20th May 2021
I’m writing this as I approach my first anniversary (1st June) as your first vicar of the new benefice of Black Bourton. What a year it has been! Firstly, I wanted to thank you for your continued interest in and support for our lovely church. We are so pleased to be back inside the building for services. The outdoor carol service at Christmas and Easter egg hunt with the children on Holy Saturday were very special and a great opportunity for the village to engage more with our church.
The years leading up to my appointment were clearly painful and disruptive. Now we are back on a stable footing I am writing to remind you all of our joint responsibility both for maintaining the fabric of the church and, in the context of this letter, furthering the ministry and mission of the whole Christian community.
It’s been a revelation to our new churchwarden and treasurer, Lawrence, just how much it costs not only to keep the roof on but also to maintain our ministry. The fabric fund is gainfully supported by the 100 Club, the Oil Club and donations from the BBVA. Fortunately accumulating these contributions means, assuming we can attract match-funding, we can pay for the re-roofing of the porch this year, which will cost over £16,000. Other recurring costs borne by the fabric fund include heating, electricity and insurance and waiting in the wings is a long list of other building remediations.
I am what’s known as a self-supporting minister (I don’t cost you anything!), however, there are annual recurring costs that need to be covered by the ministry fund, which is what the collections from those joining us for services go towards. The total annual expenditure for our ministry is over £7,000, the bulk of which is our contribution to the Parish Share – the amount of money that every parish is asked to contribute to support the provision of mission and ministry of the Church in the Diocese of Oxford. How do we benefit from this? The Diocese invites us to access any number of experts to help develop and expand our work within the village: from expert architects to financial advice, from children’s and youth workers to ways we can grow in our personal discipleship.
To help us with financing our ministry, we have just signed up to a new scheme introduced by the Diocese of Oxford called the ‘Parish Giving Scheme’ (PGS), which allows our friends and supporters the chance to give something to the church on a monthly basis by Direct Debit (not Standing Orders). Each eligible contribution automatically has 25% Gift Aid added within a few weeks of the gift being received! This means that we will no longer be passing the plate around in church during the service (it will be left at the font for those not signed up to the scheme) and we hope that it is a more convenient way for you to contribute. By committing to a regular payment – however much you can afford – it will enable us to be more secure in maintaining our ministry for future generations. You can use the PGS Gift Form or give online (at www.parishgiving.org.uk) or by telephone on 0333 002 1271 using our PGS Parish Code: 270627238.
I hope you might consider giving to the church through this scheme. In a letter to the earliest churches, the disciple James writes that our God is so generous and ‘he gives generously to all.’ During this difficult year, we have been blessed by God’s faithfulness to us and care of us, in so many ways. Twenty years after Jesus died, St Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
Our hope is that if we can cultivate generous hearts, then our church and our village will bear the fruit of this and new and exciting things will follow.
