St James Church, Shireshead, Epiphany 2021 – An appeal from the Vicar
Dear Friends,
We are often told that those who bravely went to fight in the first world war in the Autumn of 1914 thought it would be over by Christmas. In a similar vein I walked out of my office on the 23rd March convinced Coronavirus would soon be a thing of the past and we would be back to normal by July. Just goes to show how we never learn the lessons of history.
Thanks to the huge generosity of so many in the parish we finished 2020 not only having met all our overheads but also reaching out and supporting those who have suffered most during the last nine months. I have had a few messages in the last few days thanking us for that support. I am so grateful to all those who have kept the food bank in the porch stocked and given money to allow us to offer very direct help. We will need to continue helping for the foreseeable future and I suspect the situation will get worse before it gets better.
It is tragic to see the devastating effect that ever increasing restrictions on our daily lives is having on individuals and local businesses. The government has been generous with our money but for many it does not cover their overheads and you can’t keep going when you are haemorrhaging cash.
St James is in a similar position with regards to its overheads. These are costs we have to pay even if we never open the doors. Those in the planned giving/stewardship scheme have generously kept contributing during 2020 but that does not cover all our overheads. We have always relied on loose collections and special events to meet our costs. Obviously there have been some savings because of restricted use of the building and all our live streaming which has continued to allow us to reach out and include people Sunday by Sunday has been provided at no cost to the church.
We have monthly outgoings, which we cannot reduce (Parish Share, Utilities, , Car Park rent etc) of £2450.
And an income from regular planned giving, and the tax we collect from Gift Aid, of £2050.
There is a shortfall of £400 a month (£5000 in a year).
That is about what we raise every year from events like the Harvest Supper, 100 Club, Concerts, Cake sales, etc.
Whilst we have some reserves, without extra cash we will ultimately run out of money. The above figures just relate to our “must pay” items there is nothing for repairs or emergencies that would all be extra expense.
I writing to ask you to consider giving a one off donation of the money you would have given to church events and activities which we have all saved in the last year due to most things being cancelled as we fought COVID. If you are a UK Tax payer I am pleading with you to Gift Aid it as we will get an extra 25% “free” from the Chancellor.
I realise this is a blunt appeal for cash and for some of you there will be no more to give BUT for many of us, and I am one of those, the restriction placed on us by the pandemic has meant a reduction in our outgoings including what we would have given to the church for various social and fund raising events.
At Epiphany the Wise Men brought gifts to the Christ Child I am asking you to do the same for St James’ to keep us financially secure for 2021 until normal life can return.
Thank you for reading this and an even bigger thank you for being willing to help
Yours in Christ
Peter
How can you make this much needed donation?
I will be in church on Saturday 9th January from 10 – 1 praying for our church and parish. You can bring cash or a cheque, in an envelope, and place it on the altar.
You can send a donation, cheque made payable to
St James Church PCC to me at Chapel House, Chapel, Lane Ellel LA2 0PW
You can use BACs and make a payment direct into the church bank account (please use your surname as the reference) St James Shireshead PCC Nat West Garstang Sort Code 01-03-33 Acc No 04084675
You can pay on a debit/credit card. I will have the card machine with me in church on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th
You can use this QR simply point your smart phone camera at it and follow the instructions You will get a receipt which says St. James Shireshead but has my address on it simply because it has to be registered to an address.
If you do pay tax PLEASE don’t forget the gift aid form.
The PCC of St James, Shireshead
Gift Aid Declaration
Details of donor:
Title: ..…… Forename: ……………………………………
Surname ………………………………..………
Address ………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………
…………………………………………………………..…..…………..……… Post Code …………………………
Please treat as Gift Aid donations all qualifying gifts of money made from the date of this
declaration. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give.
Signed : ………………………………………………….. Date : ………./………/………
Notes:
- You can cancel this Declaration at any time by notifying the stewardship recorder.
- If in the future you no longer pay sufficient tax to equal the tax that charities reclaim on your donations, you should notify the church.
- If you pay Income Tax at the higher or additional rate and want to receive the additional tax
relief due to you, you must include all your Gift Aid donations on your Self Assessment tax
return or ask HMRC to adjust your tax code. - Please notify the church if you change your name or address.
