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FinancesatIMC
Asachurch,foranumberofyears,IMChasbeeninthecomfortablepositionofbeingabletoaffordwhatwereasonablyneedwithoutstressingtoomuchaboutwherethemoneyiscomingfrom.Sure,wehavehadappealsforcertainthings(suchastherecentLEDLightingAppeal),butgenerallythemoneyhaslookedafteritselfandwehaven’thadtoopenlyworryaboutittoomuch.
Unfortunatelythathasnowchanged.Fortwoorthreeyearsourincomehasfluctuated,butonaveragehasdeclinedbyapproximately10%,whilstourbillshaveonaveragecreptup(despiteusreigninginontheamountwespendonbuildingmaintenance–achickenthatissurelygoingtocomehometoroost).
Wearenowinapositionwherewecannotaffordto“coast”anylonger,andwemustfaceuptothesituation.
Theobjectiveofthisleafletisto:• trytoexplaintoyouthefinancialsituationweasachurcharein,• askyoutoprayerfullyconsiderhowyouasanindividual/familyshouldrespond,• provideyouwiththeformstorecordthatresponse.
Weaskthatyoudonotnecessarilymakeanimmediateresponse,butthatyouspendtimewithGod(andyourotherfamilymembers,ifappropriate)overthenextfewweeks,andthenmakeaconsideredresponse.Wethereforeaskyoucompletetheresponseformsfoundinthebackofthisleaflet,andhavethemavailableinanenvelopeforyourPastoralVisitortocollectwhentheydeliveryournextIMCNewsletter(theApriledition–whichshouldbearoundtheendofMarch).
Wewouldaskthatyoucompleteandreturntheresponses,whetheryoualreadygivetoIMC,ornot;andwhetheryoudecidetochangetheamountyougive,ornot.
Wethankyoufortakingthetimetoreadthisbrochureandconsideringyourresponse.Wearesurethat,ledbyGod,wewillcollectivelyrisetothisfinancialchallenge.
YoursinChrist,
DaveRowe,Steward RevMarkLawrence,MinisterOnbehalfoftheIMCFinanceActionTeam
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TheCurrentFinancialsituation
ThefinancesofIMCbreakdownintotwomajorareas:
GeneralFund
Thisfundpaysforallournormalrunningcosts,including:thepaymentsthatwemaketotheMethodistchurchtohelppayforourminister;propertymaintenanceandrepair;utilitybills;insurance;cleaning;outreachactivities;andtheconsumablesweusetohelpdeliverourservicesetc.
TheGeneralFunddoeshavesourcesofincomeotherthanourownpersonalgiving,suchasHallrent,andtakingsfromWesley’sandChewsdays.Theseotheritemsareforecasttototalapproximately£18,000in2018/19(thechurchfinancialyearrunsfromSeptembertoAugust).
However,ouroverallminimumrunningcoststhisyearareforecasttobe£81,000-thisiswithconstraintsonourmaintenanceandrepairs.Ontopofthisweneedtostartreplenishingthereserveswehold(astheyhavebeendangerouslydepleted,andasacharityweareexpectedtomaintainreservesinlinewithourformallypublishedReservesPolicy).Wealsoneedtobeabletobudgetforasensiblelevelofrepairstothefabricandsystemsofourbuilding.Reallywecoulddowithanannualincomecloserto£90,000.
IhavealreadyspokenaboutthesituationinchurchandwritteninthemonthlyNewsletter(twice),andasaresultanumberofyouhaverespondedandincreasedyourgivingand/orhaveputyourgivingonaregularfooting–thankyouall,thisimmediateresponseismuchappreciated.
However,evenallowingforthisincreasedgiving,ourcurrentgiving(includingthetaxwecanreclaimfromGiftAid)isforecasttobe£67,000.Thisleavesagapof£5,000–ashortfallofcloseto6%;i.e.givingof£67,000+otherincomesourcesof£18,000,comparedtoarealisticoverallincomerequirementof£90,000.
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YouthVisionFund(YVF)
YVFhashistoricallybeentherouteforfundingtheyouthministersthatIMChaveemployedatvariouspointsinthepast.
TheYVFdoesbenefitfromsomeincomeoutsideofourgiving.Inthecomingyearwecanexpectapproximately£2,750fromotherchurchesforservicesthatPhilprovidestothem.
Ourgivingtothisfundhasdroppedoffoverthepastfewyears,andwearenowrapidlyeatingintothereservesthatwehadpreviouslybuiltup.
