Thoughts on Giving - April 2007

A summary of what I said about our financial situation on Sunday 29th April:

We need to set our financial situation in context.
18 months ago the PCC made the decision that, rather than seeking to maintain year’s routine expenditure in our reserves, we would aspire to maintain 6 months’ routine expenditure.
That was controversial, but the decision was made for two main reasons:-

1. Pragmatic. A number of people had said they would be more prepared to give if there wasn’t so much in the bank. They were reluctant to give to top up our reserves
2. A desire to be honouring to God. As a community of faith we are seeking to live as people who trust God. God calls his people to be wise, but to travel light.

Let us review why we give.

1. To meet need
2. Regular giving to God’s work is a key part of our discipleship…

Giving to God first is a theme that runs through the Bible

• Cain and Abel – Abel’s offering was acceptable because it was the best of what he had at that time.
• I Corinthians 16 – Paul instructed the Church to set aside money to give on the 1st day of the week

There is the biblical principle of a tithe of 10% to be given to God’s work. God’s work takes a variety of forms, but the C of E suggests that giving 5% to the Church is a good principle. SMM is itself committed to giving 10% to mission at home and abroad – we would love to increase that to 20 to 30%. What you give to SMM will not languish in reserves It will go towards God’s work
But what about the quota? This makes up more than half of our expenditure. Most of this goes to pay for me – almost all the rest goes to support churches that would otherwise struggle to pay for a priest.
So what is the plan?
We have a number of fabric projects completed or planned:

• replacing the heating
• building a toilet
• a number of smaller repairs

Taking account of money that has been promised to us from the Friends to St Mary Magdalen, if we were to take the total cost of these projects out of our reserves we would reduce them to about the level we are aspiring to maintain; about 6 months routine expenditure.
So, that is what we are going to do. I am not going to ask you to give to support a project.
However. We are currently spending more than we are receiving just to keep the church running. This year we will overspend by about £8,000. We cannot afford to keep doing that. Rather than asking you to give to a project I am asking people to review their regular giving to St Mary Magdalen.

How much money would it take?
If we all increased what we give by £1 per week then this would do the job. For some that will be too much, others could give more. The key is to prayerfully review our giving. Our main desire should be to give to God first and to support God’s work here and in the world.

For more details contact Charlie Meader or Felicity Poulter. If you are on the Electoral Roll we will be writing to you soon.

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Rob Dewing.
Vicar