POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105662)
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees present their Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Pomeroy congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
2 Edendoit Road, Pomeroy, Dungannon BT70 2RW
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105662)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were
Rev. S. J. Mervyn Lindsay Mr. Alexander Moore Mr. Ronald Irwin Mr. Harry Watt Mr. Samuel Watt Mr. Samuel Gilkinson Mr. Andrew Boyd Mr. Jonathan Kelso
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Clerk of Session Treasurer
Rev. S. J. Mervyn Lindsay Mr. Alexander Moore Miss Heather Boyd
BANKERS
Ulster Bank 39 Market Square Dungannon BT70 1JJ
SOLICITORS
Millar, Shearer & Black 40 Molesworth Street Cookstown BT80 8PH
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Mr. Kelvin Henry 6 Mulnagore Road Sandholes BT80 9BS
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 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 minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.
Stated meetings of the Kirk session are held at least twice in each year.
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. Pomeroy congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Tyrone 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.
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
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 minsters 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.
Pomeroy 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 congregations mission purposes is, by the grace of God, to help people of all ages become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Our vision is, by the grace of God, to be an inclusive, welcoming community of Christ’s people of all ages, which:
- is increasingly characterised by love for God, and love and concern for others; - is committed to the historic Christian gospel as revealed in the Bible; - is relevant to people of this time and place.
The congregation aims to live out its Mission and Vision as a family of God’s people by being:
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A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another
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An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ.
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An Outward looking Community: where we want the blessings of God that belong to us in the gospel to become blessings for others beyond the bounds of our community.
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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.
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The congregation meets for worship every Sunday at 12noon, and visitors are welcome to join. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is observed on three 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 holds regular Bible study meetings jointly with Sandholes congregation and has a wide range of organisations including:
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Sunday School
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Youth Fellowship (jointly with Sandholes congregation)
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Bowing Club
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PW – Women’s group
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Midweek Bible Study and Prayer Meeting (jointly with Sandholes congregation)
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Annual Holiday Bible Club (jointly with Sandholes congregation)
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday throughout the year at 12noon and 7.00pm on the second Sunday of the month, September to June. There is also a Prayer meeting before the church service each Sunday. On Thursdays the Midweek Bible Study provides an opportunity for members to meet together for fellowship, to study the scriptures and for a time of prayer.
As well as our regular services during the year we acknowledged God's gift of new life at the Sacraments of Baptism of 2 infants and 1 adult. We also conducted 3 funeral services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.
At 31 December 2025 there were 120 communicant members and 103 families connected with the congregation. The average week attendance at morning worship is 64.
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 and elders.
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
Mission and outreach
At a local level the congregation provided leaders and premises for the Pomeroy Scouts Group. We held an Act of Remembrance, and families who lost loved ones during ‘The Troubles’ laid wreathes on Remembrance Sunday.
The minister takes school Assemblies in two local primary schools and one local high school. He and other members of the congregation are on the Board of Governors of Queen Elizabeth II P.S. The congregation participated in the local Churches Football League. We support the Samaritans’ Purse, Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal. In October, the congregation held a collection for a local food bank.
Representatives from a number of Missionary Organisations have the opportunity to speak about their work at various Sunday services and Midweek meetings as well as at PW meetings. Some members were involved in Summer outreach teams this year and other short-term mission trips.
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 congregations in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care. The congregation also contributes to the denomination’s annual Sunday School Project, the Irish Mission and any other special appeals e.g., the Moderator’s Appeal.
Presbytery
The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and / or one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.
General Assembly
The meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June was attended by the minister and another elder.
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
Organisations
A brief summary of the organisations and what they did during the year.
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Our Sunday School meets on Sunday mornings when around 20 children and young
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people are taught from the Bible.
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Our Youth Fellowship meets on Sunday evenings, alternating with Sandholes
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congregation, when a group of young people find help and develop friendships as they are encouraged to follow Christ and to growth in the Christian faith. They attended a weekend away to Donegal in March 2025 which was useful in strengthening relationships. There was also a Youth Event for other youth fellowship groups to attend in November 2025.
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Our bowling club meets each Tuesday night throughout the year. It has members
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from the wider community and takes part in the South Tyrone Churches League.
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Our ladies’ group, PW, meets monthly on Wednesday evenings during the winter
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season. Various guest speakers encourage the development of Christian growth and support for Mission. The PW group also led a morning service in March 2025 sharing their work.
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On Thursday nights, alternating with Sandholes congregation, we have a Midweek
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meeting for prayer and Bible study, and a number of missionary speakers attend throughout the year.
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In the summer we were involved with Sandholes congregation in running a Holiday Bible Club at Sandholes, many children participated including a significant number from wider community.
Volunteers
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.
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
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
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 117 contributors during the year (120 in 2024) donating a total of £80,352 (£72,719 in 2024).
Total Income of the congregation during the year was £118,347, compared to £111,933 in the previous year. This represents an increase of 5.73%.
Total expenditure decreased from £102,667 in 2024 to £90,929 in 2025.
POMEROY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 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) 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 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 Monday 2[nd] March 2026 and signed on its behalf by: Signed: Signed: Signien: Meteo’ Signed: #13 ; - A. Name: Mr Alex Moore Name: Mr. Harry Watt Date: 02/03/26 Date: 02/03/26