Finance
This page gives a bit more detail on our church finances based on 2018’s financial results.
This page was last updated in September 2019.
You can find more about how to give to the church here: stwss.org.uk/give
How much does it cost to fund the ministry of St Thomas with St Stephen?
It cost us £349,000 to run our ministry last year (total General Fund expenditure and transfers to other funds).
£94,000 Parish Support Fund. This is the parish’s contribution to the Diocese of Southwark, to pay for clergy and central costs. The Diocese says: “Rather than each church paying for its own vicar and all the other costs of ministry, we pool our resources with richer parishes supporting poorer ones. This means we can put clergy in the places where they are needed most.”
£107,000 Salaries. We are blessed to have eight members of staff. Four provide administrative and other support to the parish. Two are cafe managers and we also have a Children and Families’ Minister and a Youth Minister.
£75,000 Building expenses. Our buildings are well-used by the congregation and by our local community. The substantial costs of running and looking after the buildings include: maintenance, electricity, gas, water, and cleaning.
£14,000 Mission transfer. The Church pays a proportion of its general giving to its Mission Partners. More information can be found here stwss.org.uk/global-partners
£59,000 Other. This includes the cost of our worship and ministry, other fund transfers and running the office.
Where does our General Fund income come from?
The Church received income of £329,000 last year (total General Fund income and transfers in from other funds).
£132,000 building income (40%). This comes from other churches and groups paying to use our two church buildings and from the cafe. This has further increased after the reopening of St Thomas’s, and thanks to the hard work of our staff and volunteers
£197,000 giving income, including Gift Aid (60%). The congregation gives generously, through regular and one-off gifts, to support the Church’s work. The Church is able to reclaim Gift Aid from HMRC on UK taxpayers’ gifts. The regular worshipping community of St Thomas with St Stephen is around 150 adults.
Did the Church finances run a surplus or deficit last year?
The Church’s General Fund had a £20,000 deficit during 2018, with a cumulative surplus at 31 December 2018 of £15,000
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) divides the General Fund into Buildings & Admin and Giving & Mission. Our long-term aim is that income from our buildings covers the costs of running them including salaries for our Bookings Co-Ordinator, our Parish Administrators, and our Caretaker, and the costs of running the office. We also intend that our general giving income covers the costs of our worship and our mission costs.
General Fund Summary
How much money do we have in our reserves?
The Charities Act 2011 requires that the PCC sets its reserves policy, and that this is disclosed as part of the Annual Report. The Church’s reserves in its unrestricted funds is £57,000 at 31 December 2018 which is £3,000 lower than our target of £60,000. The Church is working towards increasing its reserves over the medium term.
What are restricted and unrestricted funds?
The Church’s reserves are split into different funds in the financial statements.
Some funds are restricted (so they can only be used for a certain purpose) and others are unrestricted (so the Church can use them for any purpose that supports our charitable objectives).
The main fund is the General Fund, which receives general giving and building income, and out of which the Church pays salaries, most building costs, contributions to the diocese Parish Support Fund.
There are funds for specific purposes: Building, Mission, Earmarked (for example Worship Development and Youth Work), Mission, and Gift Day.
How does the Church recover Gift Aid on giving?
HMRC rules allow the church, as a charity, to claim back any tax paid on donations to the church through the Gift Aid scheme. This adds 25% to the value of each gift made by a UK taxpayer, at no cost to the giver.
If you are a UK tax payer you can increase the value of your donation to the Church by completing a Gift Aid declaration form
Where can I find the Annual Report and Financial Statements?
The parish’s Annual Report and Financial Statements can be found on the Charity Commission website here after they have been submitted by the PCC and published by the Charity Commission.
Our financial year is in line with the calendar year, so twelve months ending 31st December 2018.
Each year, the financial statements are prepared by the Church Finance team, reviewed by the Treasurer, independently examined by a qualified person not connected with the parish, and approved by the PCC.
The PCC presents the financial statements and annual report to the congregation at the Annual Parochial Council Meeting (APCM), then sends them to the Diocese of Southwark and the Charity Commission.
How do we look after your data?
STwSS is committed to protecting your privacy and will process your personal data in accordance with the most recent data protection regulations. STwSS collects and uses your personal data in order to process Gift Aid claims in compliance with HMRC legislation. To see the full range of ways we use data as well as details for role holders and how we keep it all safe, please read our newly updated privacy policy on the church website.