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2022-12-31-annual-report

ENNISKILLEN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105648)

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ENNISKILLEN 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

Enniskillen Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 16 East Bridge Street

ENNISKILLEN Co Fermanagh BT74 7BT

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105648)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

We express our sincere thanks to the Charity Trustees who served during the year. Those who were trustees during the year were:

Rev David Cupples Kate Doherty Ronnie Chambers Brian Keys Victor Magowan Pamela Rainey Diane Stevenson Ken Rainey Alvin Mullan Philip Galbraith PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev David Cupples (retired 31 January 2023) Clerk of Session Kate Doherty Secretary Thomas Harpur (appointed 22 May 2022)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

McAleer Jackson Ltd

Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors Church House 24 Dublin Road Omagh BT78 1HE

BANKERS SOLICITORS Danske Bank Cooper Wilkinson 24 Townhall Street Solicitors Enniskillen Imperial Buildings BT74 7BB 38-40 Queen Elizabeth Road Enniskillen BT74 7BY

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ENNISKILLEN 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 congregations. 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 are held on the third Thursday of every month except July and August.

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. Election directly by the congregation requires a person to obtain 30% of votes cast; election by the Kirk Session requires names selected and proposed to the congregation to receive two-thirds of the votes cast.

The duties of the Clerk of Session have accumulated and increased over the 15 years of her tenure. Some of these duties were re-allocated and re-distributed to the other elders at the June meeting to spread responsibility and lighten the workload of the Clerk.

An election of elders was held in the autumn. Four people received enough votes to be elected but only one felt that becoming an elder was the call of God to him at this moment in time.

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

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. Enniskillen 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 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 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.

Enniskillen 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 glorify and enjoy God in worship and living. To live and love as a fellowship of His family and to help one another grow spiritually. To share His Word with others and to serve our community.

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

The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as a family of God’s people by being:

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 and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on four 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 has a wide range of organisations, activities and ministries including: Creche, Sunday School (XTB), Youth Fellowship, Bible Class, Chess Club, Bowling Club, midweek Fellowship Groups, Prayer Meeting, Toddle Time, Tea4U community cafe, Church Mouse Shop (charity shop), Pastoral Care Team, The Mens Group and CAP West NI – a branch of the UK charity Christians Against Poverty.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

At the practical level, the period of severe restrictions placed on each congregation by the PCI General Assembly came to an end on 1[st] March 2022. While some restrictions remained in force, this opened the way for many aspects of church life to return to normal; in particular the end to the requirement for social distancing when seated in church.

Regrettably the numbers of people attending the Sunday morning services did not return to pre-Covid levels. The Sunday morning service continues to be livestreamed. We know this is valued by the elderly and infirm members who cannot physically be present at church and who look forward immensely each week to the broadcast service. We have continued to receive as many as 200 views per week, but this has not translated into new faces at church.

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

While fellowship groups and the prayer meeting have reverted back to in-person meeting, Zoom has proved to be a useful fallback when e.g. the weather has been inclement.

The elders of the church continued a serious study of Romans 12 in an ongoing attempt to hear from God concerning the future of the congregation.

At 31 December 2022 there were 127 communicant members and 156 families connected with the congregation.

Taking account of guidance from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church that holding an AGM was optional for charities, the decision was made not to hold an AGM this year.

Pastoral care

The Pastoral Care Team continued to offer practical help and support. Nearly one quarter of the current group of people associated with the church are over 80 years of age.

A thorough review was undertaken of pastoral care, with specific reference to home visitation. The model of each elder having a district was retained. The key points of this were written up for our learning and one elder has been asked to carry a brief for pastoral care and chair a reflection on this at each KS meeting so that elders would continue to learn together how best to care for the flock, sharing experiences of both success and failure.

It was with joy that various other ministries did resume - Chess Club, T4U, our community café; Monday night Bowling Club; and Crèche in September.

The ministries of the Church Mouse Shop, CAP and Youth Fellowship continued, as did Men’s Breakfasts.

As a church we have always believed in the importance of small groups and the Prayer Meeting, Fellowship Groups and Men’s Group continued to meet.

There is now no functioning group under the banner of Presbyterian Women, but several successful events for ladies took place, principally two meals – one a breakfast in June and the other an evening meal in December, both of which attracted large numbers and built relationships.

