Stewardship Division
- Membership:
- Mr Peter Bowen
- Revd Alun Brookfield
- Mr Michael Haines
- Dr Jack Davies
- Mrs Non Evans
- Dr Graham Humphrys
- Mrs Gill Knight
- Mr Gwynfor Lewis
- Dr Michael Meredith
- Mr Nigel King
What we did last year:
Consultation with Parishes
The Division offers a consultation service to all parts of the Diocese.
During the past twelve months we have shared our knowledge and experience with all kinds of parishes on all kinds of different stewardship questions. Some have been concerned that, having put themselves in category ‘A’ or ‘B’ for Parish Share, they now need to increase their incomes to fund the extra. Others have had to cope with a long period of deficit years and fear that their reserves will not last much longer. Others just want to be sure that they are making best use of the experience available… and are not ‘missing out’.
The service is free and confidential.
Support and information for new Parish Officers
This year we sent a questionnaire to all those we believed to be ‘new’ Parish Officers (i.e. 120 Secretaries, Treasurers and Churchwardens) asking about their training needs. About 30% replied.
Where an urgent need was expressed we have tried hard to provide it locally. There is an understandable reluctance to travel long distances.
Building on this learning, we are exploring the development of local networks of Churchwardens designed to encourage mutual support and the dissemination of information. The test area is Crickhowell. Next year we will look into doing something similar for Treasurers.
We found that most of the officers contacted with the questionnaire felt confident that they had the knowledge and skills for the jobs they had taken on. Indeed, many of those we wrote to had a good deal of relevant experience… despite our screening process (designed to find ‘new’ officers only).
‘Gifts’
We continue to publish ‘Gifts’ as the need arises… twice in the last year with articles on: CADW; Parish Share; Church Building Needs; Gift Aid and the last budget.
Liaison with the other Dioceses in Wales and with other Provinces
The Division benefits from contact with Stewardship people in other parts of Wales and indeed Britain. This contact enables us to pass on news of successful ideas to our parishes and thus backs up the personal experience of our members most powerfully.
Specifically: we are active in the Provincial Stewardship Executive (ProSE) now led by Bishop David Yeoman and we are also in contact with the Church of England Stewardship network particularly via the SW Stewardship Advisors Group.
- Projects include:
- Significant involvement in the design of the new ‘Membership and Finance’ part of the Church in Wales intranet.
- Gift Aid consultation with the Government.
- Successfully increasing the use of GWADD… (Giving with a Direct Debit).
- Seeking ways to get more mentions in legacies.
- Monitoring the changing regulations caused by the new Charities act.
- Looking for ways to codify and disseminate the information needed by Parish Treasurers