Any money given to St Mark's Church goes towards building the vision of this church: growing Deeper in intimacy with God, Closer to one another in Fellowship and reaching out Further in society.
General giving supports mission and ministry costs, staff salaries, running costs, building upkeep and maintenance. 10% of all voluntary income is given away to mission partners and mission organisations both at home and abroad.
Any money given to the church is accounted for diligently and is only spent on items which further the church's objectives. We are grateful for gifts of any size, and irrespective of whether you are a tax payer or not. We have outlined how every penny you give will be spent in this year's budget, which you can download. If you wish to compare last year's budget against this year's please contact Samson.
For an interesting explanation on Biblical principles for Christian giving and finance, download the document, "Opening the Floodgates of Heaven", by Rev Stuart Lees at Christ Church Fulham.
| Opening the Floodgates of Heaven |
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| Plege Form & Financial Plan 2009 |
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There are many ways to give at St Mark's:
Direct Debit - If you intend to give the same amount regularly then you can use a direct debit form to give to the general fund. These can be downloaded here, picked up from the church hall or requested from the Finance Manager. If you wish to give regularly to the Building Fund, please pick up a regular giving form from the hall or request one from the Finance Manager.
| Direct Debit Form: |
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Return the completed form to the church and we will in turn pass it onto the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) who reclaims the tax on our behalf. Remember to sign the gift aid declaration if you are a tax payer.
Cash - Money can be given to the church in the offering bag which is kept at the back of the church. Tax can only be claimed on gifts which are in completed Gift Aid Envelopes.
Cheque - You can give cheques on a one off or regular basis by sending them payable to St Mark's church, to the Finance Manager at the church address. If you are a tax payer and have completed a Gift Aid declaration, then we can reclaim 28p in every £1 you give from the Inland Revenue. You can download a gift aid form from this page, obtain one from the leaflet stand in the hall, or ask the Finance Manager to send one to you.
GAYE - Give As You Earn can be set up through your company's payroll. Your gift comes directly off your pay before tax so we get exactly the amount you give and no further tax can be reclaimed. Some employers will pay the administration charge of 4% to the Charities Aid Foundation, (CAF). If your employer doesn't offer this scheme, encourage them to do so. It is easy to set up and administer. Some employers even match your giving, making this a very effective method of giving, especially if your employer pays the administration charge.
The reference you will need to set this up for the church and building project are respectively:
| St Mark's Church: | GYE 71000197988 | - |
Charity ref X66615 |
| St Mark's Church Building Fund: | GYE 61000132300 | - |
Charity ref X66615 |
Online - To give online to St Marks General Funds, you can use the Charities Aid Foundation website to give securely. Remember to tick the tax payer box.
If you are a higher rate tax payer (40%) the church can only claim back 22% on your gift. You can then reclaim the remaining 18% of the tax paid on any gifts in your annual tax return. You should do this in the year of the gift wherever possible.
If you wish this part of your tax relief to be given to St Marks, you can request on your tax return that the Inland Revenue does this. You will need to quote reference number GAQ81LG in your return.
The Government has opened up lots of possibilities for tax effective giving.
For example:
Please call the Finance Manager if you wish to discuss the most effective method of giving.
Samson Gebrehiwot
Finance Manager
St Mark's Church, Battersea Rise
London, SW11 1EJ
Tel: 020 7326 9413
