2023-12-31-annual-report - Enniskillen Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

ENNISKILLEN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105648)

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 2023 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 (retired 31.01.23 Kate Doherty Ronnie Chambers Philip Galbraith Brian Keys Victor Magowan Pamela Rainey Diane Stevenson Ken Rainey Alvin Mullan Clive Morrow (appointed 15.01.23)

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister Rev David Cupples (retired 31 January 2023) Convenor of Vacancy Rev Günther Andrich (from 1 February 2023) Clerk of Session Kate Doherty Secretary Thomas Harpur

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

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 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 on the third Thursday of every month. In 2023 there was no meeting in July.

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. In late 2022, Clive Morrow was elected as an Elder and his ordination took place on 15[th] January 2023

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. Brian Keys is currently the Elder appointed to this role by the Kirk Session.

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. In June 2023, the Clerk of Session Kate Doherty and Convenor, Rev Günther Andrich attended meetings of the General Assembly.

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.

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

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

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

A church which glorifies God by enabling people to become mature disciples of Jesus Christ
A warm-hearted congregation, welcoming people from all backgrounds
A place where through relevant and sound Bible teaching, fellowship groups, faithful pastoral care and a growing emphasis on witness in the community we create a nurturing environment where people can find forgiveness, wholeness and transformation in Jesus Christ the Lord.

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.

The first month of 2023, inevitably, had as its focus the imminent retirement of our minister of over 35 years, Rev David Cupples on 31[st] January 2023. He worked tirelessly to ensure as effective a handover as was possible, completing an almost entire visitation of the families in the congregation and working with the Clerk of Session and others in the preparation of documentation required to facilitate a speedy opportunity for the PCI Linkage Commission to meet with representatives of the congregation in order to determine whether there would be leave to call a new minister. Preparations to recognize his contribution to the church and that of his wife and family culminated in a Dinner at the Killyhevlin Hotel on 26[th] January 2023 with presentations made as tokens of the love and appreciation of the church members.

From February 1[st] 2023, Rev Gunther Andrich has acted as the Convenor and has chaired Kirk Session meetings and meetings of the Congregational Committee as well as taking Sunday morning services at regular intervals.

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 to spread responsibility and lighten the workload of the Clerk. However, inevitably, her workload has substantially increased due to the vacancy. Preparation of documentation prior to a meeting of the Linkage Commission was time consuming but it was encouraging that after approval was given by the Omagh Presbytery, the PCI Linkage Commission granted an interview on 23[rd] May 2023. The Convenor, Church Secretary and the Clerk of Session attended, and the decision of the Linkage Commission was to give the congregation leave to call a minister.

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

Subsequently, several approaches were made by the Clerk of Session, with the approval of the Convenor and Kirk Session, to the four licentiates who were available as well as to a number of settled ministers. However, at the end of 2023 the vacancy was still in operation with the Kirk Session continuing to actively explore options, always praying for God’s guidance to lead us to the person of God’s choice.

In February 2024 , the Kirk Session met with Rev Steve Kennedy who had applied for the vacancy. They put forward his name as a sole nominee and after approval was given by the Clerk of Assembly, Rev Kennedy came to preach on 24[th] March 2024. At the Congregational meeting held the following evening he was issued with a call by a very substantial majority of the voting members present and he accepted the call.

WORSHIP

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.

Although the numbers of people attending the Sunday morning services have not returned to pre-Covid levels and considering that for eleven months of the year we have been in a vacancy situation, the attendances at church have been quite encouraging. Pulpit supply for the year was initially organized by Rev Cupples prior to his retirement but was then taken over by the Clerk of Session. The congregation have really valued the visits of a relatively small group of ministers who have come to the church regularly and have been very supportive. 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.

Fellowship groups and the prayer meeting have reverted back to in-person meeting, but the weekly elders prayer meeting on Sunday mornings has used Zoom very effectively. In addition to the usual prayer meetings there have been occasions when the congregation were encouraged to come together to pray specifically for the vacancy.

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 in 2023.

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

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.

In 2022, a thorough review was undertaken of pastoral care, with specific reference to home visitation. The model of each elder having a district was retained. Pastoral issues are a standing item on each Kirk Session agenda and plans have been initiated to have an Elders Breakfast in early 2024 to take forward discussion of the pastoral responsibility of elders, given its heightened importance during a time of vacancy.

ACTIVITIES

In terms of church ministries, it is good to report that the Sunday School [XTB], Bible Class, Chess Club, Bowling Club, and Crèche are all operating.

The outreach ministries of the Church Mouse Shop, Tea4U , our Community cafe and CAP West NI [a branch of the UK Charity Christians Against Poverty] have also continued with Men’s Breakfasts a regular feature of church life.

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

CAP/Tea4U volunteers manned an effective stall at the Coronation celebrations at Enniskillen Castle on May 8th and made useful contacts.

A film evening was organised on St Patrick’s Day.

As a church we have always believed in the importance of small groups and the Prayer Meeting and Fellowship Groups continue to meet on alternate weeks.

There is now no functioning group under the banner of Presbyterian Women, but several successful events for ladies took place; an afternoon tea in May, a breakfast in June and another in October with an evening meal in December. These events have brought in some ladies, not closely linked with the congregation which is encouraging and enabled relationships to be built.

Numbers in Youth Fellowship had declined and under the leadership of our Convenor Rev Gunther Andrich and one of our elders the decision was made to establish contact with the leaders of other church youth groups across denominations to consider joint activity under the heading of a ‘Flame Initiative’. During 2023 a variety of planning and prayer gatherings took place as well as small events drawing in young people from various churches.

