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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£123.1K
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Spending
£115.3K
Public benefits
The Trust's primary purpose is the advancement of the Christian religion in the Dunmurry area and elsewhere. The main benefits flowing from this are instruction and guidance in the formation of a moral framework to enhance public and private behaviour; the provision for individuals of a sense of identity, belonging, and community support ; greater
understanding of the importance of community reconciliation since the church draws adherents from both Unionist and Nationalist backgrounds. The Trust’s secondary purpose is the provision to the public in Dunmurry and elsewhere of education in basic domestic skills. The main benefits flowing from this are to provide individuals with a great sense of self reliance and, often, a greater efficiency in the use of income, together with the provision of practical assistance to individuals in the local community. Although the benefits are not demonstrable in any strict statistical sense a proxy for the benefit perceived to flow from purpose (a) is the size of the church membership (approximately 120) while the sense of community and identity that is provided, especially for specific sections of the public, is apparent in the fact that fact approximately 25 percent of the regular attendance at Sunday worship comprises unmarried mature individuals (over the age of 30) while another 23 percent is drawn from overseas. The benefits derived from purpose (b) have encouraged some individuals to reduce their reliance on welfare benefits, while a number of individuals unconnected with the church have received practical assistance for example with gardening, decorating, or food parcels. Collaboration with other like-minded groups has resulted in the organisation of a number of joint ventures such as drama presentations of the Christian message of reconciliation at the Waterfront Hall, on peace lines in North Belfast and in Cork in the Irish Republic. The financial accounts show that in any given year a minimum of about twenty five percent of the Trust's income has gone to support the propagation of the Christian religion overseas through the support of mission work. No harm arises from these purposes and neither a re there any private benefits which are more than incidental or necessary in furthering the purposes. Those who benefit from the Trust's work include members of the general public involved directly with Kingsway Church: volunteers from overseas in training with the church, including placement students from Belfast Bible College: members of the general public lacking any specific religious affiliation and who often request use of the premises for family events such as funerals: members of the general public (mainly the elderly and single parent families) who receive practical assistance or who attend the church services: members of ethnic minority groups.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Through Kingsway Church, the Trust holds weekly religious services are held, including Sunday School for children, together with outreach home meetings in West Belfast. These activities are open to the general public. Other activities include the provision of training in matters such as parenting, marriage guidance, addictive behaviour,and money
management. The Trust also runs a drama group for the presentation of its beliefs and training in music and drama, working particularly in cross community settings. It is currently training a volunteer as a pastoral worker for women, particularly those lacking the usual forms of social support such as a stable family. This worker also supervises a weekly drop in centre for the lonely, most of whom are elderly. There is also an outreach group working regularly with young teenage boys in Seymour Hill, one of the most deprived estates in the locality. Last summer every home on this estate was contacted with the offer of practical assistance and visitation. The Trust makes its premises available and supports with funding, food, and workers the Bodybuilders, a two week cross community holiday outreach programme. This has run annually for more than twenty years and attracts between 400 and 500 young people between 5 -16 from both sections of the Northern Ireland community. A follow up Alpha course is then provided for teenagers from both sides of the local religious divide. The Trust also supports financially a number of overseas Christian works, currently a South African township, an orphanage in Myanmar, a pastor in Malawi, and an evangelist in Macedonia. In the past the Trust has run hostels for discharged prisoners. The church congregation includes a significant number of individuals from the Indian sub-continent and they also use the premises for hosting events and activities for newcomers from their own ethnic communities, helping them to adjust to Northern Ireland and providing friendship.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of religion
Who the charity helps
- Children (5-13 year olds)
- Ethnic minorities
- General public
- Older people
- Overseas/developing countries
- Women
- Youth (14-25 year olds)
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Counselling/support
- Cross-border/cross-community
- Overseas aid/famine relief
- Religious activities
- Volunteer development
