A fund launched in April by the Diocese to offer support to parishes experiencing financial hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic, is delighted to have received generous donations from a number of parishes in support of the fund.
These parishes have contributed an additional £26,000 to the £750,000 package of funds already made available by the Diocese through the Diocese of Rochester Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
The funds will go to support some of the less well-off parishes in the Diocese.
Nigel Pope, Chair of the Diocese of Rochester Board of Finance said that such generosity in these times was of huge encouragement:
"The generosity and willingness of these parishes to support less well-off parishes has been so encouraging to see.
"We live in challenging times but despite this, the Diocese, churches and individuals are being generous in times of hardship, responding to God’s generosity to us. I am so thankful."
Nigel shared his reflection on the Covid-19 Emergency Fund as part of the Diocese's #BeaconsofHope campaign
Aware that the pandemic and subsequent lockdown brought a halt to many forms of income for churches, the grant and loan scheme was established to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
The fund offers an initial package of support to help parishes in immediate financial need consisting of:
- Loans of between £2,000 and £25,000 for any parish who would like one, interest and repayment free for the first year.
- Small support grants of £5,000 for those parishes in most acute financial need.
Raising an additional £100,000 would enable another 20 parishes, in some of the most deprived areas of the Diocese, to receive much-needed funds.
Parishes who might have no need to apply for either a loan or grant, were therefore invited to consider gifting some funds to support the COVID19 Emergency Relief Grants.
To date, the Diocese of Rochester Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund has made the following awards:
- £135,000 in grants to 27 benefices
- An additional £55,000 held in reserve for 11 parishes that need funds in the next few months.
- Loans made to available to three parishes, totalling £30,000.
Looking for support with online giving or how to run a generosity campaign for your church? Visit our dedicated Generosity and Stewardship page: www.rochester.anglican.org/resources/stewardship/