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

One family was supported financially through the Presbyterian Children’s and Orphans Society. Two elderly ladies receive a quarterly grant through the Presbyterian Women’s Fund

The use of email has massively changed the method of communication in church life in the last 20 years. Of the 160 families connected to the church, 140 have an email address. This has allowed the minister to send a set of 5 weekly Bible readings and accompanying notes to most of the congregation. This has been very well received and will continue into 2023, coordinated by one of the elders.

Rev Cupples led a discipleship training class over the course of 8 Sunday evenings in the period April – June. Focusing on Luke chapters 9-10 the focus of study and application was on how Jesus trained his 12 disciples. While open to the whole congregation and publicised widely, a selected number of people were invited, for whom it was felt this might be especially worthwhile.

Mission and outreach

Regarding the re-commencement of various church ministries after Covid, there were gains and losses. Due to a lack of leaders, it was decided that the Friday evening meetings for primary school age girls, Giggles, would end.

For the same reason Toddle Time did not re-commence but it is hoped this ministry can begin again in due course.

The Church Mouse Shop continued to open on Fridays and had its highest ever level of annual income since opening in December 2013.

Sunday evening meetings began again in October and pursuing a missionary theme, we have heard from Rebecca Stevenson about her work with CARE, from Ken Rainey about the work of Bethesda in Romania, and from Kate Doherty on the work of Operation Rescue in Ethiopia.

An outreach initiative was undertaken in the autumn period comprising 5 separate gatherings – a barbecue in September, TEAR Fund Big Quiz Night in October, a weekend of special meetings in November and the Carol Service on 18[th] December. Over the week-end of 18/19 November Linda Jane Watt from Portadown spoke at T4U and an evening meeting on her spiritual restoration and wholeness after a childhood of severe abuse, and Rev Ian Harrison spoke on Saturday morning on how he has faced cancer through faith in Christ. While all the gatherings were quite well attended by people already connected to the congregation, the absence of faces from outside underlines the depth and scale of the challenge the church faces with regard to mission in our own local community.

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

A special meeting of Kirk Session was held in November to specifically consider the issue of why some local churches are growing while others are declining. It was an insightful discussion but did not yield any simple answers as to how to move forward in our own congregation.

While some people have left us to join other churches, we have also made contact with two new families this year.

We experienced the joy of one adult baptism, one infant dedication and one wedding service.

Jeff Gawn was Licensed as a probationer for the Christian ministry on 22 October 2022.

Our giving to external agencies and charities was as follows

To mission agencies and societies beyond the Presbyterian Church in Ireland – £35,309 (2021 - £33,421) PCI United Appeal for mission - £6,796 (2021 - £6,944) PCI World Development Appeal - £5,982 (2021 - £1,728) PCI Children’s Society - £2,446 (25% of Harvest Appeal) Earl Haig Fund - £126 (2021 - £98)

The war in Ukraine exercised many hearts and consciences. There was a generous response to the Moderator’s Appeal for Ukraine. £4000 was given directly by the congregation, and £3000 was added to this comprising two week’s takings in the Church Mouse Shop. In May Rev Alistair Torrens spoke at a Sunday morning service bringing a firsthand account of the suffering there. Rev Torrens lectures at the Kiev Evangelical Theological Seminary. A subsequent gift of £1000 was made to him from church funds for use in alleviating suffering in Ukraine.

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.

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

The congregation continues to support the Cousley family who work with MAF in Mareeba, Australia. They are now applying for permanent residence. They are expected to visit Enniskillen in March 2023 when discussions will be held with them about future support.

With no major building projects or repairs anticipated and all church accounts in a healthy state, the Harvest Appeal was used to all help those affected by the current cost of living crisis. A total of nearly £10,000 was divided between TEAR Fund and Presbyterian Children’s Society (25%) each, and the remaining 50% going to the Lakes Vineyard Food bank.

The Missionary Committee felt there was a need to consolidate our missionary giving among a smaller number of agencies. As a result, a parting gift and letter was sent to OMF, EMMS, Worldshare and Operation Mobilisation.

Presbytery

Presbytery meetings resumed and both minister and representative elder attended.

