2025-12-31-annual-report - Gortnessy Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

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GORTNESSY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND

Trustees Annual Report For the year ended 31 December 2025

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105673)

GORTNESSY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 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 2025 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Gortnessy Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 84 Kilnappy Road,

Drumahoe Londonderry BT47 3LQ

Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC105673)

CHARITY TRUSTEES

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

Mr John Smyth

Mr Sydney Cooke

Mr Ross Hyndman Mr Richard Manning Mr Trevor Millar

PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS

Minister - Vacant (Convenor Rev Seth Wright) Clerk of Session - Mr Ross Hyndman Treasurer - Mr Richard Manning

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

David Douglas FCA, 1 Caw Hill Park, Londonderry, BT47 6LU

BANKERS

Danske Bank, Altnagelvin

SOLICITORS

R G Connell and Sons, 13 Main Street, Limavady, BT49 0EP

GORTNESSY 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 at least twice in each year or as appropriate.

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. The Church is currently in the process of Linkage with another church as overseen by Presbytery.

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. Gortnessy congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Derry and Donegal 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 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.

GORTNESSY 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.

Gortnessy 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:

A Covenant Community: where our relationships are rooted in the promises of God by living faithfully toward him and toward one another
An Intergenerational Community: where adults intentionally take the lead to engage with, encourage and nurture younger members to maturity in Christ.
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.
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 several 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 a wide range of organisations including

Sunday School
Bowing Club
Fun Bowls
Woman's Group
Some youths join with other local Churches who provide other services such as Girls Brigade and Boys Brigade.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and prayer

The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 10.30am and at other times for special occasions and services.

As well as our regular services during the year we would acknowledge God’s gift of new life and there was 1 Sacraments of Baptism and no marriage services during this year. The kirk Session gave thanks for faithful services and sought to comfort those who had been bereaved during the year.

At 31 December 2025 there were 150 communicant members and 55 of families connected with the congregations. The average week attendance at morning worship is approx 30 -35.

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 or elders. During the year regular telephone calls and visits were made to the congregation by Elders.

Mission and outreach

At a local level the congregation services are open to all members of the community and members visit other local congregations to support and encourage them in their work. During the year the congregation made a number of donations to the following external missions and agencies,

World development
Moderators Appeal
Belfast City Mission
Shoe box appeal
Tear fund
Royal British Legion
-Mission Aviation Fellowship

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

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 denominations annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School project and any other special appeals.

Presbytery

The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister/convenor and or one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.

General Assembly

The Minister/Convenor and one of our elders were nominated to attend the meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland held in Assembly Buildings, Belfast, in June.

Property

No major repairs or refurbishments during this year.

Organisations

Bowling Club

The Bowling Club meets on Monday nights from mid-September to mid-May. Two teams participate in the Waterside Churches league and at the end of the season, they have Internal Club Competitions for perpetual trophies.

Fun Bowls

Fun Bowls meet on a Tuesday night from mid-September to the end of June. The time is spent with conversations, fellowship, tea and non-competitive bowls.

The Womans' Group

The Womans' Group meet on the third Wednesday of the month from October to May. They invite speakers on health, home industries and other topics. They also spend a night wrapping shoe boxes for the Shoe Box Appeal.

Sunday School

Sunday School meet at 11.00am every Sunday (excluding summer) to instruct and explain the truths and meaning of the Scriptures and Catechisms. There are 5 children in the Junior Class.

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.

GORTNESSY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 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.

GORTNESSY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 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 61 contributors during the year 63 in previous year, 2024. They donated a total of £14,877.00 (£15,202.80 2024)

Total Income of the congregation (including the Bowls Club) during the year was £41,241.22, compared to £39,028.74 in the previous year.

Total expenditure (including the Bowls Club) decreased from £39232.45 to £35,843.15.

Copy of Financial Report Attached.

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 congregations 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 Monday the 11[th] March 2026 and signed on its behalf by

Mr Ross Hyndman Mr Richard Manning 11th March 2026 11th March 2026

Clerk of Session

Treasurer