Giving to St Andrew’s
Giving to support witness and ministry
What we spend
Each year we ask members of the congregation, new and old, to give some thought to their financial support for the witness and ministry at St. Andrew’s.
The church’s expenditure, which is in the region of £250,000 a year, can be divided into three main areas:
The work of St. Andrew’s itself.
St. Andrew’s is a busy church and all its activities need to be funded: Sunday services, children’s and youth work, the courses we run, work in schools, outreach activities, various groups and organisations and facilities. All these are made possible only by expenditure on items such as the maintenance and running costs of our building, the staff costs for which we are responsible, and office and clergy expenses.
Contribution to the diocese.
Every parish in the diocese is required to pay its ‘Common Fund contribution’ which is calculated on its electoral roll and attendance figures. This is used to sustain the witness and ministry of the church in our own diocese by providing clergy stipends, housing and pensions. In 2006 we are being asked for £108,000, an increase of 3.5% over that for 2005 and over 50% of our existing regular income.
Mission Support.
Many members of the congregation give directly to the Mission Partnership Scheme to support mission partners and societies with whom we have particular links. A separate leaflet is available with details of those we support.
Our Giving
Although we receive some income from the use of the buildings for concerts and special services, nearly 90% of our recurring income comes from the giving of the congregation through the planned giving scheme, donations and collections.
In 2005, without the exceptionally high level of income arising from several substantial legacies, our total expenditure would have exceeded our income by some £20,000. We obviously cannot assume non-recurring receipts of that order for 2006 and that fact, together with a further escalation in Common Fund Contribution, creates an enormous challenge for this year. If we were to balance our budget simply by increased planned giving, then the level of that giving would need to rise by a figure of 18%, which is difficult to digest! However, some of the expense which will fall into 2006 (about £12,000) was agreed at the point of commitment by the PCC to be offset by the exceptional legacies of 2005 and therefore, although the balance remaining to be met by our giving falls, a balanced budget would require our giving to increase by 11.3%.
That is why we are asking you to urgently consider your ‘giving to St. Andrew’s’. Through the pledge of our financial giving we can show our response for all that God has done for us and acknowledge all the blessings that he gives us. Our willingness to give is one way we express our thanks.
Some cannot give much, while others are able to give much more. Giving a certain proportion of our income is sometimes recommended, but it may be more appropriate for each of us to decide before the Lord what part we should play in sustaining the overall life of the church family, its worship, its fellowship, and its mission and outreach to others, both locally and overseas.
Giving to St Andrew’s
So that income is regular, reliable and much simpler administratively, we would urge you to give by making a monthly banker’s order arranging for payments to come through your bank.
If you nevertheless prefer to use the weekly envelope scheme, we would be pleased to supply you with a set of envelopes which can be put in the collection plate and also allows us to reclaim tax.
Should you be a taxpayer, we can increase the value of your giving by reclaiming the tax from the Inland Revenue at a rate of 28p for every £1 given.
Should you wish to start giving to St. Andrew’s or to increase your current giving, may we ask that you complete the giving form to St. Andrew’s, and the bank standing order should that be applicable, and return it to:
The Stewardship Recorder
St. Andrew’s Church
Royal Parade
Plymouth
PL1 2AD
Thank you.
If you would like to know more about gift aid, then details can be found on the Inland Revenue site .