Straid Congregational Church
Charity registration number: 106873
Date registered: 06/03/2019
Annual report for 2023
Trustee’s report
The trustee’s present their report and financial statements for the year ending 31[st] December 2023. The trustees confirm that they are aware of and have had regard to the Commission’s Public benefit requirement statutory guidance.
Charitable purposes
The purpose of this church is to glorify God. It seeks to attain this aim through the public worship of God and the preaching of the Scriptures. This purpose is effected through the organisation and support of programmes which promote the presentation of the Christian gospel and Christian discipleship. The scope of this effort is local, national and global.
Summary of activities
Sunday services
Sunday Fellowship
Junior church
Sunday school
Weekly Bible study and prayer times
Men’s meetings (Men for Life)
Women’s meetings (Straid Congregational Women)
Friday night youth and children’s programmes (Pathfinders, Straid Youth)
Youth Fellowship
Mums and Tots
Missionary meetings
Holiday Bible Club
Public benefit reporting
We seek to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as outlined in the scriptures, so that those in the local community will hear the Good News of Salvation. The benefit which flows from our purpose is that through attending Sunday Services and midweek Bible Study Meetings, the regular congregation along with visitors will get to know God in a deeper, fuller and personal way.
In 2023 our year began with our usual schedule of open church meetings taking place as listed above. These activities provided substantial public benefit within the local community and further afield. Beneficiaries include those who are in attendance at the regular meetings and to those for whom aid and assistance is provided across the globe through our missionary support.
Since the COVID pandemic the church services are live streamed, and available on Youtube following. This allows the availability of the church services to many who would otherwise be unable to attend the church services, are widely taken up both locally, and further afield. DVD recordings of the services are provided for those unable to access online services. In many cases this allowed those who ordinarily would not be able to get out to services the opportunity to attend.
The church website is central to sharing with our congregation and community and was substantially developed over recent years. We expect this to be of ongoing benefit as we seek to glorify God in our community and nation.
On the 7[th] October 2023 we welcomed Rev Alistair Patterson and his wife Sharon to take up the ministry as the new pastor in Straid Congregational. We are delighted to welcome them and look forward to sharing with them in the ministry of the church going forward.
It was our privilege to support the work of the ‘Swan Clinic’ which provides maternity related essentials to those who have need of this. In addition many other areas of support to those in need were provided during the year, some details of which are supplied in the church annual report.
Results
The results for the year and financial position at the end of year 2023 are in the attached financial report. In summary:
Total income: £148,507
Total expenditure: £115,082
There are no funds held by the Charity which are in deficit and therefore no action is required.
Charitable trustees for the year 2023
Rev Alistair Patterson
Mr Thomas Strange
Mr Richard Gilmore
Mr Brian McFall
Mr Chris Carson
Mr Ralph Gilmour
Mr John Haaijer
Mr Michael Ewart Dr John Strange
The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity and signed by:
Mr John Haaijer Church Secretary
Mr Thomas Strange Church treasurer
Appendix
Ministers report, missionary report and secretary’s report from church report 2023 below:
Minister’s Report 2023
To give this Report some structure, I will use the terms: Past, Present and Future.
The PAST
Sharon and I were married here in Straid Congregational Church and have had the privilege of calling this our ‘Home Church’ during our time with The Faith Mission. We often were encouraged and blessed through the fellowship and support received, financially and in prayer over those years.
The PRESENT
Being here in Straid Congregational Church as Minister, humanly speaking, to us seems an unreality, yet in God’s plans and purposes we are so at peace and so thankful to God for His providence and guidance. We also feel so blessed by all we have received since coming: the work done in the manse, the welcome, acceptance, and help in settling into the house and church life. Thankyou!
I have enjoyed studying Paul’s short prayers for the mid-week and 2 Timothy for Sunday services and trust the Lord to use this as He sees fit.
The FUTURE
Thankfully, that is in the Lord’s hands and He knows the plans He has for us as a Church in the ministry of His Word, Prayer, Fellowship, Evangelism through the many different groups/activities, and of course with our Building Project.
In the words of Ephesians 4:1-16 which I plan to read as a Devotion to begin our Members’ meeting, may God give us the grace to live and serve Him together in Straid Congregational Church, in humility, unity, taking every opportunity to use our God given gifts and grow toward maturity in likeness to Christ and in love.
