Stewardship campaign
It is not often in our Church life that we have to talk about financial giving. We trust that you will take some home and care to reflect and act when reading this booklet.
Every organisation has to deal with the inflows and outflows of money. This is not only to survive but also to prosper and flourish. Organisations especially have to do this when they gear themselves into states of readiness for the future.
Any person walking into church can say their prayers, worship at one of our services, be baptised, and call for a priest to bless their home, receive the last rites. As a result of their encounter with us they will leave uplifed, refreshed, and comforted.
Yet the provision of the services of a priest and the church are not without costs. Did you know for instance that our annual budget is around £150,000 a year? Out of this we spend about £8,000 a year on heating and lighting and £20,000 on music.
Currently members of the congregation give £24,500 a year and we are grateful for this level of contribution, which has served us well but we have a target to increase this by 20% to £29,400 to ensure all our commitments are covered. Your help is needed in reaching this target.
Our Vision is to work at developing our relationship with our Church School in Chatsworth Road and fostering what arises out of our conversations. We have begun this. Our Vicar is now the Chairman of Governors of the school and the Acting Head is a practising Christian committed to developing the relationship between Church and School. Our Director of Music now teaches Music in the school.
The PCC has set this relationship between Church and School as the fulcrum out of which the reinvigoration of our worshipping life is to be achieved and the means whereby we share with others the joy of our Christian faith.
One of the practical outcomes we have set ourselves is to establish a Church Choir School through which pupils and the next generation enrich their Christian understanding and practise their faith.
As part of preparing the way the Music Department now engages young and capable singers to support the education and training of 20 young choristers from the Church Choir school, who will be joining us from September.
From developing our relationship with our church school we also now have 13 young people being prepared for confirmation at Holy Trinity School and two Choir School rehearsals taking place each week.
By putting our relationship with the school at the heart of what we do and are about, we are working at laying the foundations for our future life and growth at Holy Trinity Church. We are therefore inviting you to join and support us with confidence and enthusiasm.
Based on the Church of England's guidance, 5% of our take home pay should be given to charities, with the Church as one of the charities to which to give.
If you need more information please let us know. Making a regular donation or one off donation to Holy Trinity Church, Dartford, however large or small is easy to arrange.