Contacts details are ;

Tony Cox - Stewardship Co-ordinator
Home – 01342 327840
Mobile – 07802 245538
John Page – Confidential Giving
Old Kennel Cottage,
Felcourt, East Grinstead,
West Sussex, RH19 2LD.
01342 870446 or e-mail pagejhn@btinternet.com
or contact either of us via the Parish office on 01342 325026

How to boost charity finances article

Here is the recent article on Stewardship – from the St. Swithun’s Parish Magazine  

The Money Revolution is a new paperback aimed at helping ordinary church members use all of their money more effectively. Click here to see more.

Here are 3 important documents that you can download and complete if you wish to join our scheme.  Microsoft Word format.

gift declaration

bank mandate

Confidential Giving

Autumn 2008 Stewardship Programme


What are our Parish operating costs in 2008 per week?
£500 ??? £2,000 ??? or something else?

Have a guess before you continue reading

These notes are intended to give some financial background and therefore reasons why we are focusing on financial stewardship again this Autumn.

In 2008 Our budget forecast income is £205,000

Our budget forecast expenditure is likely to be £300,000
(This sum includes the lighting project cost of c. £90,000 - so our running costs are c. £210,000)
So therefore it is costs us just under c. £4,000 per week
(Incidentally, the deficit of £95,000 is to be funded by reserves and a generous legacy)

2008 start of year unrestricted reserves = £235,000
2008 estimated end of year unrestricted reserves = £80,000

Planned Givers
2006 = 232
2008 = 215
How Come?

• Increase in overheads, such as utility bills
• New Mortgage on Curate’s house (very positive move to have a new curate!)
• Loss of planned givers; some have died, others moved away from East Grinstead.
• A third of our givers give two thirds of our regular Parish income between them

BUT ……….This is only a summary from our Parish, what about the wider view?

The Diocese of Chichester costs, in round figures, about £30M to run per year. Most of this is raised by over 500 churches organised in nearly 400 parishes. The main source of income is the committed giving of church members, including over £3M a year of income tax recovered through Gift Aid.

Where does the money go in Sussex?

On average, rather more than one-third of total parish income is used to pay for the clergy, their stipends, pensions, housing, training and parish support services. These bills are paid for centrally through the Diocese and then recovered through regular parish ministry contributions.

Another third is used to pay the local running expenses of parishes (services, heating, power and lighting office staff, printing, building maintenance, parsonage decoration, phones, insurance etc ) About one-fifth is spent on major capital building projects. About 8% goes on outward charitable giving (a little lower than the target of 10% set by General Synod. And about 5% goes on diocesan and national church functions, mainly dictated by statutory duties.

Since the 1990s the Church Commissioners and similar national sources have not provided any regular support to Sussex parishes for clergy stipends. Incidentally, this Parish only pays for Clive, Mark is funded centrally and the rest are non stipendary ministers (NSM’s).

Our Parish Contribution for 2008 is £66,660 and not likely to be less in 2009!


What does this mean for us?

The Archbishop of York in a forward to a 2007 booklet called the Money Revolution says, ‘..our spending and savings are lifestyle choices and reflect something about our values, principles & priorities’.

The Church challenges us to move to a target of 5%, or 5p per £ pound, of net income to be given to continue its mission. This concept of proportionate giving recognises that not everyone can give the same amount of money, not everyone can give an extra £ amount per week. In Hastings Deanery a 5% target is achieved but in the East Grinstead Deanery the giving level is about 3%.

We can and should choose for ourselves after careful thought the proportion of our income or the amount of money which we can each afford to give according to our needs and those of our family.

What can we do? Some Suggested next steps

Review

Take time to reflect and pray about giving
The Church challenges us all to move to a target of 5% of net income to be given to continue its mission.

Seek further advice if needed

Reflect when we last reviewed our giving
Can we all give some more?

Decide on categories of giving, eg Church, charities, other particular situations and allocate a target sum of money a month to each.

Act

While those that are new to the church can you move to become a regular giver? Ideally via a Standing Order, and Gift-Aiding it, if you are a tax payer.


Summary

But surely, East Grinstead is a wealthy Parish – we do not need another financial appeal a year after the last one? The answer is very simple- yes, we do! Last year’s result was disappointing;

• The Parish reserves are now down to about 3 months funds, following part purchase of the Curate’s house and the lighting project.
• Despite good financial stewardship in the past and currently - we need to increase Parish income.
• The Parish, like individuals, is no less affected by the rising energy costs. Heating, lighting and maintaining the three churches and the hall will cost a lot more money this winter than it did last year.
• It costs a lot of money to run the parish, but we get our clergy very cheap – with most being non-stipenduary, ie not paid a wage at all!
• Currently, a third of our givers – give two thirds of our income.

Above all, it will help the Parish to continue its mission to grow and extend it reach, range and influence. Ultimately, it’s down to all of us as individuals within the Parish.

A final thought;

‘There was a man, though some did count him mad,
The more he gave away, the more he had’. John Bunyan
 
Introduction

Welcome to the Stewardship Corner  - aiming to provide information on Stewardship and in particular  on financial giving in particular

Our key roles are;

• To ensure that the principles of Christian Stewardship are brought before the congregation, by a variety of means
• To bring to the attention of new and existing members of the congregation the needs of Christian Stewardship in terms of Time & Talents and Money
• To ensure that an annual stewardship campaign is held in the parish with a different focus, as agreed with the Clergy & Church officers  
• To be the legacy officers for the parish
• To liaise with the diocesan Stewardship team  

….if you have any questions about Church planned giving options including Standing Orders, Gift Aid etc or the ways in which we use the money you give to the Church, please contact either myself or John Page. Our contact details are as below.

On behalf of Clive and the Church Officers, thank you for what you already give today and are able to give tomorrow & thereafter.


TONY COX