A Message from Huw Money Matters It Should Come As No Surprise to Anyone Reading This If I Say That We, As a Benefice, Are in a Financial Mess
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A message from Huw Money Matters It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this if I say that we, as a Benefice, are in a financial mess. Last year, for St Mary’s and St Martin’s, our Income was £84,000 but our Expenditure was £100,000. St Peter’s was in a slightly better position - £68,000 and £74,000 – but there is no room for complacency there either. In fact one outside analyst recently concluded that, if we sat back and did nothing, the Benefice could be bankrupt by 2020. The good news is that no one has any intention of letting that happen. Back in March all three churches ran a Stewardship Campaign, where many people responded generously, either through one off gifts or by increasing their weekly giving. Each church has been holding fundraising events, such as the collection of old clothes back in the spring. St Mary’s recently held a Family Fun Day which was a great success. All sorts of people came along and gave liberally of their money and their hard work, so that just over £1,400 was raised.. In October St Peter’s will be hosting Arts Week, in December St Mary’s will hold its annual Christmas Concert, and St Martin’s are planning a sponsored Hymnathon for next year. People keep coming up with ideas, large and small, of things to do to help and there is an enormous determination to turn this problem around. However, we all need to play our part. If every member on the Electoral Roll increased their giving by £5 a week we would soon be back in surplus – and how many of us spend that amount on treats for ourselves every week? However, God wants our vision to be bigger than the church alone. My vision for this Benefice is for us to reach a point where, instead of worrying about paying our bills, we are discussing which charities we want to support, at home or abroad. We live in a world full of need; God has generously given us all sorts of good things and we are called to follow his example by giving generously to others. I know many of you have particular good causes you support. It may well be that, especially when the news is full of so many natural disasters, your immediate response is, “I can’t give any more to the church right now, because I need to increase my Standing Order to Christian Aid (or Tear Fund, Oxfam, the Red Cross, or so many others)”. In which case, my response is – Fantastic! Give as God is prompting you, and I feel sure that all - 1 - our needs will be met. Those are easy words to write; putting them into action is an exciting challenger for us all. A note from the Editors When a friend mentioned to a local person in church that the Benefice was short of money, this person responded that church parishes are always short of money, and so what?? People like that seem to have an naïve view, somehow expecting our Parish to have a special relationship with the Bank, whereby debts can be wished away, or perhaps prayed away, and that an accumulating imbalance of our books will be miraculously taken care of by God. Try walking on water! For the most part it doesn’t work, however hard we pray, so it’s better to put your hand in your pocket and buy a ticket for the ferry. Many churches have had to close in past years, with declining numbers of parishioners and mounting costs. There is no reason at all why this should be the fate of any of our churches – our parishioners are numerous enough and have a combined income more than sufficient to keep Benefice debts easily at bay – and even to achieve Huw’s goal of supporting charities that we would all like to help together. So please support Huw’s appeal – NOW - and again in the future, as needed!. The problem will not go away. Huw mentions in his article ideas for fund-raising campaigns , big or small - it needs everybody not only to devise those ideas but also help bring them to fruition. (For example see the Table Top sale on page 5). From the Parish Registers The next entries in this department will be published in the November Parish Magazine. In memoriam Shirley Cox The funeral and interment of Shirley Cox took place at St Mary’s church on Friday 15 September, conducted by Revd Huw Mordecai. The church was full, with family and many friends present, and a choir of 14 local singers assisted in a beautiful service with Shirley’s favourite hymns. Five of Shirley’s grandchildren took part in readings that highlighted her devotion to a close family – an adored mother and grandmother. Her long - 2 - service to St Mary’s Choir was also celebrated; her capacity for friendship was remembered by us all. John William Batt-Rawden We have been advised of the death, aged 91, of John William Batt-Rawden, who lived in Winkfield for many year at Yew Trees, Maidens Green, where he and his wife Valerie raised their five children Paul, Linda, Brigid, Mark and David. He was on the Winkfield Parochial Parish Council for many years and was a regular in the congregation at St Mary’s church, Winkfield. But he will perhaps have been best remembered as a teacher at Cranbourne Primary School, where we learn from a past pupil that “Mr Batt-Rawden was an unforgettable teacher, who had a way of grabbing one's attention, with his little anecdotes, before the lesson started”. He was also a leading local bee- keeper. Visit www.fosmw.com/parishmag/ to see longer article on web-version of this edition on page 21. Charles Timbrell We are sad to have to announce the death of Charles Timbrell. Bits and Pieces Office opening hours Now Monday-Friday 9:30am – 12noon Contact info Church Office: c/o St Martin’s Church, Church Road, Chavey Down, SL5 8RR Phone: 01344 882933 Website: www.winkfieldandcranbourne.org.uk email: [email protected] If you are arranging an event, please contact Alison Burt in the Church Office, so that it can be noted in the Church diary and mentioned on the website. Alison will endeavour to keep track of activities and timings etc. You may view event details on the website given above. Prayers are held every week at 9:15am on: Monday at St Peter's Wednesday at St Mary's Tuesday at St Martin's Thursday at St Martin's - 3 - For further details please contact the church office. All are welcome to attend. Friends of St Mary’s Winkfield contact info The Friends of St Mary’s Winkfield website is www.fosmw.com – see this for Friends’ activities and events. Or contact the Friends at [email protected] Parish Mag on-line The editorial part of the Winkfield Parish News for present and past years (back to 2014) can be accessed at www.fosmw.com/parishmag. Web editions are in colour and may have additional material. Thank you! Peter Smith Thank you to all my friends at St Martins for their prayers, cards, flowers and offers of help that I have received after losing Peter. It has been a great comfort to me in what has been a difficult time. Margaret Smith. Improving St Mary’s church yard - Huw recently received this pleasing letter: It was a nice surprise at St Mary’s church yard. We would like to say thank you so much for all the hard work by the volunteers. We didn’t like to see the church yard so overgrown in previous years, and not being able to find the graves. My father used to say “a little appreciation goes a long way”. Evelyn and John Weare Events, Notices and Dates for your Diaries The deadline for articles etc. for the November Parish Mag is 10 October. Collation day is 27 October. The 3rd page of our magazine is the parish Who’s Who. Please report any changes or corrections needed, as soon as possible, to [email protected] Ranelagh School applications for September 2018 intake Further Ranelagh School Verification Surgeries for September 2018 intake are to be held at the Church Office, by appointment only, from 10am to 12noon on the following dates: - 4 - 1. Wednesday 4 October 2017, 10am – 12noon 2. Saturday 7 October 2017, 10am – 12noon 3. Wednesday 11 October 2017, 10am – 12noon Please email the Church Office(telephone bookings will not be accepted) to book an appointment. If you have any queries or comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Church Office. Email: [email protected] Chavey Down Women’s Institute Our October meeting takes place on Monday 18th in St Martin’s church hall at 7:45pm. Our speaker will be Bob Whelpton on ‘Chocolates Continental’, so do come along where you will be able to sample some of his chocolates! Also in October is the Bailiwick Group meeting on Thursday 5th October in Warfield Park Community Hall at 2pm. New members and visitors are always most welcome so do come along and join us. Janey Bethune-Williams 883854 Cranbourne Amateur Dramatic Society – ‘Men at Arms’ CADS present ‘Men at Arms’ by Terry Pratchett, adapted by Stephen Briggs, on 26, 27, 28 October, at 7:45pm. Tickets cost £9. This will take place at St Peter’s Church Hall, Hatchet Lane, Cranbourne SL4 2EG.