FINANCE

How much does St Andrew's cost to run?

St Andrew's costs about £130,000 per year. This works out at nearly £15 per hour, day and night. From this income we like to donate around 10% to outside charities and missionary work.

Where does this money come from?

This church and its ministry are financed entirely by the members of its congregation and by donations from visitors, together with a very small amount from wedding and funeral fees. The Church of England, although it is the "Established Church", receives no money from the Government.

What about the Church Commissioners?

The Church Commissioners are responsible for the management of the historic endowments of the Church of England. In 2007 the Church Commissioners were able to provide a total of £178 million in support of the Church. Most of this was used to finance the pensions of retired clergy, the cost of bishops and cathedrals, and to support parish ministry in poorer areas of the country. None of it comes to Cobham!

How you can help support St Andrew's

If you are, or are planning to be, a regular member of our congregation, a convenient way is to take out a Standing Order with your bank. Forms for this are available by the door. Click here to download the form as a PDF. Alternatively you may prefer to make regular weekly or monthly payments through our offertory envelope scheme. Please contact Jenny Vickers on 01932 862497 for further information on this scheme. Whichever of these methods you choose, we are able to claim an extra 28% back from the Inland Revenue, provided you are a taxpayer and have made a "Gift Aid" declaration. (The basic rate of Tax will fall to 20% in 2008, but the 28% rebate figure will continue until 2011. After that the taxpayer's gain will then be the church's loss!) If you are just visiting, or do not intend to be a regular giver, then please use one of our yellow Gift envelopes. If you are a taxpayer, then don't forget to write your name and address on the front, otherwise we cannot claim our rebate!

In addition to the routine running cost of our church, we needed to raise about £150,000 in order to renovate our roof. The tiles needed replacing, and there were leaks in several places. The work was completed in 2005, and we are grateful to the many generous people who over the preceding three years have helped us raise this money. More recently we have replaced our organ and re-ordered the East end of the church in order to take advantage of the new space that became available. This has cost around a further £100,000.

How much should I give?

That is something we can't tell you! Some commentators say that the Bible requires us to give 10% of our income, but there are others who say that this is an incorrect reading of Scripture and merely emphasise that we should give willingly and generously. It is certainly true that many of the responsibilities that the Church used to have for caring for the poor and sick are now financed from our taxes. In the Church of England it has been said that if everyone gave 5% of their disposable income after taxes, all the Church's financial difficulties would be solved! But whatever percentage you choose to give, the important thing is that it is done with prayer and with joy.