Faughanvale Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland NIC 105631
The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of that date.
Reference and Administrative Details
Faughanvale Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
Killylane Road
Eglinton Londonderry BT47 3DW
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105631)
Charity Trustees
The Charity Trustees who served during the year and were:
James Lindsay Blair Samuel James Cochrane Norman Alexander Donnell Thomas Craig Trevor Thomas Evans Anne Louise Hamilton Glenn Harper (Resigned September 2023) John Hyndman Jameson (Resigned September 2023) Graham Lamrock John Frederick McClintock Grace Montgomery John Donald Montgomery Stephen James Montgomery Ivan Morrison Alison Simpson Gordon Smith William Raymond Ussher (Resigned September 2023)
Principal Office Bearers
Minister Rev Lindsay Blair Clerk of Session Donald Montgomery Treasurer Samuel Cochrane
Independent Examiner
Mrs Kathryn Evans, B.Ed
4 Dunlade Road
Greysteel Londonderry BT47 3EF
Bankers
Danske Bank, Donegall Square West, Belfast, BT1 6JS
Structure and Management
The Kirk Session
The charity trustees of the congregation are members of the 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 the 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 were held, as usual, held four times in the year in January, March, September, and November. Five special meetings were also held.
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 the votes 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 congregation assigned to it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Faughanvale congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has been assigned to the Presbytery of Derry and Donegal 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 Session of each 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, administrative, 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.
Description and Purpose
The Charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.
The Faughanvale 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. The congregation’s mission purpose is to:
Present the gospel of Christ in a relevant way to all
Improve attendance at ordinary church services by employing elements of family services
Increase contact with those unable to attend church
Improve pastoral care of the sick and elderly.
Increase outreach to young people, both within the congregation and in the wider community
Encourage church membership among non-churchgoers in the Eglinton area.
Activities and Objectives
The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is normally observed three times 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 bible study and discussion meetings and has a wide range of organizations including:
Sunday School
Youth Fellowship
Presbyterian Women
Sunshine Club
Bowling Club Boys Brigade
Men’s Group
Achievements and Performance
Worship and Prayer
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday morning at 11.30 am (earlier as announced during July and August) and a number of Bible study and discussion groups are held on Sunday evenings. Services were also made available to worshippers through live streaming of services each Sunday morning.
In 2023, four baptisms were carried out, no new members were admitted to communicant membership and four marriage ceremonies were conducted. When the circumstances arose, we gave thanks for faithful service and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.
At 31 December 2023, there were 239 communicant members, and 246 families connected to the congregation. The average attendance at weekly morning service during the year was around
75, representing a small increase on the previous year but still well down on pre-Covid levels. However, the live streaming of services enabled up to 120 people to see and hear services.
Pastoral Care
Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church regularly due to sickness or age or have other special needs are visited on a regular basis by the minister, elders or by members of the congregation’s pastoral care team.
Mission and Outreach
With the lifting of all Covid restrictions, the life and witness of the congregation resumed fully in 2023. The Minister, Elders, Pastoral Care Team and leaders of organizations continued to minister to the needs of all members of the congregation, with emphasis was given to the needs of children and youth people, the elderly and vulnerable and those sick either in hospital or at home.
In 2023, the congregation continued its financial support to the missionary work in Kenya carried out by Stephen Cowan with a donation of £2,385 and donated over £11,000 to other charities including Christian Aid, the Poppy Appeal, the Children’s Society, and the World Development Fund, as well as to a special appeal for aid to Turkey following the earthquake there. The congregation donated £8,750 to support 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 that which 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 congregations in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership, and pastoral care.
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 structure of the church.
Property
The congregation’s buildings (the Meeting House, Church Halls and Manse) were maintained in very good condition with routine maintenance and required repairs carried out. A major project was carried out to prepare ground for the extension of the church graveyard, which is likely to be required in the next few years.
Organizations
The following congregational organizations were active during the year:
Sunday School
Young children in the congregation attended the Sunday School. As before, except when family services were held, the children joined in with the congregation for the first part of Sunday Church service and then moved to the adjacent halls where a varied teaching programme was arranged with a variety of volunteer teachers. External teaching resources booklets were used to provide an interesting Bible story for our young children to learn about and discuss with their teacher. The focus is placed on stories about Jesus and the need for salvation. Other post primary children attended Bible class as a preparatory step towards Communion participation. During July and August, informal “Children’s Church, replaces Sunday School. A very enjoyable excursion to Portrush was held in June, attended by a large group of children, parents and friends. The children also performed in church at Christmas with a nativity play and on Children’s Day in June with a programme of praise.