AtcurrentratesthefundwillrunoutmoneyinFebruarynextyear(note:thishasalreadyimprovedfromNovemberofthisyearsinceanumberofyouhaverespondedtothecurrentsituationbeinghighlightedinchurchandtheNewsletterrecently).
WehavecommittedtoPhiltocontinuehisemploymentuntilJuly2021(whenhewillmoveontoanotherappointment),butunlessthefundingsituationchangeswewillnotbeabletomeetthisobligation.
Inordertobeself-sustainingoverthelongterm(whichisessentialifwewanttomeetourcommitmenttoPhil,andthenreplacehimwhenheleavesus),weneedtomorethandoubleourYVFgivingfrom£8,300p.a.to£18,500p.a.
Whyhavethingschanged?
Youmaywellaskwhythecurrentsituationislikeitis,wheninrecentyearsthefinanceshaveappearedtobemore,orless,solid.Ibelieveitisattributabletotwomainfactors:
i. Duringthelastfewyearswehavespentconsiderablesumsonabacklogofessentialrepairsincludingforexamplealeakingtowerandre-plastering.Thishasdepletedourreservesandabuildingsuchaswehavecontinuestoneedsignificanton-goingspending.
ii. Anumberofthehighergiversinthecongregationhaveeithermovedoutofthearea,movedtohelpestablishnewchurchplantselsewhere,or(moresadly)havedied.Theyhavenotbeenreplacedgiving-wise.
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Whyshouldwegive?Jesussays,"Freelyyouhavereceived,freelygive",(Matthew10v8),andinDeuteronomychapter26wearecalledtosetasidethe“firstfruitsofallyouproduce”andofferitbacktoGodinworship.
Giving,firstandforemostisaresponsetotheamazinggenerosityofAlmightyGod.
HeisaGodwhofreelygives,wholovestogiveandgivesbecauseHeloves.
AsfollowersofChristsurelywearetogivefreelyandgenerouslybacktoGod,becauseHehasgivensomuchtous.WereceivefromGodthatwhichwedonotdeserve,andwepartlyshowourgratitudetoHimandourloveforHiminandbygiving.
Givingispartofourdiscipleship.TheLordshipofJesusextendseventoourfinances.Doweshowthisinourgiving?Spurgeon'swordsaresurelytrue,"Thelastpartofamantobeconvertedishiswallet".
InChristwehavefreelyreceived,letusfreelygive.
Howmuchshouldwegive?
UltimatelythisisamatterforyouandGodtoresolveinprayer.
Thereisastrongbiblicalcasefortithing(giving10%ofyourincome),butyoucandebatewhetherthisincludesallyourgiving,orjustyourgivingtothechurch.
Ourfounder,JohnWesley,said,“Earnallyoucan,saveallyoucan,giveallyoucan”.
Wedon’tintendtobeprescriptivehere;youmustconsiderthispersonallyinprayerwithGod,buttohelpyouhereareafewquestionsyoumaywishtoconsiderwhenyoudopray:
• WhatisGodcallingmetogive?
• Ismygivingsacrificial?GodcallsustosacrificialgivingtofurtherHiskingdomonEarth;afterallHemadetheultimatesacrificeforus.
• HowdoesmygivingtoGod’sworkcomparetohowmuchIspendonvariousaspectsofmylifestyle;suchas:holidays,TVsubscriptions,goingout,myhobbies,etc.
• HowmuchamIwillingtospendtofeedmyselfphysically?HowdoesthiscomparetowhatIgivetofeedmyselfspiritually?
• HowmuchhasGoddoneformeinmylife?
• AmIgivingasanindividual,oramIgivingonbehalfofotherfamilymemberstoo?
Itmaybethatweaspiretogiveatasignificantlyhigherlevelthanwedotoday,butcircumstanceandthecommitmentsthatwehavealreadymadedonotmakethispossible
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rightnow.However,weshouldstillchallengeourselvestomakesignificantstepstowardsthelevelwehaveagreedwithGod,andthencontinuetakingstepstowardsituntilwegetthere.Godwillnotaskustodoanythingthatwe(withHishelp)arenotcapableof.
WedorecognisethatnotallofyourgivingtowardsGod’sworkwillbedirectedthroughthechurch–againthebalancetobestruckhereisbetweenyouandGod.
Wealsoacknowledgethatpeople’spersonalfinancialsituationcanchangedramaticallyatthetimeofcertainlifeevents,andthatsomeofthesechangesarefinanciallyfortheworse.Atthesetimesitisappropriatethat(aftercarefulprayerfulconsideration)youandGodmaycometotheconclusionthatyoushouldactuallygiveless.