Rev Alistair Patterson
Missionary Report 2023
As we look back in 2022 and have stepped in 2023 with all that it holds we praise God for being with us and for his hand on us and for our Missionary Family’s across the world in so many different places. At our monthly Missionary Meetings we had Faith Mission in January, Stand by Me in February, Slavic Gospel Association in March, Christian Institute in April Hebrew Scriptures in May, Dublin Family Mission in June and on 31/8/22 our Missionary Weekend began with The Gideon’s, and then Missionary Aviation Fellowship on the Friday evening and CEF on Sunday. This was a good weekend and well supported. Alongside the Friday night meeting a children’s meeting was held and organised by Lisa Darragh and helpers and we want to say a big thank you to each of them. The children loved it and so did the parents. We had One Mission in October, Tanzanian Farm in November and Revival Movement in December. All of these society’s received the complete collection plus £200 from the church. Our total Missionary giving for 2022 was £11,869.00 which included £335.00 in pennies for Odessa Orphanage which is so faithfully collected and sorted by Hugh and Margaret Caldwell. A big thank you to both of them who have done this for so many years. Also included is a special offering of £3600 for Ukraine which included gift aid.
As a fellowship we continue to support our own missionaries:
John and Irene Barfoot Immanuel Studios
Stephen and Joan Singleton IBI Dublin
Nigel and Ruth Wilson and Family Faith Mission
Michael and Julie Chitty and Family Spain
Johnny and Kathryn Gault and Family, Frontiers in Mozambique
We continue to pray that the Lord will bless and keep them wherever they are and that they will see much fruit for their labours.
We really appreciate your prayers and financial support for the missionary work and trust as we pray that all of our folks wherever they labour will see the Lords hand in the work they are involved in.
Romans 10 13-15 says:- For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How shall they call on him who they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher. And how shall they preach except they be sent. As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.
Ralph Gilmore
Secretary Report 2023
As I look back over 2023 a verse comes to mind and that is Psalm 136 verse 1 which says, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever”. 2023 has proven this verse to be so true with God showing His goodness and love to us as a fellowship in so many ways and we should remember to give Him the thanks and praise He deserves.
We can praise God for how He has worked through all the different groups and meetings that have gone on in the church over the last year. I’m amazed by all the activity that goes on with over 10 different groups or meetings catering for all the different ages from the youngest in Mums and Tots right through to the oldest in the Friendship Group. The Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever.
I would just like to say a big thank-you to all those that put their time and effort into all these groups and all those that help in all aspects both up front and behind the scenes in keeping the church running. It is very much appreciated.
With all the activities that go on it’s hard to mention just a few highlights from the year and I’m sure each group can think of some highlights where the Lord has really blessed. One such blessing was the Holiday Bible Club in August with the Gospel Truck once again coming and taking residence for a week in the church carpark. It was so encouraging to see the kids each night singing and learning from God’s Word with some kids coming who had no connection at all to the church. On the Friday we had a BBQ where the parents could come along and it was great to have conversations with parents who again weren’t linked to the church. The Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever.
In October we had another real blessing. After months and months of praying and seeking the Lord’s will, we had our induction service for Alistair and Sharon. It was such a joy to finally have a new shepherd for the flock here in Straid. It was great to be able to welcome them into the church and we have already benefitted
greatly from their ministry. The Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever. I would encourage you to continue to pray that God would use Alistair and Sharon for His glory here in Straid.
It was also great to see the Lord working in hearts over the last year and bringing people to himself. Please pray that this would continue and that the Lord would be pleased to use us in this village and community to glorify Him. In December the Christmas Tree Light event drew a large crowd and it was a fantastic opportunity to share the Gospel with people in the village some of whom would have no interest in church or the Bible. The Lord is good and his steadfast love endures forever.
As well as many blessings 2023 also had it’s challenges. We lost some very dear friends from our fellowship. Barbara Kirk and Mrs Hall were called home in April and Mary Farley was called home in September. These were faithful women who fought the fight well and finished the race and they are sorely missed. In 2023 a number of our fellowship also had major health issues and other difficulties. We also continued to wait on a decision on the building project with it now being over a year since the plans were submitted and no indication of when a final decision will be made.
As we look to the incoming year I’m sure there will be times of blessing as well as challenging times but it’s great to rest in the fact that the Lord is good and His steadfast love endures forever.
John Haaijer