Youth Fellowship
The activities of the congregation’s very active youth fellowship organization have been continuing twice a month on Sunday evenings. The very successful partnership with the parish church was maintained and the youth fellowship continued to play a very important part in the mission and outreach of the congregation. “SPARK” the youth fellowship group normally meets once a month and is for young people in years 8+ in secondary school. It offers a varied programme of activities, including games, sports, quizzes etc intermixed with small group sessions where Bible passages are read and studied. Mental health awareness has been focused on using externally provided resources. There is a regular attendance of approximately ten at
SPARK. The aim with SPARK is to provide a safe space for the young people of Eglinton to grow in their faith with God and explore new ideas, to present positive role models to inspire the young people by the example of their lives and to create friendships with other Christians both in the hall and on trips. “ FUEL” youth group normally meets once a month and is open to young people in years 8+ in secondary school. The aim with this group is to provide a safe space for this age group to come along and enjoy sports, games, tuck shop and games consoles and feel that it is very easy to invite friends along who may be from an unchurched background.
Presbyterian Women (PW)
Women of all ages are encouraged to attend Faughanvale PW and to grow as disciples of Christ. The PW motto is “Living for Jesus” and its aims highlight the need for: Love and Unity; Obedience to God, Christian Living and Spiritual Maturity; Service using Gifts, Time and Money; Local and Global Mission. Each year a new Committee is elected, and a programme is organised, and practical arrangements made. The varied programme normally includes visiting speakers together with the use of PW resources and support for other local events of interest to all ladies who attend. During 2023 Faughanvale Presbyterian Women’s Group met in January, February and March 2023 for meetings in the Church Hall and in May an outing was arranged for Ladies to go out for lunch and visit to a local Flower Festival. The ladies then met in October, November and December formally in the Church Hall and socially in a local restaurant respectively. There was an evening event held in a local restaurant in March 2023 for the Younger Ladies to encourage them to meet up and get to know others of the same age within the church.
Boy’s Brigade
The congregation has a very active and well-supported Boys Brigade company. The Boys' Brigade is a uniformed, Christian youth organisation for boys aged 4 to 18 years which has the aim of: "The advancement of Christ's kingdom among boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respect and all that tends towards a true Christian manliness”. The company is made up of three sections and meets on Thursday nights. Members come from both the congregation and the wider community. We commenced our 2022/23 session on Thursday in September 2022 with all sections meeting weekly in separate halls. Anchor Boys met from 6.30pm to 7.45pm. The Junior Section met from 6.30pm to 7.45 pm and the Company section from 7.30pm to 9pm. Anchor Boys caters for boys of Primary School Years 1 to 4. Numbers increased to 23 boys and the boys engage in a range of activities including games, crafts and bible stories. Junior Section is for boys in Years 5 to 7. It has 10 boys enrolled who engaged in bible knowledge, cooking, crafts, games, marching, quizzes, sports and swimming. Company Section caters for boys in Years 8 to13. It has 22 boys who take part in bible knowledge, box work, cooking, marching, quizzes, sports and swimming. Boys in all sections can gain badges and recognition for their participation in the activities in their own
company as well as taking part in competitions within the local Battalion and NI District. The BB is supported by five fully trained officers and three volunteers.
Sunshine Club
The Sunshine Club continued to provide fellowship for senior citizens from both within the congregation and the wider community. It had around 18 members in 2023 and meets once every month from September to May. A varied programme of activities for members was organised, including talks from guest speakers on diverse subjects, demonstrations and the practice of arts and crafts, music and singing, outings for meals and, most important of all, members enjoyed good company and fellowship over a cup of tea.
Bowling Club
The Bowling Club had 22 members in 2023, and once again, the majority of members came from the wider, local community, outside the congregation. The Club, as usual, participated in the Limavady and District Indoor Bowling league and enjoyed a very successful year in terms of fellowship and a relatively successful year in terms of competitions.
The congregation also continued to host an active Guides group (an external organisation, not within the jurisdiction of the Kirk Session), including Guides, Brownies, and Rainbows, which provided a wide range of activities in the Church Halls for members, many of whom come from the wider community, outside the membership of the congregation. The church also provided facilities for Eglinton Woman’s Institute, and, when requested, to assist the members of Faughanvale Parish Church which had not yet been able to replace its hall lost in serious flooding which occurred in Eglinton village in 2017.
Volunteers
The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who gave freely of their time during the year by serving on committees and helping with organizations and their activities.
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 the 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 organized and delivered centrally. Local delivery is facilitated through central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made 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 adhoc 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 organizations, charities and individual members of the public.
The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commission’s Public Benefit requirement statutory guidance.
Financial Review
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering, including giving to the Maintenance Fund and the Youth Work Fund. There were 175 family or individual contributors during 2023 donating a total of £105,000. The total income of the congregation during the year was £150,000. Total expenditure was £165,000. The main items of expenditure were the Minister’s salary and expenses, contributions to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, insurance, utility bills and maintenance and repairs.
Statement of Trustee Responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in accordance with the 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 (NI) 2008, to prepare receipts and payments 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 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 held on 1 October 2024 and signed on its behalf by:
Donald Montgomery Samuel Cochrane Date: 1 October 2024 Date: 1 October 2024