Supporting the Parish Financially

Supporting the Parish Financially

Like all parishes, St Andrew’s is largely responsible for its own financial viability, in addition to meeting its obligations to support the Archdiocese and their approved causes.

There are a number of ways in which you can support the Parish in these endeavours and they can be varied to suit individuals’ circumstances and preferences. They include:

• Routine collections “through the plate”;
• Becoming a member of the Parish Covenant scheme whereby you commit to weekly payments “through the plate”. This includes making use of the HMRC Gift Aid scheme;
• Making a “one off” donation to the Parish;
• Committing to make a financial contribution on a monthly or annual basis by setting up a Standing Order through your bank;
• Making a bequest to the Parish through including a legacy in your will. (It is worthy of note that currently legacies to UK charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax.) To amend your will, you should seek advice from a solicitor.

The Parish also has a Development Fund, which helps provide funding for major developments or renovations in the Parish. One recent example of this fund in action has been through the construction of the Parish Centre. You can appreciate the value of this investment by clicking here. For the future, the Parish has plans to enhance the Church through repairs to damp walls, improvements to the Sanctuary and lighting for which we may be seeking financial support. To do this you need to complete a Gift Aid Declaration (see below).

Gift Aid

If you are a UK taxpayer, for any of these options, you can take part in the Diocesan Gift Aid scheme. This allows the Parish, at no cost to you, to make recoveries from HMRC (currently 25% for basic taxpayers) of any donations you make.

What you do next

• To join the weekly Parish Covenant Scheme, please call our Gift Aid Coordinator, Liz Walker at walker_e_a@yahoo.co.uk, or speak to Fr Behr the Parish Priest;
• To complete a Gift Aid Declaration, go to St Andrew’s Gift Aid Declaration;
• To make a “one off” donation, speak to Fr Behr;
• To arrange for a Standing Order to support the Parish, go to Bankers Standing Order Parish Main Account;
• To arrange a Standing Order to support the Parish Development Fund, go to Bankers Standing Order Church Development Fund;
• To make a bequest through your will, speak to a solicitor, and then inform Fr Behr of your intentions.