THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2022
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC106435)
THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY 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
The East Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland C/O 234 Lower Braniel Road
Belfast BT5 7NJ
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC106435)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:
Rev Nigel Craig
Rev Richard McIlhatton Rev Jonathan Frazer Rev Noble McNeely Rev David Moore Rev Johnston Lambe Rev Albin Rankin Rev Mervyn Gibson Rev Jim Stothers Rev Stuart McCrea Mr Gordon McConnell Rev Jim Campbell Rev George Moffett Rev Hastings McIntyre Rev Robert Hornby Rev David Maxwell Mr Fred McKee Mr Ivor Lowry Mr Colin McRoberts
Rev Frank Sellar Rev Mervyn Burnside Rev Edward McKenzie Rev William McCully Rev Stephen Moore Rev Mark Brown Rev James Warburton Rev Christoph Ebbinghaus Rev Robert Beggs Rev Colin Burcombe Rev Gareth MacLean Rev Martin Gray Rev Danny Rankin Rev Billy Hamilton Rev Uel Marrs Prof. Drew Gibson Rev Gary Ball Mr Ken Brown Rev Robin Aicken Mr Wilson Moore Miss Heather Donaldson Mrs Daphne Caldwell Rev Alastair Dunlop Rev Ron Savage Rev William McKeown Rev Robin Quinn Rev Ivan McKay Rev Denis Whitley Rev Derek Drysdale Rev Marlene Taylor Mr David Gillespie Mr Alastair Mills Mr Kirk Shilliday Mr Andrew McCann Ms Margaret Grayson Miss Leonora Wasson Mr Tom McCullough Mr Martin Hampton
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Mrs Anne White Mr Alan Bousfield Mrs Margaret Grayson Mrs Edith McCallum
Mr Aubrey Bell Mr George Dunbar Mr John Boyd Mrs Rosemary Hamilton
Mr Robert Tinney Mr Hugo Wilson Mr Jackie Patterson Mr George Hampton
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Moderator Clerk of Presbytery Finance Convener
Rev Johnathan Frazer Rev Stephen Moore Mr Martin Hampton
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Mr Robert Martin Russell 1 Rockland Drive Moneyreagh BT23 6BD
BANKERS
Ulster Bank Ltd Connswater Branch Arches Retail Park Belfast BT4 5AF
SOLICITORS
Hewitt & Gilpin Solicitors Ltd Thomas House 14-16 James Street South Belfast BT2 7GA
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
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. The following congregations of the Presbyterian Church have been assigned to The East Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Belmont Knock Bloomfield McQuiston Castlereagh Mersey Street Christ Church Mountpottinger Cregagh Orangefield Dundonald Ravenhill Garnerville St Andrews Gilnahirk Stormont Granshaw Strand Holywood 1[st] Tullycarnet Holywood High Street Westbourne Kirkpatrick
A Presbytery makes arrangements for the election of ministers in congregation, ordains licentiates and installs or inducts and appoints ministers in the congregations assigned to it. They also ordain or install and appoint elders, commission and appoint deaconesses, senior lecturers, auxiliary ministers, lay agents and missionaries who have been called by an authorised body in the Church. A Presbytery has a role in seeing that ministers preach the Word faithfully to their congregations, regularly visit the families under their charge, visit the sick, promote peace and temperance and see that the duties of the eldership are property discharged. Presbyteries oversee the resignation and retirements of ministers and elders.
Presbyteries provide advice to Kirk Sessions and Congregational Committees when required and have a role in approving matters in relation to congregational property. They report annually to the General Assembly and have the right to make a nomination for the office of Moderator of the General Assembly.
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
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
elder appointed by the Kirk Session of the congregation. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.
Stated meetings of Presbytery are held on the second Tuesday of September, and the first Tuesday in November, December, February, March and May.
All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, who is a minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.
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 presbytery is the advancement of religion.
The East Belfast Presbytery is a presbytery 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.
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The presbytery meets on the second Tuesday of September, and the first Tuesday in November, December, February, March and May and on other occasions as required. All meetings commence with a time of worship and are opened and closed with prayer.
The presbytery carries out the following activities
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Supports those candidating for the Ministry
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Installs Ordained ministers
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Provides pastoral support for ministers and their families
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Holds a number of events such as an Annual Missionary Support Service for all congregations of East Belfast to attend.
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PW Link is an initiative of Presbyterian Women intended to improve communications and build relationships between Presbyterian Women. PW links include a representative from each congregation and run events to support the mission and outreach of Presbytery.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
During 2022, the Presbytery:
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Held meetings in February, March, May, June, September, November and December
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During the year one student was licensed for the Ministry and two Ministers were installed in vacant congregations
At the 31 December the following numbers of personnel were under the care of Presbytery
| 2022 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Ministers in active service in congregations | 20 | 24 |
| Retired Ministers | 23 | 17 |
| Licentiates | 5 | 3 |
| Students for the Ministry | 1 | 2 |
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
The Presbytery encourages the congregations assigned to it to support 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 Presbytery also encourages congregations to contribute to the denominations annual World Development Appeal, Sunday School project and any other special appeals.
General Assembly
Presbyteries are represented on the various Councils of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and report on an annual basis to the General Assembly
Property
The Presbytery has no ownership of, or direct responsibility for, any property.
Volunteers
The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time by serving on Presbytery, its commissions and panels.
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 congregational churches and 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
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
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 charities beneficiaries are its 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 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 Presbytery has had regard to the Charity Commissions Public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The Presbytery’s main source of income is an assessment that is levied on the congregations assigned to it and £17,424 was received in the current year (£18,121 in previous year, 2021)
Total Expenditure for the year was £17,556, as general running costs.
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the presbytery in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice.
As the presbytery’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 presbytery’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Presbytery and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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THE EAST BELFAST PRESBYTERY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (cont’d)
Approved by the Presbytery at a meeting on 12[th] September 2023 and signed on its behalf by
Rev Jonathan Frazer Moderator
Rev Stephen Moore Clerk
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