Fintona CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland NIC 105632
FINTONA 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 2022 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Fintona Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
6-8 Craigavon Road
Fintona
BT782BN
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 105632)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were
Rev J. Cowan
C. Crawford
K. Boland
- W. Liggett
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Rev Jonathan Cowan Clerk of Session Keith Boland Treasurer Hilary Jobb
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Mrs Cathy Clyde 22 Botera Road Omagh BT785DG
BANKERS
SOLICITORS
Danske bank AF Colhoun PO Box 183 41 Dublin Road Donegal Square West Omagh BT16JS BT781HE
FINTONA 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.
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. Fintona congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the Omagh 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.
FINTONA 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
Fintona 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.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The congregation exists to worship God and to draw people into a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The congregation meets for Worship every Sunday and for other activities during the week. These include Sunday School, PW, Boys’ Brigade, Choir and Bible study group.
The Sacraments of the Lords Supper was celebrated two times in 2024.
Pastoral care is provided to everyone in the congregation and in the local community. The Minister, Pastoral and the elders all contribute to providing pastoral care within the congregation.
At a local level the congregation has a wide-ranging mission and ministry to the local community.
We contribute to the following Christian charities; Christian Aid, TearFund, Bible Societies, Scripture Union,Care for cancer, Air Ambulance NI, World Development, Presbyterian Children’s Society, Kenyan Appeal and other good causes as the need arises.
None of this outreach, ministry and service to the community would be possible without the large number of people who volunteer to be involved in the work and witness of Fintona Presbyterian Church. The Trustees recognise their commitment, dedication and their willingness to share their time and abilities.
The church committee are responsible for the church property and this includes the church building, church hall, Manse and the graveyard. The committee also oversee the day to day finances of the church. The Kirk Session as trustees are responsible for all the financial matters.
FINTONA 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.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. Total donations received from the congregation during the year as General Congregational Funds, General Congregational Activities, Income on Bequests, General Donations, FWO and loose change and Gift Aid was £31,869. Amount collected as weekly free will offering was £27,135 (from 84 contributors) compared to £29,583 (from 81 contributors). Other amounts received for donations, specific charitable collections, from investment income and to off-set specific expenses totaled £36,789. Total expenditure of £84,505 was spent during the year in achieving the church’s charitable objectives.
FINTONA 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 25[th] April 2025 and signed on its behalf by
Rev Jonathan Cowan
Mr. Keith Boland