Church Finance (1916)

Post date: Jan 26, 2014 4:9:59 PM

Extract from Parish Magazine of July 1916

CHURCH FINANCE.

To THE PARISHIONERS OF WATERINGBURY,

It has long been felt by business men that an effort should be made to put the finances Church of England on a sounder footing. The ancient endowments have long been insufficient to maintain an adequate number of ministers, and they make no provision for the-training of candidates for the ministry; or for the provision of pensions for aged clergymen who, though past work, cannot afford to retire; for the support of necessitous widows and orphans of deceased clergymen; for the erection of churches, mission rooms and the general equipment of new parishes in populous and growing places (such as Erith or Giilingham in our own Diocese of Rochester); for the religious education of the young, and other needful objects connected with our quickly growing population. Moreover the voluntary contributions of Churchfolk, though generous, are insufficient to meet these needs. They consist chiefly of the offerings of the more wealthy members of the Church, and little or no attempt has been made to afford opportunity to the less wealthy to contribute regularly their mite, which they would gladly do if suitable means of doing so were afforded them.

The matter has recently been considered by a large Committee of Churchmen, consisting laymen, appointed by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. That Committee has recommended that a beginning of the reform of Church finance be made in connection with the above-named objects ,generally known as Home Missions, without dealing for the present with Foreign Missions or or Parochial affairs (such as ''Church Expenses," "Sick and Poor Funds," &c.).

A scheme of Diocesan Finance, worked out by the Archbishops' Committee, has already been tried during the last year or two in many dioceses, and has been found very successful. All the dioceses including our own diocese of Rochester, are now adopting it. A Diocesan Board of Finance has calculated that in order to meet its requirements, even in a small way, it needs £10,500 a year. It has asked our rural deanery of Malling to raise £400 towards that sum ; and the Ruri-decanal Finance Com fixed our share, the quota of Wateringbury Parish, at £30 (per annum).

The question arises how are we to raise this amount without interfering with our ordinary Church Collections ? The matter was carefully considered at two meetings, a preliminary meeting in the Vestry and a public meeting in the Church Rooms, held on the 13th inst., and it was unanimously decided an endeavour should be made to raise our quota by the adoption of the Freewill Offering Scheme and a Freewill Offering Committee was appointed to carry it out. The F.O.S. briefly is this: that every householder, and any other parishioner who may be so disposed, shall be invited to promise a regular weekly offering (from 1/2d. upwards) according to their ability. The amount promised by any contributor will be known only to the Vicar and the Secretaries of the F.O. Committee. A box of 52 numbered envelopes will be given to each contributor, one of which (containing the weekly offering) he or she will bring each Sunday to the Church and place in the Freewill Offering Box near the door. If any Sunday is missed, the omitted envelope with its contribution will be brought the next Sunday with the envelope and contribution for that Sunday, and both will be placed in the box. Each contributor will have a number placed against his or her name on the Secretaries' register of offerings and the total amount of his offerings at the end of every quarter will be published against his number (instead of his name) in the Parish Magazine.

You are invited to join the scheme, and to mark on the form attached to the circular recently sent to every house in the parish the amount of your promised weekly offering—to tear off and send the form, so marked and signed, to one of the secretaries—and to do so within a week of the receipt of the letter, or to put it into the F.O. Box in the church on Sunday, July 9th, so that the first Freewill Offering may be made on Sunday, July 16th.

Some parishioners may prefer to pay their contribution once a month or once a quarter, or even annually, in which case, if they will signify their wish to the secretaries, suitable arrangements can be made. But it is hoped that the weekly contribution will be generally adopted. It has been calculated that if 1/2d. weekly came from every house in the parish the required sum would be raised. But it should be clearly understood that £30 is the least that is required, and that there is abundant room for any further amount collected.

Chairman.

Secretary and Treasurer.

Assistant Secretary.

Signed on behalf of the F.O. Committee, ALAN LAMBERT,

F. M. RICHARDS,

(MRS.) G. LEMMENS,

Vicar, Churchwardens,

Countersigned :

Ex-Officio members of Committee

G. M. LIVETT,

G. SOUTHWELL SANDER, R. FRENCH, June 22nd, 1916.