Moneyreagh Community Church Trustee’s Annual Report 2023 ## **Reference and administrative details** Charity Name: Moneyreagh Community Church Charity Registration Number: 108195 Contact Address: 21 Laurel Bank Manor, Moneyreagh, County Down, BT23 6FF Independent Examiner: Vivienne Thompson, FCA. Bankers: AIB, 35 University Road, Belfast, BT7 1ND Trustees of the Charity: The members of the Moneyreagh Community Church Committee and principal office bearers act as trustees for the purposes of charity law. The trustees are Rory Blake-Knox (Ordained Local Minister and Chair) Basil Barnes Malini Colville David Capper Kim Davison Barbara Hamilton Keith Hamilton Elaine Jones Alice McCallum Ross McQueen Jeremy Stewart Gavin McClintock (resigned 14[th] April 2024) Jenna Laverty (resigned 14[th] April 2024) Allison Gourley (resigned 14[th] April 2024) Stephen Moore (resigned 14[th] April 2024) Moneyreagh Community Church (MCC) is a missional church community within the Diocese of Down and Dromore, in the Church of Ireland. MCC is led by an ordained local minister and other staff, with vision, leadership and spiritual oversight provided by the Bishop of Down and Dromore. ## **Charitable purposes** As an organisation within the Church of Ireland, the charitable purpose of Moneyreagh Community Church is to advance the Christian faith, subject to the constitution of the Church of Ireland, and under the authority of the Bishop of Down and Dromore. The principal function of Moneyreagh Community Church is to support the advancement of the Christian religion by promoting, through the work of the parish of Moneyreagh, Crossnacreevy and Ballygowan, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, educational and ecumenical. Being open to and engaging with society as a whole and offering support for those needing help is fundamental to the practical delivery of the benefits of Christianity. ## **Public Benefits** The expression of the precepts of the Christian religion through engagement with the general public, and in particular with the disadvantaged, the sick, the elderly and the young is a public benefit. This can be measured and evidenced through increased social integration and pastoral care delivered at the point of need. The direct benefit of participation in Church life includes the enjoyment of public worship and the giving and receiving of pastoral ministry, improved understanding of the values relating to civic engagement, community cohesion and providing a bridge between diverse groups as well as improved educational outcomes through the Church’s ministry of teaching. The beneficiaries are the general public, and the public valuation of the benefits can be evidenced through attendance at public worship, participation in Church governance and willingness to support through contributions the continuing witness of the Church. The wider benefit to the public will outweigh any detriment arising in the course of Christian outreach. Any private benefit arising out of the fulfilment of our Christian ministry or to lay staff is essential to the fulfilment of the purpose of the advancement of religion. No Trustee may receive remuneration, reward or other private benefit for carrying out their Trustee responsibility. The following is a summary of some of the activities and initiatives of Moneyreagh Community Church within the community, delivered through staff, parish members and volunteers during the year. ## **Achievements, Performance and Public Benefit** All the functions of the parish relate to the advancement of religion through holding regular worship and communicating with and caring for parishioners and others in our community. Regular worship and prayer services are held for the congregation and indeed for the wider local community. ## Sunday mornings 11am - Diverse group of people from all ages, mostly from Moneyreagh, Comber, Crossnacreevy, - Average of over 100 people - Kids provision for 0-12 every week - Youth church run once a month - Seasonal all-in services with kids/families participating in a single service ## Sunday evenings - Abide worship & prayer once a month - Average 30 people for an extended time of worship and opportunity to pray Prayer - New prayer rhythms - New focus on gathering for prayer - 9am Wednesday mornings and 10am on Friday - Pre-service prayer time every Sunday morning ## Life groups - Smaller groups meet bi-weekly in homes in Moneyreagh, Comber, Ballygowan and Crossnacreevy Reflecting the number of young families in the parish, Moneyreagh Community Church has sought to provide a wide range of activities and initiatives for young people in the community. ## Youth + Children’s - Kids club on Friday night - Connecting and serving local families. - Average of over 25 children per week. - • Youth drop in - Relaxed space with games, trips and food- between 10-20 teenagers use the facilities on a regular basis. - ’ - • School s work - Partnering with 5 local schools - `o` 3 Primary schools and 2 