Linda has now recovered

Linda has now recovered from the effects of COVID and is back to work in the normal way.

The first of the delayed Lent get togethers are starting this week-:

Thursday 24th March - 7.00pm to 8.15pm

Please feel free to email Linda if you are considering attending.

Lent Course at the Rectory - 22nd March '22'

Due to Matt's son testing positive for COVID, the get together next week:-

Tuesday 22nd March is cancelled.

Matt is hoping to resume the following week, please keep an eye out for emails advising the date of the next meeting..

Covid - Update on attending church

The plan is to offer a relatively normal programme, but I would like to offer a couple of comments:

1. Everything is subject to change
   We have made our decisions based on Covid staying more or less in check. If that changes, especially if the Government issues new guidelines or compulsory rules, we may need to make changes, possibly even quite late. Do please check Facebook or this website, where we will try to give you as much warning as possible, and then share the news wider if possible!
2. Please keep each other safe
   Even if the law doesn't change, we need to keep each other safe. So we will be asking you to wear masks in church for the forseeable future. I would rather do this than cancel the singing! Additionally, if you are able, please could you consider taking a lateral flow test before coming. They are free and easy to get and use, and will help us avoid spreading the virus unnecessarily to each other.

For all the services go to the page for "Services Around The Parishes" Diary page in the section for St Swithins Church in our village website.

I really look forward to seeing lots of you over the New Year.

Matt

We do not need churches to pray or meet with God, but I hope you are encouraged that the buildings are once again at least partially being used for the purpose for which they were built.

Blessings

Matt

Some new initiatives.

We fully appreciate that not everybody in the Village wishes to be actively involved with the Church but we do know that many, who are not regular Churchgoers, have a real interest in keeping this fantastic old building, with all it stands for in the community, in business as a going concern. Regular Churchgoing members are becoming fewer and fewer and those that remain cannot continue to bear the full burden and so, although we are seriously confident that this trend will be reversed in time, we must look to the wider community for help; not just financial and practical help with Church maintenance, but also with the preservation of the Church as a centre for Christian outreach to those of our neighbours who might be in need. To further these aims we are looking at setting up some sort of group of 'Friends of St Swithin' and part of their purpose will be the creation in Compton Bassett of the 'Care in our Community' package being sponsored by the Oldbury Benefice of which we are part.

We would be seeking a number of volunteers to look out for any who might be in need as well as to report on the arrival of newcomers so that they can receive the 'Welcome Packs' which are not, at the moment, being distributed. JR

Money Matters

St Swithin's is a beautiful church and a part of Compton Bassett life; unfortunately it is also expensive for the congregation to support and maintain. In 2014 the average weekly cost was £ this includes repairs and maintenance, heat and light, insurance, and shared costs from the Benefice and the Salisbury Diocese.

The income to cover these costs comes from a variety of sources; the collection at our Church services, fees for weddings and funerals, retiring collections and donations, and fund raising events such as the annual Church fete.

It is always a struggle to match our annual income and expenditure. St Swithin's has been fortunate to have some reserves, but these will be further depleted in the
coming months with the capital expenditure to install a hand rail along the church path, significant repairs to the roof stonework and tiles to keep out the rain, and the installation of a toilet.

We can maximise our income from donations if they are gift-aided. Any UK taxpayer can use the Gift Aid scheme, which increases the value of a donation by 25%. The only requirement is that you must be paying an amount of tax at least equivalent to the amount of money we will be claiming from the taxman in respect of your gift (i.e. the extra 25%). It doesn't cost you a penny - Gift Aid means that the Inland Revenue refunds to St Swithin's the tax you already pay on that part of your income.

So do please use the Gift Aid envelopes if making a donation at a church service, or contact Malcolm Seymour (Treasurer: 01249 814157) for a Gift Aid Declaration Form if you are considering a separate donation. MS

The PCC would like to thank all those who polish the brass and clean our beautiful Church. It has been cared for for nearly a thousand years and it is our privilege to look after it for future generations. If anybody would like to be included in the rota do contact Sally Reis on 01249 760219.