General Assembly

The Enniskillen congregation sought to scrupulously adhere to all formal guidance given by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland on the basis of a clear biblical command to love our neighbour, and do everything in our power to make attendance at in-person services as safe as possible. There were no breaches of government or PCI regulations.

Property

No major work was undertaken in 2022 and none is anticipated.

The cy pres scheme was set in motion in 2021 regarding the terms of the Gamble Bequest is still ongoing. If this were to be successful it would have a significant effect on the congregation’s freedom to manage the income derived from the Church Mouse shop.

Organisations

There has been a renewal of outside groups using the Bridge Centre for their activities eg YWAM, Enniskillen Motor Club, Fresh Focus and those learning to play the bagpipes.

Matthew Scott erected on the Bridge Centre staircase a magnificent montage of 153 fish made of felt, symbolising the miraculous draft of fishes, described in John 21. This was created by the craft group in the church led by Rachel Beckley.

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

Volunteers & Personnel

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.

Like all churches we are experiencing a challenge in renewing the commitment of volunteers, but we estimate we still have c100 volunteers working across the full range of activities within our congregation.

After many years as a caretaking team, Robert and Hazel Wilson formally stepped down and their contribution was recognised at a special congregational meal in October after a Sunday morning service. The church was delighted when Nigel Johnston was appointed as the new caretaker.

After 15 years as Congregational secretary, during which period of tenure he frequently went well beyond the call of duty, Dr Terry Mulholland stepped down and was replaced in September by Tom Harpur.

A new Designated Person for Safeguarding was appointed. Stuart Beeson accepted the position and Gary Smyth was thanked for his faithful service in this post.

An election of Congregational Committee took place in the spring. Several members having stood down after many years’ service, including Harold Martin, Sylvia Cooper, and Eleanor Harpur, it was a joy to welcome several new members onto the new committee.

After taking soundings from the elders, Rev David Cupples had reached agreement with the Kirk Session in February that he should retire on 31 January 2023, 7 months before his due retirement date. This timing would benefit the congregation in its search for his successor. He formally communicated this news to the congregation by means of a letter posted to all households in early August before he went off on summer holiday.

As the year ended, and with the retirement of Rev Cupples drawing nearer, the elders began preparations for the vacancy. The Presbytery of Omagh had appointed Rev Gunther Andrich, minister of Irvinestown, Pettigo and Tempo as Convenor.

With Rev Cupples having been in post for 35 years and 5 months at his retirement, the congregation enters an uncertain time since most members cannot remember a previous vacancy. The Trustees and indeed the whole church family is deeply appreciative of the faithful ministry of Rev Cupples over so many years and plans were made at the end of 2022 to show that appreciation in a variety of appropriate ways.

This is a time to look back with thanks to God for His faithfulness but also to prayerfully renew our commitment as elders and as a church family to seek first the kingdom of God and to trust God to provide for the church’s needs in the future.

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ENNISKILLEN 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 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.

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

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The church is maintained by the generous and in some cases sacrificial giving of its members. This is supplemented by the invaluable income from the Church Mouse Shop.

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 125 contributors during the year (125 in 2021) donating a total of £91,802 (£86,315 in 2021).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £235,598, compared to £223,228 in the previous year.

Regular expenditure increased from £165,354 in 2021 to £202,468 in 2022.This is a reflection of a return to more normal level of Church activities and an increase in giving to Others. The Church has no debt owing.

RESERVES POLICY

The Trustees’ aim is to maintain sufficient free reserves in unrestricted, undesignated funds to bridge any funding gaps experienced by the church.

It is the policy of this church to hold in Reserves the equivalent of three months’ general running costs, including employee costs. It is also our policy to hold in Reserves 25% of annual buildings costs for church, halls and Church Mouse Shop. Based on average annual costs for the past three years, the total amount to be held in Reserves should be a minimum of £32,500.

GOING CONCERN

The activities of the congregation are dependent on ongoing contributions from its members. The Trustees are of the opinion that the congregation has sufficient resources at the date of approval of these financial statements to meet commitments which will arise in the year from the date of signing this report and subject to the continuing support from members to fund on an ongoing basis the congregation’s current activities and other financial commitments.

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

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.

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 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 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 20 April 2023 and signed on its behalf by

[Name ] Kate Doherty [Name] WK Rainey [Date] 20 April 2023 [Date] 20 April 2023

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