Thekeytogivingisprayerandawillingnesstogivesacrificially:
“Rememberthis:Whoeversowssparinglywillalsoreapsparingly,andwhoeversowsgenerouslywillalsoreapgenerously.Eachpersonshouldgivewhatheorshehasdecidedintheirhearttogive,notreluctantlyorundercompulsion,forGodlovesacheerfulgiver.AndGodisabletomakeallgraceaboundtoyou,sothatinallthingsatalltimes,havingallthatyouneed,youwillaboundineverygoodwork.”
(2Corinthians9:6-8NIV)
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TheMechanicsofGivingRegularGiving
Firstly,wewouldencourageyouinthestrongesttermstoensurethatyouputyourgivingontoaregularfooting,ratherthanjustputmoneyinthecollectionbagwhenyouhappentobeinchurch.Thisenablesustoplanourexpenditurethroughouttheyear,safeintheknowledgethatweknowhowmuchincomewecanexpect,andwhenwewillreceiveit.ItalsoenablesyoutomoreeasilycommittogivingatthelevelthatyouhaveagreedwithGod.
StandingOrder
Ourmostpreferredmethodforyourgiving(byalongway)isviastandingorder.Thisiseasyforyoutoset-up,meansthatyoudon’thavetothinkaboutfindingyourgifteachweek,andminimisestheamountofadministrationtimeandeffortthechurchneedsasiteliminatesthetasksofcollating,counting,andthenbankingyourgiving;italsoreducesthesecurityissuesaroundhavingtohandle,store,andtransportlargeamountsofcash.
Theeasiestwayformostofustosetupastandingorderisviainternetbanking.However,ifthisisnotappropriateforyou,thenecessarypaperformsareincludedaspartoftheresponseformsatthebackofthisleaflet.
Envelopes
Ifastandingorderreallyisnotpracticalforyou,thenwecanprovideasetofgivingenvelopes(oneforeachweek)thatyoucanthenputinthecollectionbag.Ifyoumissaweek,thentheideaisthatyousimplybringtwoenvelopesthefollowingweek.Ifthisisthemethodyouchoose,thenpleaseindicatethisbytickingtheappropriateboxontheGeneralFundresponseformatthebackofthisleaflet.
Somepeopleinthepasthavebeenreluctanttomovetostandingordergivingasitdoesn’tleavethemanythingtoputinthecollectionbageachweek,andtheywereconcernedthatotherswouldthinkthattheywerenotgiving.Thisisnolongerthecase,themajorityofpeoplenowgiveusingstandingorder;soweshouldallassumethatthisisthecaseifsomeonepassesthecollectionbagwithoutputtinganythinginit(andthinkbetterofthemforthereasonsgivenabove).
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GiftAid
Anothermessagethatwecannotemphasiseenoughisthat(ifyoupayUKIncomeTax)please,please,pleasecompleteaGiftAidform(thesearebuiltintotheresponseformsatthebackofthisleaflet).
ThiswillallowIMCtoreclaimanadditional25%ofthevalueofyourgiftbackfromtheGovernment;ortoputitanotherway,every£1yougiveuswouldthenbeworth£1.25!!!!Tobefair,alotofpeoplethatcan,alreadymakeuseofGiftAid;butitisimportantthatwemaximisetheuptakeinordertomaximiseourincome.Evenifyouthink/knowthatyouhavepreviouslyfilledoutaGiftAidform,pleasetakethisopportunitytocompleteanotherone–thiswillminimisethechancesofushavingmisplacedyourform.
SomepeopleworrythatiftheycompleteaGiftAidformthenofficerswithinthechurchwouldsomehowbeabletoaccessinformationabouttheirprivatefinancialmatters.Thisissimplynottrue.ThetaxofficedoesNOTrevealANYinformationtothechurchaboutpeopleGiftAiding.
Itcostsyounothingandifyouareahigherratetaxpayer,thenitmaybeadditionallyadvantageousforyou,asyoucanoffsetyourgivingagainstyourhighesttaxrate.
Forgivingtobegiftaidedyoudoneedtouseeitherastandingorderorenvelopesowecanrecordtheindividualamountsgiven,justincaseHMRCneedtoauditourrecords.
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Thankyouforreadingthisleaflet.
Pleasenow:
• Prayaboutyourresponse
• Completetheattachedforms(evenifyougivealready,andevenifyoudonotintendtochangeyourlevelofgiving).
