The Ridgeway 

North Harrow 

Middlesex 

HA2 7PF 

Giving

St Alban's Church Fund
A registered charity in England and Wales no. 1132600.
Norman ShurrockDo you and your family regularly attend St Alban's Church, or, even if you come to church occasionally, do you recognise the part the Church plays in the life of our community and want to support it? If so, you should be in the St Alban's Church Fund.

This is a scheme whereby Church members can give regularly to support the Church in its mission to all the people in the parish, to the Church nationally and to the people of the world, and, of course, to maintain its own organisation and structure in good order.
The great majority of our members are in the scheme, as they find it an ideal framework in which they can decide how much of the good things God has given them they should be devoting to support the work of their Church, and it gives them an easy method of doing so.
 
We provide flexible means of giving, by weekly, monthly or annual envelopes, or, the most popular option now, by banker's standing order for the same frequencies.  Each member (family unit or individual) has an identifying fund number. Contributions are confidentially recorded and acknowledged by letter in March each year when new sets of envelopes (where appropriate) are sent out.
The regularity of members' giving to the Fund makes it much easier for the Church to budget its income and expenditure  to ensure that resources are devoted to areas of greatest need and to plan to meet future challenges.
 
There is one other mutual benefit of the scheme. Because you are giving to a registered charity, it is possible for a donor who is a taxpayer to Gift Aid their contributions, enabling the Church to reclaim from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs a further 28% of the giving's value at no extra cost to the giver. In 2007, this produced extra revenue for the Church of over £23000. In fact, if you are a higher rate tax payer, you can also personally reclaim from HMRC through your tax return a rebate of 18% of the sums given.
 
The question, who is a taxpayer, can be difficult to answer. Even if you do not file an annual tax return, you may still pay tax, as investments such as share and unit trust dividends are paid to you after tax has already been deducted at source. If so, you would be a taxpayer and we would be able to claim gift aid on your giving.
 
 If you think that you may fall into this category, or indeed want to know more about the St Alban's Church Fund or Gift Aid, please have a word in strict confidence with the Church Fund Secretary, Norman Shurrock 0208 933 6863,or click here to email Norman.   There are also Church Fund application forms on the table at the west door of the Church.
                  
November 2008.