Baltycrochan B*ptist Church Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2023 The trUSe$ prcscnt Iliefftr report with th¢ financial statements of lh¢ ¢harity for the year ended 31 December 2023. The trnstees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recomnicndcd Pi'actic¢ applicablc lo charities preparing thcir accounts in accordance wilh th¢ Finaiicial Reporting Stsndard applicable in th¢ UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective l January 2019). OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIFS Acknowledging the headship of Christ over his ¢hur¢h the members of the Chureh unite to glorify the God of the Scriptures by maintaining and promoting His worship both individually and corporately. by devoting ihcn15elves to thc leachiiig of Scripture, to the f¢llow5hip, to the breaking of brcad and to prayer and in evangclism. The prllicfftpal charitablc object of the church 15 the advancement of thc Christian faith a¢¢ording to the teachings of Scripture, the Doctrinal Statement and Baptist principles. Th¢ activities carried out by the church Tnclude.. Holding regular services for public worship, prayer. Bible study. preaching and teaching for all age groups; Providing pastoral care to the mcmbers of the church Ihrough visitation and prayer. - Organising nieetings and even(& that promoie our CbaribI¢ purpose: Participating in the life of the local Community; Supporting other Christian organisalions and chariii&s through volunleering, financial gifts and prayer. The trustccs have paid duc r¢gard to guidance issued by th¢ Chariry Comtnission in deciding what aclivities the church should undertake. Page 2
Ballycrochan Baptlst Church Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2023 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Public benefit Tlu'oughout Ilie year we continu¢d with many activill.es that were of direci ben¢fii our membe15 and the conllnuiiity. Mlsslons Th¢ Missions Team seeks each year lo encourage missio1ry inlcresi wiihin Ballycrochan Baptist. and to lake respoiisibility for the Church Missionary Calendar. In Febnjary a Baptist Missions worker from Belturbet came along with his family io tell us about the ongoing work in the town. This includcd his Grandfather, Grandmother. Father, Mother, his wifc, and ihcir 3 boys. It was aniazing to have 4 generations of th¢ on¢ family present with Ms. In March we h¢ld our Turfijnd Day. At thc moming service we leamt of the ongoing work and nccd5 of Tearfvnd. followed by a light lunch. Later in the Spring we were privileged to host ihe Director of Baptist Mi&sions and our local Scripture Uiiion work. Augusi provides an opportunÉty to meet many missionaries attending the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. This year we had a speaker from Fireblade Ministries wbo told us about their involvement with the Motorbike circuits and sharing God's word with the bikers. At our Missions Sunday in October. we had a speakcr Irom l 00 Fold (a ministy of UFM Worldwidc) and iii the cvcning Il)e Pastor from Blackrock Baptist Church in Dublin. We had a great day and finished ivith a lighE supper following tlie evening service. We also took on a project for a teani workiiig iii the caru115 Valley Peru with Baptist Missions. The response to this was t¢rrifi¢ and they re abl¢ to get all of the video projection cquipmeni that ihey needed. Our God is a missionary God and as a local church we are entnist¢d with th¢ ffsponsibility to share His work of mission by kecping ourselves infornied, being constant in PRAYER. GlVtNG and REACHfNG OUT with tlie Good News of the Gospel. Evangellsm The year comnicjiccd with Pastor Ncil and Pastor Benji facilltating a thre¢ week Hope Explorcd course whi¢li started in March. Hope Explored presents the life. death and resurrection of Jesus. There was a good number of church and non-church folk attending ca¢li of tlie sessions. which werc cncouraging and cnjoyablc. The Grcat Easter Adventtwe took place on Sallday 25th Marcli for all prinwy-aged childreii and was a great success with 75 children atlending. Klass Kids from Crown J¢sus Ministries parttiered in this sp¢cial cvciit with us to rcach iiito our community with the Gospel. The Klass Kids team have such an energy and commitment to serve at the5¢ special events with thc aini of reaching children rhat church does not already nunister lo. The teajn providcd a lively programme of singing, crdft. games, puppets and a clear presentation of the Easier Story. The children appeared atteiitive and enjoyed Ihe programm¢ along with 50mc Eastcr trcats. lil October wc Iiad a Biblc Hcroc5' kids, service. It was great lo have a speaker from Scripture Uiiion E3 come along and speak lo Ilie kids about her Bible Hero Josllua! The kids enjoyed the songs, quiz and Bible story, before eveiyone headed over to the hall for some refreshments and crdft. As a church we reached out in December to help sln]ggling families in our local community to celebrate Christmas. gathered donalions for two charities. thc Salvation Arniy aiid Tlic Warchous¢ (NcMQownai'ds). Our donations were greatly appreciated by both charities as they were under great pressure to meet rising demands from families in need. Page 3
