CHARITY IN FOCUS - St. GILES CENTRE APPEAL
At our PCC meeting held on Monday 13th October 2023 the PCC decided to suspend our charitable giving for the whole of 2024, with the exception of the Parish Fete. The reason for this is that we hope that work on the St. Giles Centre will begin in earnest in the summer of this year.
To date we do not have a clear picture of how much this work is going to cost but it will certainly be a substantial amount. Consequently every month we are going to ask our Church and community to contribute to a particular area of the refurbishment work.
November UpdateThank you to everyone who was able to contribute to October’s Charity in Focus which was the Diocese of Rochester Poverty and Hope Appeal. This appeal raises money for some of our link Dioceses in places such as Estonia, Tanzania and South America. Within those Diocese are some very poor communities and funds raised contribute to a number of helpful projects in those places. As we move into November our focus will continue to be on raising money for the Centre Refurbishment. To date we have raised £14,457.00.As I write this, we are still navigating the complexities of the job and the difficulties of balancing the scope of works against a realistic amount of funds that we will be able to raise and commit to this project. We will of course be making our annual donation to the work of the Earl Haig Poppy Appeal following on from our Remembrance Sunday service. The people of St Giles and the Parish of Farnborough continue to respond generously to a number of different appeals, and I am very grateful for everyone's continuing support. Matthew St Giles Centre has played an important part in the life of our church since its construction in the 1970s and 80s. Read More Social events, play groups, music lessons, film nights, bereavement support groups, PCC meetings, Sunday Schools, afternoon teas and fund-raising events have all taken place within its walls. In addition, it has been home to the Parish Office for over 10 years which has meant that the administrative centre of the parish has been at the heart of the village along with our church. Importantly since the closing and demolition of the public toilets the Centre has been the site of the only toilets in close proximity to the church. Over the past 20 years my focus and that of the PCC and the Friends has been the refurbishment of St Giles. Over this time half a million has been spent on such things as the lighting, kneelers, tower, bells, altar frontals, organ, cupboards, the lychgate, boiler and redecoration to mention just a few. Now, with all the improvements safely in place the time has come to turn our attention to the refurbishment of the Centre. The current plans are suggesting a thorough refurbishment of the whole building which will include: * A new roof across all rooms. * A new unisex toilet which can be * accessed when needed. * A new kitchen * New flooring and lighting throughout. * Re-plastering and redecoration throughout * A new tarmac driveway * Solar power and gas supply. As you can imagine all of this is not going to be cheap. As I write this, we are not in receipt of any builder’s quotes, but we are talking tens of thousands of pounds. So that we do not have too many competing demands upon our finances, the PCC has agreed to make 2024 the year of the Centre. This means that every month our community will be invited to donate to a particular aspect of the refurbishment. For example, in January we will be raising funds for a new roof, then in February for the new kitchen and so on. I know that donating to a building refurb is not the most exciting of projects, yet having a good and attractive Centre will play an important part in the ongoing life and mission of St Giles. Donations (cheques made payable to St Giles PCC. Marked St Giles centre on the back) can be left in the envelopes which will be in the church, or by direct bank transfer to Account No 50686212, sort code 20-14-33, Acc. name - Parochial Church Council of St Giles. Thank you for your support. Matthew |
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Prayer for the Centre RefurbishmentAlmighty God, good Father to us all we thank you for your love and provision towards St Giles church over many years. We now offer to you the challenges that we face in terms of our Centre, we pray for a generous response to our appeals and that all that is required may be in place so that the light of your love and truth may be proclaimed in this place. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen  Charity in Focus 2023Here are the charities that weresupported in 2023:
Charity in Focus 2022Here are the charities that weresupported in 2022: .
Eddie Roberts 01689 851267 stgiles.charity@gmail.com |
ABOUT ST. GILES CHURCH
Poverty and Hope Appeal
This is the time when parish churches across our Diocese support the Diocesan Poverty and Hope Appeal. This appeal usually raises over £20,000 annually which is then given to various projects in some of the world’s poorest communities and countries around the world in places such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Palestine and Myanmar.
Fun0ds are given to support the aid work of our sister Dioceses in those countries amongst people living in poverty. Interesting information about how the funds are distributed and used can be found of the Diocese of Rochester Website. Envelopes for your gifts will be available throughout October at St Giles are you can donate directly following the links on the Diocese of Rochester website using this link:
Thank you very much for your help in this.
Matthew
Charity Film Nights:
Charity Film nights are held in the St. Giles Centre, normally on the last Thursday of each month.Film details can be found in the Parish Magazine