Glenmanus Session Report for 2024
As we look back on 2024 we do so with thankfulness to God for His sustaining grace and His many blessings to us.
Worship Services were held morning and evening each Lord’s Day, with the exception of 15[th] and 29[th] December, when there was no evening service. We joined with the Dervock congregation for their Praise Service on 15[th] December and with the Ballyclabber congregation for their end of year Praise Service on 29[th] December. We were pleased to have a good number of visitors join us for a praise service on the evening of Sabbath 7[th] April. There is a time of prayer in the hall prior to the morning worship services.
The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was observed 2 times in the calendar year in April (20 communicants) and September (19 communicants). Average attendance at the morning service was 24 and in the evening 20 – that is out of a communicant membership of 21 and 3 covenant children. Some members who were unable to attend services in person have benefitted from being able to follow the livestream on Facebook. The main sermon series preached during the year included: Genesis (chapters 1 – 19), the miracles of Jesus and the parables of Jesus.
Most of the services were livestreamed on Facebook, with the Bible reading and sermon from the morning service also being made available on YouTube.
Mid-week meetings were held on Tuesday evenings apart from July and August, with an average of around 13 in attendance. We continued to make use of the conference call facility when the weather was particularly unfavourable during the winter months. Our usual format is to have a study followed by a time of prayer. This year we used a teaching series by Sinclair Ferguson on 1 Peter and also worked our way through the booklet ‘Body Life’ which had been prepared by the Home Section of the Mission Committee. On a number of occasions during the year we took a break from our usual format to have a guest speaker or to join with another congregation.
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On 22[nd] October we joined the Ballyclabber congregation as they hosted a meeting with representatives from the International Mission to Jewish people.
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On 16[th] December we were able to join with the Limavady congregation as Mary McCollum gave an update on her work in George, South Africa.
Summer Bible Readings. We were pleased to have Rev. Gareth Burke from Stranmillis Evangelical Presbyterian Church speak at our Summer Bible Readings from 2[nd] - 4[th] July. Mr Burke gave three excellent addresses on the theme “Behind The Scenes … Exploring The Book of Job”. The meetings were well attended and an encouragement to us.
The work of the Sabbath school continued with three pupils being taught.
Literature Distribution. Literature was distributed to advertise our Summer Bible readings in July. As in previous years our minister prepared a Gospel Calendar featuring photographs taken by members of the congregation along with an appropriate text for each month. In December 500 copies of these calendars were distributed along with copies of the Evangelical Times Christmas Good News. It is our prayer that God will use this witness to encourage believers and to draw people to himself.
The Friendship Group met nine times during the year. This is well supported by people outside of the congregation and those who attend appreciate the opportunity to meet and enjoy fellowship together.
The work of the Committee in overseeing the maintenance of the church property continued during the year.
Giving. As a result of the generous giving of the members the congregation has been able to meet all its financial obligations. The targets for Mission (£4,730.00) and Ministry (£4,160.00) have been paid in full. It has been our practice to pay the targets quarterly. In addition, we were pleased to be able to contribute a total of £8,800.00 to many other Christian organisations.
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1 & 2)
Respectfully submitted: Samuel McCollum Moderator Carlisle McCollum Clerk