St Mary with St Alban

Christmas is a time when Christians are asked to reassess their commitment to the church both in terms of their faith and also support. Responsibilities are broad and involve the commitment of time, talent and money.

At St Mary with St Alban, the day to day running of the church involves many activities which are performed by a number of dedicated Christians. There is a need to supplement this valuable contribution with effort from new people. The church is a grade II* listed building which is over 500 years old and it is our duty to protect its heritage. Without help, whether in terms of time or regular financial support, the decay of the church is inevitable. Please act now to help the church and community to create an environment in which future generations will be able to flourish.

Help is welcome with cleaning the church’s interior, maintaining the churchyard, flower arranging, assisting with the Sunday school and ad-hoc fund-raising events. Some activities take place weekly and others are organised on a rota basis which can be varied to suit personal circumstances. None of the activities are particularly time-consuming, and all are undertaken in an enjoyable environment with friendly faces. In addition, there is the personal satisfaction of helping the community.

If you would be willing to help with any of these activities or would like to get more involved in the day-to-day running of the church, please contact the Vicar or churchwardens. Their details are on the reverse of the monthly newsletter which can be found on this website. Alternatively you can get in touch by using the Contact Us link on the homepage.

In addition to committing your time and talents, the church also needs your financial support. The difficulties faced by the national church in recent years mean decreasing central financial support for parishes, and the need for affluent parishes to cover not only their own costs but also help support less fortunate ones. It is important that income is increased to provide the church with the financial certainty of being able to cover its costs and maintain reserves for general maintenance and repair.

You can help by increasing your regular donations or make an undertaking to do so if you do not currently give on a regular basis. If you are a taxpayer, the church can recover tax on your contribution if you make a simple gift-aid declaration; this currently adds a further 28p for every £1 donated. If you are able to help financially, please visit the stewardship webpage where you will find further details. This can be found using the following link (stewardship). Alternatively, there are forms at the back of the church which can be completed and given to a church officer.

St Mary with St Alban will be initiating its 2008 stewardship campaign next April, when more information will be provided on this website, in the monthly newsletter, and parish notices during the Sunday services.