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2022-12-31-annual-report

AUGHENTAINE 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 (NIC105620)

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AUGHENTAINE 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

CHURCH LOCATION

AUGHENTAINE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

24 Shantonagh Road Tullyquin Glebe Fivemiletown Co. Tyrone BT75 OTS

CHURCH CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS

AUGHENTAINE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

C/O Mr. John McCrory 140 Screeby Road Fivemiletown Co. Tyrone BT75 OTP

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105620)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were

Rev. David Curran (Minister) Mr. William Trimble Mr. John McCrory Mr. Rodney Atwell Mr. Stephen Erskine PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS Minister Rev. David Curran Clerk of Session Mr. John McCrory Treasurer Mr. Eric McCrory

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr. Paul Eakin, F.I.A.T.A. C/o Allan Montgomery & Co. Accountants, 100 Main Street, Fivemiletown, Co.Tyrone BT75 OPW

BANKERS

Danske Bank

PO Box 183, Donegall Square West, Belfast BT1 6JS

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AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND - TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

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 Sessions 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 ministers in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.

Stated meetings of the Kirk session were held 14 times during 2022 (10 were joint with Cavanaleck)

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. Aughentaine 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, 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 dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during the month of 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.

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AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND - TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.

Aughentaine 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.

Aughentaine Congregation’s Purpose – The Congregation of Aughentaine exists to love and glorify God, to love and care for one another and to love and reach our neighbour with the good news of Jesus Christ.

To fulfil our purpose statement Aughentaine Congregation seeks to:-

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 set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice

ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES

The congregation meets for worship every Sunday except during the month of August and other occasional Sundays when we have joint services with Cavanaleck Congregation. Visitors are always welcome at any of our services The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on four occasions during the year

Evening Service held last Sunday of the month (None July /August) Average attendance 20 Joint Weekly Prayer time in Cavanaleck Hall Average attendance 9

A wide range of organisations during the year meet for fellowship, recreation and outreach.

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AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The Congregation met for worship each Sunday at 12.30pm (11.45am from September) The average weekly attendance at morning worship was 51.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was held four times during the year.

During the week the Prayer time held in Cavanaleck Church Hall provided an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, and for a time of prayer.

As well as our regular services during the year we conducted one funeral service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved and one marriage ceremony.

At 31 December 2022 there were 54 communicant members and 47 families connected with the congregation.

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, the elders or by telephone.

Mission and outreach

In line with our Mission Statement and Purpose Aughentaine Congregation has a commitment to reach the local community and the wider world. Various activities were planned to help us achieve this aim.

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, 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 contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal and any other special appeals.

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AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the meetings of Presbytery by our Minister, Rev. David Curran, and one elder, Mr. Rodnet Atwell. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

Rev. David Curran, and one elder, Mr. William Trimble, were nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.

Property

There were no major repairs or refurbishment projects during the year 2022

Organisations

The Presbyterian Women’s Group met 6 times in 2022 as joint meetings with Cavanaleck. Average attendance of 20 - Living for Jesus the motto and they supported different missionaries. This meeting was also an opportunity to share fellowship with the women of the church.

Volunteers

The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who gave freely of their time by serving on committees and helping with organisations and other church activities during a difficult 2022.

AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)

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 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 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.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 47 contributors during the year (47 in 2021) donating a total of £21,076 (£21,481 in 2021).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £50,634 compared to £68,013 in the previous year. The main reason for the change was due to no bequests in 2022

Total expenditure decreased from £62,597 to £55,475 due to no new investment.

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AUGHENTAINE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYfERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (convd) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBIUTIES The Trustees are restK)nsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in accordance with applicable law arAd generally accepted accounting practice. As the cOn￿egationS totsl income does not exceed £250,000, the Tnjstees have elected under Section 64(3) 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 congr¢gation'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 takÈng re&sonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Kirk Session at a rneeting on 28 June 2023 and signed on its behalf by: Rev. David Curran . John Mccrory Date: 28 June 2023 Date: 28 June 2023 Mr. William Trimble Mr. Rodney Atwell Date: 28 June 2023 Date: 28 June 2023 Mr. Stephen Erskine Date: 28 June 2023