It was inevitable that at some point I would need to write to you about money. As you all know St. Anselm’s has very low monthly outgoings, especially whilst payment of the Parish Offer is suspended. At some point in the future we will need to revisit that – but for the moment our principle outgoings are utilities and insurance. This comes to about £600 a month at a very basic level.
Whilst we’ve been away from the church building our income has dropped significantly – the primary method of giving remains the envelopes and cash on the collection plate. This is wonderful and the giving at St. Anselm’s is very generous.
I’m writing to you today to ask you to change the way you donate.
Rather than use the envelopes or put cash in the plate – would you please take 10 minutes and set up a Direct Debit with the Parish Giving Scheme run by the Church of England?
This is hugely beneficial for us – and for you. Firstly, the scheme is backed, insured and run by the Church of England, meaning it’s 100% safe. The Direct Debit Guarantee means we can never take more than you’ve offered, and you can cancel it at any time with a quick phone call. St. Anselm’s can then automatically claim Gift Aid on your donation without having to fill out arduous forms and waiting a long time for the money to come in – we will get it every single month – meaning your donation instantly attracts 25p per £1 donated every single time – straight into our bank account.
Setting this up is ever so easy – in fact I’ve just done it and it took me 8 minutes on the phone! You’ll need the following information to hand.
- Your own bank account number and sort code
- The parish code, which is: 230 623 503
…and that’s it! Just call 0333 002 1271 (local rate number) and set your donation up. From there on out the donation will come out of your account each month – automatically boosted with Gift Aid – and into our account.
This will make an enormous difference to St. Anslem’s and will put us on a firm footing before I join you properly in July. We’ll be able to pay our bills and open the church once again after this crisis.
With all my love, prayers & thanks,
Fr. Matthew