post primary schools `o` Assemblies, Scripture union groups, pastoral care, prayer rooms - • Sunday morning Church - Mini church, Kids church now catering for 25-30 children consistently - • BUILD Sunday night `o` Faith development group with 10-15 teenagers - • - Equip young leaders `o` Group of 10 young people taking part in training to develop leadership skills - Mentoring - Meeting young people in smaller groups to walk through issues facing them in daily life - Summer Madness - Over 20 young people brought to the Christian Summer Madness festival in Portglennone. - Tots group - Partnering with local community association to run a ‘tots’ group for the local community - Up to 50 in attendance each week, including children and parents/carers - Summer Sports Camp - a week of sports and fun activities for local children in the summer holidays - around 100 local children attended the 2023 sports camp For adults in the church and in the community, Moneyreagh Community Church organised a number of other opportunities for fellowship and social activities during the year. ## Men’s + women retreats & events Men’s retreat in Rostrevor with Dolway Johnston Women’s retreat in Newcastle with Helen Warnock Men’s motorbike trip Women’s brunch and walk Men’s group outings to rugby matches. - Alpha - A course to explore the core of the Christian faith - Run by Luke- our community outreach worker In fellowship with Christians throughout the world, Moneyreagh Community Church held special services and events/activities at Easter. ## Easter 2023 - Early morning sunrise service - Baptism service 11am - Good Friday communion, Tenebrae service and community meal - Delivered 1000 Easter eggs to local community and invitations to Church services/events - Palm Sunday donkey walk in Moneyreagh and collective lunch - Kids club for 3 days with over 30 children attending - One evening worship at Willowfield church with 350 children - Youth Godmodex bus and youth drop in - Seniors lunch - Tots morning Another special time of year for the Church and for the community is Christmas, and this is reflected in church activities. ## Christmas 2023 - Community carol service with Downshire Brass band and Saintfield High school choir singing - Chris Agnew from the Methodist Church was the guest speaker - Community nativity involving kids from across our church and community groups - Christmas pantomime and fun evening run - ADVENT 12 hour prayer room - Wreath making night - Collection of shoeboxes for Samaritans purse - Community Christmas dinner in the Auld house- over 60 local people ## Seniors - partnering with local seniors group to help assist running seniors group, and running afternoon teas/coffee mornings and driving to trips etc. 2023 was the 10[th] anniversary of the founding of Moneyreagh Community Church. To mark this occasion there was a special service with Bishop David McClay, with invitations to community leaders, sponsors/supporters and others from the wider Church of Ireland community. Special videos were recorded by various members of the congregation, testifying of the transformation in their lives. The leadership and congregation of Moneyreagh Community Church recognise that where the church is placed matters and they are fully committed not just to the flourishing of personal spiritual lives, but also to the flourishing of their local community. Local community engagement is therefore of vital importance. Community coffee drop in on Friday afternoons - Place for people to gather for coffee - Engaging up to 40-50 people each week ## HOST - New community focused not for profit coffee space opened in the village to create a welcome place to gather - Only coffee space in the village - Opened October 2023 after many years of planning and fundraising ## Community Fun day - Summer fun day to celebrate the end of school - BBQ and inflatables ## - Car boot sales May/June - 2 seasonal car boot sales to gather community together ## Harvest pumpkin patch family event - over 100 kids came to choose their own pumpkin and decorate it with a family photo booth and refreshments, with an invitation to the church on the Sunday - Summer Connect Community Week 2023 - A week of events aimed at connecting people together and to our church community - Sports week for primary age children, seniors events, youth trips, serving in our local nursing home, litter picks, helping with gardening and small jobs in the area as well as a community focused Sunday service. Supporting other organisations The church recognises its responsibilities to look beyond its own locality and during the year provided financial and other support to Made for More – a group that provides workshop support for young people in relation to mental health, self-esteem, drugs and alcohol, usually partnering with other youth organisations. Open Doors – a charity that support Christians throughout the world who are persecuted for their faith. Christians Against Poverty – an organisation that