Communications – May 2016

CHURCH OF THE PRESENTATION MONTANA

FACT SHEET – 1/2016

Parish Finance Appeal

The Parish Pastoral Council met and discussed the shortage of funds for certain urgent projects in our church.

Our Parish has various ways of raising funds for purposes of:

• Meeting the day to day running expenses of the parish
• To pay the required taxes to support the Archdiocese
• To build up finds for improvements, repairs and maintenance
• To raise funds for very deserving charities

We raise our funds through:

• Ø The first collection.  This money is allocated to the running expenses of the Parish and to the payment due to the Archdiocese
• Ø The second collection is designated to be used for the buildings and property maintenance and the purchase of capital items like a car for our priest and furniture and equipment

• Ø Zone charity drives and proceeds from the 300club are allocated to charitable needs

We have been asked to focus on the 2nd collection because the funds that are being raised through pledges and the 2nd collection fall far short of the pressing needs of the parish.

• In order to comply with the town planning requirements we have to create additional paved or tared parking behind the church.  The estimated cost of this is about R130 000.  This is the cheapest quote we have obtained so far.
• The sewerage system of this property is designed for a plot and has to be connected up with the municipal reticulation.  This will be costly to do.  At present we still have septic tanks.
• The roofs of the church, the hall and the priest’s house are all in need of urgent repairs and this work must be undertaken in the dry winter months.  We also have to upgrade Father’s lounge.  The furniture is not in a good condition anymore as they have been given as second hand furniture to the priest back in the 1990’s.

The parish needs to work together to raise and estimated R300 000 to complete these projects

Therefore we are appealing to everyone to review one’s position with regard to the SECOND COLLECTION.  If we can increase the money by about R5000 per week we will be close to reaching our target within about 15 months.  We have to do this without decreasing the income from the first collection.

The parish appreciates the continued generosity of those that have pledges in place.  Direct payment is ideal as it costs the parish to bank cash.  Please consider if there is any way you can increase this commitment or participation in the 2nd COLLECTION in any other way.  Once off donations, can be given to Fr Sam, Onicca or Manuel our chairperson.

We appeal especially to those who are not yet committed to pledging to seriously consider doing so.  It will make the task of financial and project planning considerably easier if we have a more committed level of contribution.

We all need to compare what we spend on other things with what we contribute to the parish and the greater church.

Please help our parish to collect the necessary funds – it is your parish too.

WE ARE ONE – WE ARE MANY

We are one parish – we are many people

Let us maintain with many people

what we have built up as one parish!

May God bless you and keep you

May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you

May God give you the grace not to sell yourself short

Grace to risk something big for something good

Grace to remember that the world is now too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.

May God take your eyes and see through them

May God take your lips and speak through them

May God take your hands and work through them

May God take your heart and set it on fire.