin8 Out to creche now also gets a book when the league of church loyalty attendance prizes are given out to the older children at the end of January. Many thank5 to all who are involved in looking after the little ones on a Sunday morning. Your help is very much appreciated. Children's Church Children's Church take5 place each Sunday mornlng wlth chlldren of Primary School age leavln8 the maln servlce followlng the thildren's address. Age related activ5ties are made available to them In the Church hall which follows a different theme for each calendar month e& Creatlon, Bible characters, miracles etc. The activltles provlded include Blble stories, arts / crafts and 8ame5. Children's Church Is a team effort and w6th the number of chlldren attending on the increase we would welcome other volunteersto Joln the team to assist with teaching or In a more supportive / practical capaclty. Please speak to either one of us for further Information. Choir / pralse Band There are sever31 opportunities to assist in leadlng the praise In our church. If you feel you would Ilke to particlpate in any way please speak wlth our or8anlse or come along to any of the pradtices noted in the announcements. We especlally welcome people who are Interested In joiningthe choir on Sunday mornings to help lead our praise. Mad@Flrst on Sundays OUth Fellowshlp) Mad@First on Sundays meets to worship at the evenlng service at 6pm and then for thelr meeting In the Graham Room. We would like to encourage any youth of secondary school age to come aEon8 to Mad on Saturday or Sunday nights and any of the other events planned throughout the year.
Ladle5@First Ladies @ Flrst meet mainly on the thlrd Tuesday of each month and hold other special event5 throughout the year. In all of the meetings we are 5eekin8 to adhere to the alrn of Presbyterlan Women and encourage women to become di%iples of Jesus. We Invite all ladles to come along to our meetings and events. If It is dlfficult to commlt to every month please feel free to come along when you can and you will be assured of a warm welcome. Engllsh Classes The class meets on Monday mornlngs from 10 to 12 and the average attendance is between 10 and 20 with 3 to 4 volunteer tutors we would not call oursefves teachers rather we are guides to the Engllsh language. The class at present comprlses Ukralnians, Portuguese and Afghanl. The class starts with each person reading as best they can from a passage from the Bible. We now are amazed wlth the progress some have made although they still have difflcultles in understanding some of the phrases whlch are In common usage. 221StMagherafelt Glrls Brlgade The 8irls meet in the Church hall every Wednesday ni8ht. Explorer5 meet at 6.1)Opm, Junlors 7.00pm. Seniors and Brl8aders from 7.45pm. We pray as we contlnue in Glr15 Brigade to remember our motto at all tlme5: 'Seek, Serve and Follow Christ., Youth Club @ Flrst The numbers in Youth Club remaln at a steady 20-25 regular Boys and Glrls every week. The young people tske part in various actlvitles such as board 8ames, table tennls, pool, play station and Wil garneswith the usual group games such as football and uni Hoc. We are encouraged by our numbers and our rellable group of leaders. We would ask for your contlnued support and prayers as we try to engage with these young people to come to know and trust the Lord. Volunteers The Trustees wlsh to acknowledge their deep appreclation of those who give freely of thelr time by serving on committees and helplng wlth organi5atlons and other church actlvitles.
FIRST MAGHERAFELTCONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont'd) PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT The Presbyterfan Church in Ireland meets the public benefrt requirement by providing benefit to tts members and the general public by making known the Chrlstlan Gospel of the Lord Jesus Chrlst through the advancement of reli8ion. The dlrect benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church include the galnlng of an understandlng in Christian beliefs as set out in the Bible and In the Church's subordin*e standards (the Westrninster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Lar8er Catechisms) leadlnB to spiritual and moral development and opportunities for response to Blble teaching. In turn, this framework leads to practical expressions of Chrlstlan beliefs and standards in the local community such as through the care of those In need (includln8 the slck, dlsabled and bereaved). Generally the above benefits are delivered locally by congregations and their member5, or are faalitated through presbf(eries or are organised and dellvered centrally. Local delivery 15 facilitated by central resources In almost all cases. Publlc access is made known through the use of noticeboards• prlnted materlal, pre55 advertlsement websites, and social media or in other way5. The beneflts are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the ser¥tlces and inft>rmal and ad-hoc feedback from members, thelr famllles, and members of the public. The purpose does not lead to harm. The only private beneflt flowlng from our purpose Is related to Ministers, Mlsslonaries, Deaconesses, Irish Mlssion worker5 and Lay Agents who receive benefits as a result of thelr holding ofPice or employment. However, this Is incidental and necessary in order to further our charitable purpose. There are no other private benefits. The beneficiaries of thls purpose are members, their families. other Indlviduals that the Presbf(erian Church in Ireland is in dlrect and indlrect contart wlth, the community In which pastoral services are provided and other communities throughout Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and worldwlde which beneflt from our engagement with and support for both Chrlstlan and other secular organlsations, charities and indivldual members of the public. The Klrk Session has had regard to the Charity Commlsslons Public benefrt requirement 5tstutory guidance.
FIRST MAGHERAFELTCONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT qcont'd) FINANaAL REVIEW The congregation's maln source of income is members, contributlons through the Weekly Freewill Offering Total Income of the congregation durin8 the year was £186,094 compared to £209,951 In the prevlous year. Total expenditure of the congregation durlng the year was £182,287 compared to £157,355 In the previous year. STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILrriES The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financSal statements of the con8re8ation In accordance with Bppllcable law and 8enerally accepted accounting practice. A5 the congregatlons total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Sectlon 64(3} of the Charitles Act (Northem Ireland) 208 to prepare a recelpts and payment account and a statement of assets and Ilabilitles. The Trustees are responslble for keeping adequate accountlng records that are sufficlent to show and explain the ¢ongre8atlon's transactions and dlsdose wlth reasonable accuracy at any tlme its financial positlon. They are also responsible for safeguardlngthe assets of the congregation and hence for taking Teasonable steps for the prviention and detectlon of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Klrk Session at a meeting on Tuesday 22nd October 2024 and slgned on Its behalf by Name- Rev Dr Jonathan A Curry Name- Robertjohn Hamilton Signatur Signature: Date: 22nd October 2024 Date: 22nd October 2024