I AM writing this early in the New Year, just as the Parish Finance Office has sent details of all Parish Share payments as at the end of 2011. These continue the encouraging trends of recent years. The average of the payments each month was £1.102million, the lowest month being January at £821,000 and the highest being December at £1.336m. Whilst this is the pattern we might expect, as parishes set up their direct debits and standing orders early in the year, and others, not using regular payment methods, make their final payment at the end of the year, the office reports that share cash flow has been the most regular it has known. This could be illustrated with a graph but perhaps an other statistic will do?
Using 2006 as a baseline, Parish Shares have increased by 15.9 per cent whilst cash receipts at the end of December have increased by 19.3 per cent. This might seem a small difference, but it means that almost £400,000 more was received by the end of December than we might have expected had the 2006 pattern continued. This is a marvellous result and thank you to the many parishes now making more regular payments, particularly in these difficult times.
Last month, we examined how the various inflation indices had moved since 2000 and how Share payments, PCC running costs, and outward giving had kept pace with these. Whilst Share payments had closely followed average earnings, and outward giving seemed to have flat-lined in recent years, what was particularly striking was that PCC running costs had increased well ahead of any of the indices.Under a banner headline "Parish running costs have doubled" we noted the need to drill down to discover more.
The graph to illustrate the increased costs needed six lines and these were coloured to aid identification. One of the perils of using colour is that it can
become less distinct during the printing process and this is what happened. Indeed the line illustrating the doubling of PCC running costs virtually disappeared. Our apologies, but readers are invited to try the Chelmsford Diocese website www.chelmsford.anglican.org clicking on the tab 'Who we are', then on 'Key facts', then on 'Did you know?' to find the graph in its original splendour.
So what about drilling down? It was here that a problem emerged. Examining data over time requires a consistent set of definitions. Unfortunately those used for PCC finances nationally were changed in 2007, so items which appeared under one heading before that date can be under a different heading now. So although we can't look at details, what we can do is compare the total PCC running costs of the 463 parishes in the Diocese of Chelmsford with the total for all 12,563 parishes in the Church of England. The graph above, which excludes outward giving, and avoids technicolour this time,shows clearly that in both cases running costs have run well ahead of CPI with the increase for Chelmsford Diocese being most marked from 2006 onwards. Just why this should be is intriguing but inconsistent data over time prevents further analysis.
ST Michael's church in Myland, Colchester, enjoyed a recordbreaking Christmas. Some 1,119 people attended the ChristmasEve and Christmas Day services. "This is the first time we have brokenthe four-figure barrier," said priest-in-charge Revd Ray Gibb
By Canon Don Cardy, February 2012