• Placetheformsintoanenvelope(toprotectyourprivacy)
• HandtheenvelopetoyourPastoralVisitor–ifthisprovesimpossibleforwhateverreason,pleasepassyourenvelopetoamemberoftheFinancialActionTeam(DaveRowe,AndrewLawrie,SandraDudley,DavidBithell,MadelineAllen,AndyPhillips,orSteveGill)–pleasenotethatitwillonlyeverbetheTreasurer(AndrewLawrie)and,whereappropriate,theGiftAidSecretary(StewartEdward)whowillactuallygettoseethecontentsofanyone’senvelopes–everybodyelsewillonlybebriefedatananonymousrolled-uplevel
WewouldappreciateitifyoucouldensurethatyoureturnyourresponseformsbeforetheendofMarch
ResponseForm–GeneralFunds
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I/we……………………………………………………………………………………committogive£……………………..perweek/month/year(deleteasappropriate)toIvybridgeMethodistChurchGeneralfund.
! I/wewillgiveusingaStandingOrder,andhavealreadypassedmy/ourinstructiontomy/ourbank (Note:apaperStandingOrderformisprovidedbelowshouldoneberequired)
! I/wewouldprefertouseweeklygivingenvelopes! I/wewantIMCtotreatmy/ourgivingasGiftAiddonations,andhavethereforecompleted
thedeclarationbelowPleasetickalloftheabovethatapply
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GIFTAIDDECLARATION
Title …… ….Forename(s) ……………………………… Surname ……………………………..…………………..
Address.…………………………………………………………….…………………………………….………………
…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………
Post Code ……………………. Telephone Number…………………………………………………
Email: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
I want IMC to treat all donations I have made since 6 April 2000 and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.
Signature ……………………………………………………….. Date - - /- - / - - - -Notes
• You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that IMC reclaims on your donations in the tax year (currently 25p for each £1 you give). You can cancel your declaration if this ceases to be the case.
• If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self-Assessment tax return. • Please notify IMC if you change your name or address.
STANDINGORDERTo:(yourbanknameandfulladdress)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
YourBANKACCOUNTNo.…………………………………………
YourSORTCODE ……………………………………………..
Pleasepay:NATWESTBANK,CityCentreBranch,Plymouth;SortCodeNo.53-61-57;AccountNo.08262683;AccountName=IvybridgeMethodistChurch
Thisistoreplace/inadditionto*anypreviousinstructionrelatingtothisrecipientaccount
Commencingonthe…………./……………/20………..andmonthly/quarterly/yearly*thereafter,
theSumof£………...……until furthernotice*,oruntil ……../…………/20……*
Signed:………………………………………………Date:……../…………/20……*
*Deleteasappropriate ThisS.O.formtobegiventoyourbankwhencompleted
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ResponseForm–YVF
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I/we……………………………………………………………………………………committogive£……………………..perweek/month/year(deleteasappropriate)toIvybridgeMethodistChurchYouthVisionFund.
! I/wewillgiveusingaStandingOrder,andhavealreadypassedmy/ourinstructiontomy/ourbank (Note:apaperStandingorderformisprovidedbelowshouldoneberequired)
! I/wewantIMCtotreatmy/ourgivingasGiftAiddonations,andhavethereforecompletedthedeclarationbelow
Pleasetickalloftheabovethatapply------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GIFTAIDDECLARATION
Title …… ….Forename(s) ……………………………… Surname ……………………………..…………………..
Address.…………………………………………………………….…………………………………….………………
…………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………………
Post Code ……………………. Telephone Number…………………………………………………
Email: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………
I want the IMC to treat all donations I have made since 6 April 2000 and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.
Signature ……………………………………………………….. Date - - /- - / - - - -Notes
• You must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax that IMC reclaims on your donations in the tax year (currently 25p for each £1 you give). You can cancel your declaration if this ceases to be the case.
• If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self- Assessment tax return. • Please notify the IMC if you change your name or address.
STANDINGORDERTo:(yourbanknameandfulladdress)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
YourBANKACCOUNTNo.…………………………………………
YourSORTCODE ……………………………………………..PleasepayLloydsBank,Ivybridge;SortCodeNo.30–94–58,AccountNo.02202262,AccountName=IvybridgeMethodistChurchYouthVisionTrust
Thisistoreplace/inadditionto*anypreviousinstructionrelatingtothisrecipientaccount
Commencingonthe…………./……………/20………..andmonthly/quarterly/yearly*thereafter,
theSumof£………...……until furthernotice*,oruntil ……../…………/20……*
Signed:………………………………………………Date:……../…………/20……*
*Deleteasappropriate ThisS.O.formtobegiventoyourbankwhencompleted
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