Baltyerochan Baptist Church RepDTt Df the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2023 OBJECTIVES Al AcrivtTILS On the first and third Friday of each month a group from thc church meet in Bangor at I l am with the purposc of sharing the Gospel with the people of Bangyor. whcther through gospel tracts aETr(Uor through conversations that may wme along. It is a time of absolute joy and privilege to serye God in this vthy. in our home city and to get to know som¢ fascinating people and slwe the gospel. Café Connect The Cafe Connect ministry commenced last year and takes place on the la51 Friday of the month in the Foyer from l Oam to 11.30am with Eood coffee, food and chatl This is a drop in cafe for all our church family and for people in our community. providing a relaxed opportLmity lo get to know people better. BAPtlst Women Our aim in BWF is to provrde a time for ladies in our church to meet for mutual encouragement and fellowship. We meet one Tuesday y]iglit per nionth and fcedback about this ycar's mcelings has reinforced Iiow inuch our ladies apprcciatc this time together. We arc delighted that this year has seen the reintroduction of ihe Tuesday morning Pulse meetings, and w¢ are grateful to those that have taken on the lead for thi5 imporlant ministy. We were blessed to begin our 23124 programme with the September breakfast and were deliglitrd welcome a speaker from Baptist Missions who shared her testimony and news aboui the work in Belturbet. In O¢lober we welcomed a Consultsnt Anaesthelist who volunteers wilh the Mercy Ships organisation. which provides people livin8 in Africa with access to life chanLJing surger1. In November wc were Ireatcd to a wreath n]aking workshop when wc Icai'ncd of the significanct of wrcath making and turned our thoughts towards Christmas. December was our Christmas outing for a very enjoyabl¢ meal al a local restaurant to fiiiish the ycar. Pulse Ephesians 4v2: "Be cotnpletety humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love." A new group for women commenced in Sept¢mb¢r 2023. meeting on one Tuesday moming each month from September to May. It ha5 been named "Pulse" as we have a hcart for one another and our chUh faniily. We have had 16 to 25 coming along and we have fun, fellowship, prayer for our Chllh, and a time of encouragement in a very infomal setting. Connect Conncct is a fellowship group for families, couples and young (and not so young!) adiilis that ¢OElle to our church. to help them connect and support one another. The group met up several times throughout the year for food and fellowship with opporlunities to bring along friends and family iiiemb¢rs. Thffts year our events havc includcd a coastal path walk aDd BBQ, a picnic at Ward ParL indoor games and Ten Pin Bowling. Toddlers Every Wedllday during iemi time we welcome aboui 30 adults and 35 lols into th¢ hall for an hour and a half. Page 4
Ballycroehan Baptlst Chureh Report of the Trustees foy the yegr ended 31 December 2023 OBJEcfivES AND ACTIVITIES Painting. Craft, sand. play dough, book5. jigsaw puz71es, toy kitchen. toy garage. see saw, slide. dolls. pranis and ride 011 bAk¢5 aiid cars keep ihe lots aniused and givc their parenis. grannies or caiei"5 a chance foi. a break and a cl)at. Tlie inoiming finishe8 with "sing tinje" and a jelly baby. Again, this year we have several families vtho have come lo live in Bangor from overseas and also many carers who have been coining for a long linie with each new 8en¢ration of babic5 aiid toddlers. At Easter and again at Chrislmas the ¢hildr¢n received a book and some chocolat¢. W¢ have apprccialed Neil's mini talks to the tols aiid a visit from Santa lo give out the presenL4. As a team of helpers. we are keen to make both adults and children feel really welcome in our ¢hurcli. Star Klds 2023 has been a fantastic y¢ar in Star Kids Club and wc rcflcct on it witli positivity. Ovcr th¢ lasi couple of years we have bid farewell to two sizeable groups of P7 