Lanzarote Relocation

A Message from our Chaplain, the Revd Idris Vaughan:
“For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also”
(Matthew 6.21)
A vicar stood up in his pulpit one Sunday and announced “I have some bad news, some good news, and then some bad news. The bad news is that we need a new church roof. The good news is that we have the money to pay for it. The bad news is that it’s in your pockets!”  With the so-called credit-crunch and with the pound falling sharply against the euro, many people have had to tighten their belts or re-think their finances. None of us are immune to the effects of the financial changes that have taken place over the last few months, and we must keep in our prayers those who will be really struggling to make ends meet.

The Church is also not immune to these changes and we have to give some  serious consideration to the financial situation of the parish of St Laurence here in Lanzarote. Most of our income comes from week on week giving through collections taken at services, together with the contributions of those who give on a regular basis and those who are willing to Gift-Aid their giving.  Sadly the average level of giving in the collections is only 2.93 euros per person.

In 2006 our parish finances only broke even, and in 2007 we incurred a deficit of over £7000, with the attendant danger of having to eat into precious reserves needed both for future contingencies and for the development of our ministry on this island.  The value of these reserves has already been affected by the recession and the fall in the value of the pound.  In 2008, thanks to the efforts of some of our parishioners, the Coffee morning, the Christmas Market and Christmas cards, we have produced a small surplus.

None of our income comes from Diocesan sources.  On the contrary,  we have to contribute to the running costs of the Diocese, and we have to be self-sufficient as a parish. Unlike clergy in the UK whose stipends are paid from Central Church Funds, my stipend and other expenses have to be paid from our own resources.

In last month’s newsletter, I spoke of the Church Council’s ‘Away Day’ and of its recognition of the need to broaden the ministry of St Laurence in the four priority areas of youth, welcome, lay leadership and a full-time chaplain.  The practical and financial implications of these challenges are now being addressed by the Council, but they will inevitably add to our future costs.  In the light of this the Church Council have agreed that we need to look urgently at what we can do both to improve our present financial situation and to increase our income to meet the expense of developing the chaplaincy here for the future.

You may also enjoy reading the following:

1. Church Newsletter – Dec 08 The Anglican Parish of St Laurence in Lanzarote Newsletter – December 2008 A Message from our Chaplain, the Revd Idris Vaughan “And the Word became...
2. Church Newsletter – March 09 A Message from our Chaplain, the Revd Idris Vaughan: “Has the world gone crazy?” This was a question posed to me by a Christian friend...
3. Church Newsletter & Events – Nov 09 A Message from our Chaplain, the Revd Idris Vaughan: Remember, remember….. This used to be the start of a rhyme. Remember, remember the 5th of...
4. Church Newsletter – April 2010 A Message from Father Idris: “A New Day has Dawned” These words are part of a Collect for Easter Day, but I also remember reading...
5. Anglican Church Newsletter. July / August 2010 A Message from our Reader, David Dowdell: “When the saints go marching…….” This time of year, here in the Canaries, we experience a succession of...

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