Stewardship    

We are told that the Lord loves a cheerful giver and the churchwardens and recorder have written a jolly piece to encourage all church members to think positively about our forthcoming stewardship campaign. They have emphasised that as Christians we have a need to give.The financial situation is challenging (which is today’s media-speak for difficult and unsustainable in the longer term).

With a building as old, large, and beautiful as St Michael’s will always make financial demands.  We have long known that we should be setting aside, a substantial amount, say £30,000 a year, for building expenditure, but we have never really done it with nothing set aside over the past three years.

Although, to meet safety standards, we have spent a lot of money in the crypt, expenditure on building work in the last three years that is required to meet on-going maintenance of the building has been very limited and only a small fraction of the estimated long-term annual average need of £30,000.

So it is not a matter of all our money going on the building. We have been maintaining all the aspects of our worship and church life. We have spent on improving the audio system and updating the visual image of the church.  We want to spend on enlivening the notice board system in the porch and west end.