children, nine in iolal, who are now enjoying being part of the Equip ministry for young people in years 8-1 O. We are delighted that the Equip tcam is ablc to provide tliis vital ministry aiid our children havc a really ¢l¢ar pathway 10 5UPPOrt tlicm on their walk wilh God after they leave us. While we ar¢ &lways a lilt]¢ sad to Say goodbye to our P75. we have also been thrilled io welcome a number of new cliildren to Star Kids Club. Since Scplciiiber we liave welcomcd four Trcw cliildren lo SKC wid wc arc 50 pl¢as¢d tliat Ilicy arc joiiiii]g us i'egularly otl a Sunday moriiiiig. Having comnicnced our Iicw 'Mu51aid Sccds, maicrials in September 2022 whcii wc begaii our walk through Gcne5iS, We started with the story of Jacob in January 2023. and steadily made our way through the eaily IK)oks of the Old Testament. Durlng 2023 wc havc Icarnt aknut tnany kcy figurcs, such as Jacob & Esau, Joscph, Moscs. Aaron. Caleb, Joshua and Samson. We even learnt about some le&s fainiliar charac(ers such as Gideon and Ehud and have enjoyed the valuable Icssons fiom these early part5 of tlic Old Tcstamcnt. We deviated from tlic programme al limes to focus on important Icssons from th¢ East¢r and Chri5ttnas Stories as well as taking lirn¢ to think abolli kcy iirncs of thc yur for th¢ cliildrcn. Ii was a great opportunity to think about our relalionship with God and his love for vs when we experience ¢hange, particularly at Ilie end of a scliool year and the bcginning of another, which can sometiines be a ditTiculi transilion for our childrcn. We really enjoycd thc support mat¢rials from Scriprure Union Nl for ihes¢ sp¢¢i&l sessions. We have a terrific and dedicated team of teachers and it is an absolute joy to see everyone working so well together in tlieir service to th¢ childreii and to this ministy. Equip The aim of EQUTP is prepare young people in the Year 8 _ Year l 011 I category for germns on a Suiiday, to understand the basics of the Christian faith and to grow in that w)d¢rslanding lo a lcvcl that th¢ Sunday 5¢rmon won't bc dirricult to follow aiid uiideysland but raiher is something that becomes a natural extension of their stydies in EQUIP. Fmm April to June Ihe young people finished off our Mustard Seeds study on l O key doctrines of the Christian Faith which included such topics as.. What is the Bible? Wlial is the Trlnity. What is Sin9 What is a Christiaii? Thcse studies, along with the oihcrs in the series. provcd vcry useful for tbc young pcoplc in grounding them in the core teachings of the Bible and created plenty of discussion. interaction. and questions. Page 5
B*ltycroch4n Bapilst ChuTch Report of the Trustee5 for the year ended 31 December 2023 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITtES September saw an influx of new young people into Equip to double our numbers with weekly attcndance consistent and encow'aging. The group dynamic is fantastic with lots of chai, fun, interac(ion. and friendships being built. Th¢ young people have created iheir own WhalsApp group to encourage and fellowship with each other and we are reliably infornied that a verse of the day gels posted caLh day. Th¢ sludic5 Since Scplcmber have becn working tl)rough ihe b(K)k of Eplicsians using the Mustard Seeds mat¢rials and have seen us study topics such as One Plan, One Faith. One People. One Body. One Lifestyle and One Battle. The studies have. as before, bccn extrcmely encouraging. challenging and cngaging. Oiir group of leaders has expanded this year, for which we are very grate1, providing opportuiiities for differcnt approaches to our smdi¢s wm.ch for the YOW people keeps things intcrcsting and varie(L but all the whil¢ consistent with the leacbing malerillls. Ignltt Ignite began ttie year with a small group of young people (secondary school age and beyond). yet Al has been a privilege to see God working ii) thcir Iivc5 OVCI. the lasl whil¢. Meeiing rcgularly for Bible Study we have bccn greatly enwuragcd as Ilie young people have eligaged well in these studies. offering interpreiauons of the iext. and been willing to ask big question5. This year though has been & year of transition for Ignite. we.have been operaiing with a sinall group of young people, Inosily at the latter end of secondary school, many of theni have finished school and moved into university or work. As we consider the years ahead. wc hav¢ had some encouraging m¢cl&ngs involving a few of Ilie youngcr young people coming throu our Church, and it was a blessing lo see them getting involved in discU10n groups. It has also been a wonderful en¢oLtragcincnt to see the growth in our older young people. and it is our prayer that this WAII ¢ontinue in the nexi few years as they Iransitson out of school into whalever avenue they choose to pursue. Campalgners Every new year brings tsew opportuniti&s and new challenges. 