b'Benefice Finances In November 2022 Living Christs StoryWe aim to maintain our buildings, cover our York Diocese Strategic Plan 2021-2031 wasrunning costs and carry out repairs as necessary accepted by the Diocesan Synod.It setsfrom our income. It should be noted that four out the drivers for change and proposesof our five churches (All Saints, St Andrews, St the development of a strategy for revitalisedMarys Skirpenbeck and St Ediths) have Grade growth and key milestones for 2026 and 2031One Listed status, which carries significant including the achievement of each Ministry Unitfinancial implications for their PCCs.meeting the direct costs of ministry and whereIn addition we contribute to Diocese by our possible contributing to the shared costs. TheFreewill Offering. Our aim is to reach our programme of work was proposed as projectsgoal of self-funding a half time post by 2026. under two distinct work streams: ReimaginingTo do this we are investigating ways of being Mission and Ministry and Transformingcourageous in our outlook, exploringFinances and Structures.The Garrowby Benefice is fully committed toasking regular givers to give a small this aim and is preparing a planned structure toadditional amount to allow us to fund reach an interim target in 2026 and reaching theour new rector by increasing our Freewill goal of fully meeting the costs of ministry in ourOffering; benefice. This target is currently 32,000 perto ensure all regular givers (who are annum. eligible) are signed up to be able to gift aid We aim to do this by reaching new peopletheir contributions;and growing in discipleship as a whole church,the viability of contactless giving at all striving to be younger and more diverse, and to move towards becoming a mixed ecologychurches, especially All Saints, Kirby church, sustaining and developing church lifeUnderdale to make the most of walkers in the many different places in which we liveand visitors;the possibility of launching a Friends of our lives: in church and online; at work or in education; in places of leisure as well as infor the churches who do not have this neighbourhoods. We want our churches to besource of income;places where the story of Christ is known andnew ways of fundraising within each Parish lived out, transforming the communities we serve.* and trusting in Gods grace to move us forward in our mission to Live Christs *Taken from Archbishop Stephens DiocesanStory in the communities where we live Synod address on 28th November 2020. and work.Note: Our Church BuildingsWithin the Garrowby benefice four of our buildings are Grade 1 listed, St Ediths, Bishop WIlton; St Andrews, Bugthorpe, All Saints, Kirby Underdale and St Marys, Skirpenbeck. This status allows us to worship in splendid surroundings however the financial reality of being responsible for such buildings can be onerous. (Insurance, maintenance, heating and lighting have increased exponentially over the past 4 years.) Some of our parishes are not meeting their annual overhead costs and have been using reserves to meet the shortfall. We hope to end this cycle. As well as increasing our freewill offer to diocese to meet the cost of placing an incumbent in the benefice we aim to reduce any deficits to zero as quickly as we can by implementing the fund raising campaigns outlined above.Whilst St Marys Full Sutton does not have the same status it needs extensive work in maintenance to make it a safe and comfortable place to worship.Page 24'