Can we afford to loose St Nicholas church?

Over the years inflation has affected us all and the Church of England is no exception but unlike individuals it has also lost most of its central support from the Church Commissioners (now only 3% of the Diocese Budget). This means parishes now have to pay for all the costs of ministry, pensions, housing, training, etc., as well as the costs of operation of our facilities and their maintenance.

Reducing numbers has meant the financial load falls heavily on those who do attend church regularly so this trend must be reversed or it will ultimately mean that unless these costs are met churches will close, and reduced numbers of ministers will be distributed sparsely amongst communities.

In recent years, with its 2 churches, our parish has been eroding its reserves in order to pay for the costs of ministry in the parish, for which we are expected to contribute £43,593 in 2006. The major source of income is through regular giving from the congregation, which for 2005 was £14,000 plus £4,000 in Tax recovered from the Inland Revenue for the previous year. £18,000 is well short of that required to provide the service to the community, let alone operational costs.

A simple analysis of this sort does not begin to tell the whole story, but could the community exist without its church? It is after all named after it, has strong links with St Nicholas school and offers the rites of passage to the community, as well as the prayers and worship, care and support offered week by week.

We welcomed over 400 people of all ages to the 3 services at St Nicholas during Christmas Eve and Day and consequently income rose healthily for those days, but for a normal Sunday service the average is only 40.

If you would like to know more about the church or about how you can support it please do speak to the Vicar, the Revd John Coombs 0118 934 xxxx, the churchwardens of St. Nicholas, Mary Langdown 0118 934 xxxx and Caroline Speer 0118 934 xxxx, or the Treasurer, Tony Pouncey 0118 978 xxxx.

Services at St Nicholas and St Mary's Churches

The Sunday School usually meets during the services not marked *. If you would like more details about any of the services or would like to speak to the Vicar, please phone the Revd John Coombs on 0118 934 xxxx.