2023, while following th¢ usual pattern, broUt n¢w opportunities to reach young people and their families for the Lord. The Scripture exam in lalluary saw Clansmen sludy some of the Miracles that Jesus perforn]ed and leam portions of Psalm 100. The Family Scrvicc on 12tli March saw everyone who took part. rw¢ivc tlleir reward. Our thoughts then turned to preparation for thc Display with the tliem¢ of "Into OrbiL" Thi5 themc was originally planned for the display of 20201 The Campaigner year dr¢w io a Close with a very enjoyable Display wÉth the Awards presented by Ilie Development Officer for Campaigncrs NJ. The AGM was held in May when plans were made for the 2023-24 session which marks the 40th year of Campaigners in Ballycrochan Baptist Cl)urLh. Canipaigncrs rcsumed in Scptcmber after Ilie sumn)¢r break for the 2023-24 session with ttvo njOr eveiit5 planncd. In October, Ballycrochan played hosi to Eagles Clans from Bangor Elini and Newtownards Elim and Ballycroehan for tlie District Eagles, Fun Day. Approximatcly 35 Eagles enjoy¢d a variety of ac¢lVLtics witli Clan 'C' provided by "Tlic Mot&cy Man" Page 6
Bally¢ro¢han Baptlst Chur¢h Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2023 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Canipaigiiei. Sunday in November was a vcry 5pccial cvcnt whicli marked 40 years of Campaigners al Ballycrochai). T]ie tli¢me was "Jesus is King" and our speaker was thc ChaiTman of Canipaigner Council. At the conclusion of the service Ilie birthday Cake was cut. Many of the congregation joined for Iiinch in the church hall. it was lovely to enjoy fellowship Mriih so many visitors. We owe huge thanks to evcryonc Ihat help orBaiiisc the event. As 2023 drcw to a closc, we had the usual mund of Christhk2s parties aiid our "5pccial visitoi excelled hiiiiself. Thaiik you, Santa. Thank you to all the Chi¢fs and A5SiStant Leaders in Campaigners vtho give of their times and ial¢ntS 50 willingly so that Monday nights can happen. We thank God for the Claiismen in our ¢ar¢ 2nd ask for Hi5 Colltinuing guidance aiid wisdom as we face th¢ ¢hall¢ng¢s. Wc thank God for the opportunities ihat we have to tell of His saving power. Communlty Servlce Iii addition to our usual activities, we have continucd hosting ihc Nt Blood Transfusion Service at our buildings scvcral times during the year. It has been a great privilege to provide this support lo our local community and health service amd we look forward to welcoming thcm again in 2024. ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE "My heart is filled with thank]neSS, As we reflect upon our 41 st year as Ballycrochan Baptist Church, we do so with the attytude of gratitude. The Lord has been so good to us, Hi5 grace really is sufficient for cycry nccd aiid His faIthInesS knoivs no liniitl Onc of the encouragements of the past year IS been tlie little siwis that God lias been working in thc Iivc5 of a iiunibci. of people who ar¢ not y¢( beli¢vers. It is lovely to see people asking important questions and seeking answers in their lives. Conversations and opportunities continue. We are very thankful for the Friday morning team who cngagc pcople in spiritual conversations in our city cenlre. Please prny thai we will see folk coming faith in Jesus and entering God's family. Another rich cncouragcmcni has becn s¢cing n¢w people coming along to our chllr¢b. N¢wcom¢is hav¢ ¢nri¢h¢d ¢liur¢h life and it is lovely to make new friends. Some havc bcen attending our mTdweek praycr meetings aiid Sinall Groups: our limes of fellowship aroutid an QP¢LI Biblc arc favourite limes of Ihc weck in church. Thcr¢ is plciity of room for more people to come. It is mutually beneficial to us all. Our sincere thanks to 211 who faithfi]Ily s¢rv¢ the Lord in lots of different ways wiihiii Il)e chur¢li family. We are very tl)ankful for the deep scnsc of unity of heart and purpose that wc have Mt prc5cnt in Ballycrochan. Lct's coiitinue to guard and keep th¢ unity of the Spii'it in die bond of peace. By Ibis everyolle will know thai we bclollg to Jc5usI STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND IKAI¥4AGEMEKr Governing document The charity is ¢oiiti'ollcd by its govcrniiig doctunent, a dced of tst and constitutes an uiiiiicoiyorated charity. Appi'ovcd by order of the board of tnte¢S on 9 April 2024 and sign¢d on its behalf by.. Mr A Cole - Ttee Pagc 7