Our income comes mainly from direct giving by the congregation ( plus the tax we can recover from this - see below), hall lettings and fund-raising activities.

In other words, the responsibility for funding our church is OURS.

The Scriptures teach the principle of PROPORTIONATE GIVING - giving a percentage of our income to the church - so much for each Ј1.00 of our disposable income. The General Synod of the Church of England urges us to aim at a basic standard of 5p per Ј - that is 5%. But how much we give is a personal decision.

Quite a number of members of St Barnabas elect to give via the Planned Giving scheme. This means you state in advance the minimum amount you will give each week and contribute this either via a standing order arrangement or via special envelopes (one for each week of the year) which you put in the Sunday Service collection. Planned Giving helps us to budget better and also means we can reclaim the tax easily.

The cost of running St Barnabas is the same every week whether we can attend a service or not. Therefore we do urge members to think about planning their giving - however small the amount.

If you plan your giving and you pay income tax, the Inland Revenue will REFUND to St Barnabas the tax you have already paid: 28p for each Ј1 you give. All you have to do is fill in a simple form.

For more information about Planned Giving and reclaiming income tax, please go comfort zone heaters or speak to Marjorie Middlecoat in church.