seeks to help deal with debt and poverty. ## **Safeguarding Policy** Moneyreagh Community Church complies with the policies and procedures of the Church of Ireland Safeguarding Policy. All relevant staff have received the appropriate training and safeguarding is audited by Diocesan staff periodically. In all our activities designed to reach out to children and young people the parish adheres to Safeguarding Trust, the Church of Ireland policy for good practice in working with children and vulnerable adults. The Parish safeguarding trust panel continues to undertake its important role. The panel interview and obtain Access NI reports for all new volunteers. In addition, each year the panel members ensure every Parish organisation is fully compliant and all their volunteers are aware of their responsibilities and standards of behaviour. ## **Financial Review** Moneyreagh Community Church’s policy is to create and retain dedicated reserves in keeping with prudent best practice planning. These reserves will need to be of sufficient size to meet the running costs for an agreed period ahead and facilitate medium- and long-term planning including provision for reinstatement and maintenance of all assets. ## **Going Concern** The trustees have reviewed the budgets for the year ahead and are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure that the parish can continue its activities for a period of at least 12 months from the date of approval of these accounts and the financial statements for the year ended December 2023 can therefore be signed off as going concern. ## **Structure, Governance and Management** Moneyreagh Community Church is subject to the Church of Ireland Constitution. The Church Committee (Select Vestry) members are the charity trustees. ## **Recruitment and appointment of the Church Committee** All members of the Church of Ireland who are over the age of 18 and either resident within the parish or live elsewhere but have been accustomed members of the congregation for at least 3 months, may register as general members (general vestry) of the parish, allowing them to attend and vote at general meetings, and to stand for election to the Church Committee (Select Vestry). General meetings are held at least once a year. The Church Committee (Select Vestry) members will hold their positions for a period of one year. Church Committee (Select Vestry) members may be re-elected annually and there is no limit on the number of terms served. ## **Pay and Remuneration** The salaries, tax, National Insurance and pension contributions of permanent staff were paid by Moneyreagh Community Church. Remuneration is in line with what is approved by the Diocese of Down and Dromore. ## **Organisational Structure** The Church Committee (Select Vestry) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the parish. The committee (Select Vestry) consists of the member of the clergy serving in the parish, and generally not more than twelve other members of the General Vestry elected at the General Vestry. The Select Vestry is chaired by the member of clergy officiating the parish. Select Vestry members are responsible for making decisions on matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how parish funds are to be applied. The Select Vestry meets at times fixed by the members. Special meetings may be convened at any time by the chairperson, who is responsible for the day-to-day management of the parish. The Chair of the Select Vestry is the Ordained Local Minister. Others serving on vestry include up to 12 registered members of the general congregation. ## **Compliance with Public Benefit** The trustees of Moneyreagh Community Church have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that parish activities entered into during the year have helped them to achieve the parish’s objectives as well as providing public benefit. The services and activities we provide benefit all age groups in our community by contributing to the spiritual wellbeing of the participants and the reinforcement of Christian values. They also provide pastoral support and connection to the church for families, individuals and those who live alone, in the local community. ## **Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities** The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the statement of receipts and payments and statement of assets and liabilities in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland with Income of less than £250,000 requires the trustees to prepare a statement of receipts and payments and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year. The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Parish’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the assets and liabilities of the Parish. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Parish and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. _______________________ 23[rd] October 2024 Church Committee (Select Vestry) Secretary