Please keep James in your prayers: James was officially appointed our treasurer at the PCC meeting on 26th November. That means he is going to be on a learning curve for the next few months as he comes to understand church finances and the relationship of St John’s to the wider diocese. That learning curve is made considerably less steep in the light of the fact that James is not only an accountant but is very familiar with the requirements of the Charity Commission. Both the National Trust and the Church of England have charitable status. Many of the same rules will apply.
James first task is to produce the end of year accounts. A church treasurer needs to be accurate in terms of managing the finances of the church, able to give advice to the PCC and to steer the church in the right direction. But, he or she also needs to be a person who can see beyond the bottom line. Let’s pray for our treasurer, Treasury team and PCC will be able to blend faith and good management.
We also want to thank Esther for agreeing to look after the Jar of Grace this year, and to take responsibility for counting that. Do please make sure that if you are able to Gift Aid your jar, then do please put your name inside it soon we can claim the money back on your behalf. When we are dealing with the kind of sums we are dealing with, that can be a substantial amount of money.