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. 2 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 150 families connected to the church, 140 have an email address. This has allowed the church to send a set of 5 weekly Bible readings and accompanying notes to most of the congregation This work continued throughout 2023 after the retirement of Rev Cupples and was coordinated by one of the elders.

A very successful programme for Sunday evenings has been in operation. It began with a series where representatives of various mission agencies came to speak. This was organized by the one of the elders, who holds the chair of the Missionary Committee. This was a very positive series which really engaged those who attended. In the autumn, two elders acted as mentors to a group of younger members to enable them to assume a position of leadership during an 8 week Prayer Course. Attendance and level of commitment to the course were very encouraging. A very well attended Carol service in early December brought that 2023 Sunday evening programme to a very positive end.

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

Changes in personnel

A new Designated Person for Safeguarding, Edwin Wilson, was appointed.

Finances

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 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 congregations in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership, and pastoral care.

The congregation continues to support the Cousley family who work with MAF in Mareeba, Australia. They are now applying for permanent residence. They paid a visit to Enniskillen in

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

March 2023 and took a major part in a Sunday morning service as well as an informal Sunday evening gathering. Informal discussions with them indicated that they were satisfied with the current level of support from the church.

With no major building projects or repairs anticipated and all church accounts in a healthy state, the Harvest Appeal was divided between Operation Rescue, a Christian childcare project in Tigray, Ethiopia, [40%], The E3 Scripture Union Schools Project [30%] and the Enniskillen Food Bank [30%].

Gamble Bequest

For many years, indeed since 1888, we as a congregation, have benefitted financially under the terms of a bequest, known as the Gamble Bequest. Under the terms of that bequest, the subject of which is property situated in East Bridge Street Enniskillen , the rental income was to be collected and applied as follows:

£5 per annum to be paid to the Sustentation Fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland [PCI]
£5 per annum to be paid to the Orphan Society of the PCI
The balance to be paid to the then minister of Enniskillen Presbyterian Church and to their successors.

For some time it has been the view of the Education Board for the Omagh Presbytery, as Trustee, together with the Kirk Session and Congregational Committee that, as the original purposes of the Bequest are now adequately provided for by other means, the terms of the Bequest should be reviewed and, if possible, amended. In summary, the rationale for this view is:

The Sustentation Fund of the PCI is now held as part of the PCI Central Ministry Fund, which is
used to make payments to Presbyterian Ministers. Congregations no longer make individual contributions to the Sustentation Fund;

• Ministers within the PCI are currently remunerated in a different way to that which pertained when the Gamble Bequest was settled. At that time, individual congregations decided the amount of their Minister’s stipend and they were responsible for paying this. The PCI now has a Central Ministry Fund for remuneration of Ministers, which prescribes a minimum annual stipend and a maximum annual increase in a stipend. Where a congregation is unable to meet the minimum stipend from funds, the central funds of PCI will meet the shortfall;

• Given the current level of income from the Bequest, it is not considered to be in the best interests of the congregation as a whole as, during the current period of vacancy, the

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

amount of remuneration could be a factor in influencing a candidate in applying for the Minister’s position.

After many years of discussion it was eventually decided to draw up a cy pres scheme amending the terms of the bequest and in July 2023 our application to the Charities Commission for that revision was successful.

In summary, income from the Bequest will now be applied as follows:

• 5% will be paid each year to the Presbyterian Children’s Society. Based on current Bequest income, this will, in real terms, greatly exceed the £5 paid to the PCI Orphan Society as provided for under the original terms of the Bequest.

• The balance to be for the general purposes of Enniskillen Presbyterian Church.

Going forward Kirk Session in conjunction with the Congregational Committee will seek to ensure that, as a fellowship of God’s people in Enniskillen, we make best use of the resources entrusted to us as we reach out in mission to share God’s love with the wider community both locally and further afield.

Also, during 2023 we were made aware that congregations such as ours which have the Presbytery Education Board as their holding trustees for their property must act, making the choice between appointing individual trustees or appointing the newly registered ‘THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND HOLDING TRUSTEE COMPANY’ as holding Trustee. This matter was discussed by the Kirk Session and the Congregational Committee and the decision made to choose the latter option. A document to that effect was drawn up by the Church Solicitors, Cooper Wilkinson.

At a Congregational meeting held on 25[th] March 2024, the proposal to change the Holding Trustee was accepted and the documentation was duly signed.

Our giving to external agencies and charities was as follows:

To mission agencies and societies beyond the Presbyterian Church in Ireland – £42,980 (2022 - £35,309) PCI United Appeal for mission - £7,509 (2022 - £6,796) PCI World Development Appeal - £6,330 (2022 - £5,982) Presbyterian Children’s Society - £ 3500 Earl Haig Fund - £182 (2022 - £126 )

ENNISKILLEN CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT [cont’d]

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 115 contributors during the year (125 in 2022) donating a total of £80,847 (£91,802 in 2022).

Total income of the congregation during the year was £237,797, compared to £235,598 in the previous year.

Regular expenditure decreased from £202,468 in 2022 to £176,078 in 2023. This is as expected during a vacancy period when ministerial costs are replaced with lower convenor fee and pulpit supplies.

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.

Property

No major work was undertaken in 2023. It was recognised however, that some repair work is needed to the roof of the Church Mouse Shop. It is anticipated that this will be completed in early 2024.

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 organizations 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.

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.

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.

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

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 because of their holding office or employment. However, this is incidental and necessary 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.

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 18 April 2024 and signed on its behalf by

[Name] Kate Doherty [Name] WK Rainey

[Date] 18 April 2024 [Date] 18 April 2024