Dear brothers and sisters,
Last month, we kept a Giving Sunday when our Treasurer Richard Clark presented us with the current state of our church’s finances. Those present also received a copy of the leaflet attached to this letter (click on the heading above to download a copy), highlighting the challenge of finding £500 a day to fund all of our work and life, but also an opportunity in extending engagement with the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS).
Can I firstly say, how grateful I am as Team Rector for any and all financial support you give as it is a profound sign of your commitment to Christ and His Church, specifically our own of Holy Trinity and the Merton Priory Team.
The Gospel we happened to have on the Giving Sunday was that of the rich man disappointed to hear Jesus suggest he part with all his wealth (Mark 10.17-31). How we respond to that message in Wimbledon in 2024 is complex, but it is healthy to be reminded of the responsibilities of wealth, whether for individuals and families or indeed the church and good to be reminded that all things come from God to be shared among His children.
In this regard, it might help everyone to realise that our substantial cost is that of the Parish Support Fund, namely what we give to Southwark Diocese to cover our own ministry costs (having a full-time priest and all the related costs). This year that cost is £86,300, but at Holy Trinity we are contributing £122,000, in order that we share our abundance with the greater material needs of St John’s in our Team, as well as a little left over for poorer parishes beyond our own.
Now, our Treasurer Richard had to be the bearer of the news that this year he is forecasting a deficit of £13,500 for us at Holy Trinity. We do have some reserves, although would clearly like them to be available for capital, church fabric costs and total emergencies and not our simple running costs! He reports that our lettings income is encouragingly on the rise, but given that all costs (from the aforementioned ministry costs to utilities) rise rather than fall, it is clear that the place where we may be able to increase is in planned giving, especially through PGS.
Richard explained some of the great benefits of PGS:
it is a simple online giving method that means regular financial support to our church;
there is the option to increase giving annually to protect the gift against inflation;
giving can be anonymous, if preferred;
there is peace of mind that the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme protects your gift;
and for Holy Trinity there is the advantage that all the direct debits are taken on the first of the month, so we receive the money in one go about three days later;
and then PGS claim the gift aid for us, which we receive 10 days or so later.
So do please prayerfully review your level of giving and if you are not presently a regular giver, then it would be a godsend for you to consider joining PGS. For further questions about PGS and giving more widely, do contact Tracey McDermott our Stewardship Officer or Richard Clark would be happy to take anyone through the finer details of our finances.
If we indulged in a wish list, then we would love to be fundraising for things such as a youth worker or to have again paid administrative support and maybe those days will come, we pray. But in all honesty now we are appealing for help to be self-sustaining, to recover a strong base on which to build. And if we cannot help ourselves, we are not sure who else will, though we know in this as in all things God is our helper.
Yours in Christ
Mark Eminson Team Rector eminson.mark@gmail.com
Richard Clark Treasurer rclark9@btinternet.com
Tracey McDermott Stewardship Officer stewardship@ht-sw.org.uk
