F R OM T H E T R E A S U R E R

Less of a report this month, more like a few comments.

We're pretty much on target for both income and expenditure. Our only
worry is that the Church boiler annual service is just about due ...
depending on the diagnosis, this could get expensive, and it’s likely
that if extensive repairs are required we will have to dip, again, into
our reserves, or partake in some serious fundraising! Currently
preparing our latest Gift Aid claim which should give us enough extra
money to see us through Christmas, and through the donations we send
to Lom to support their winter soup kitchen.

On the subject of Lom. We agreed at the last Church meeting again to
support, fully, the winter soup kitchen. £3500 is a not insignificant
sum .... it represents roughly 7% or our annual Sunday offerings .... it
roughly equates to a single month of bills we have to pay out at
Bristo .... stipend, income tax, council tax, utility bills ... all essential, if
not particularly worthy things. But for Lom £3500 gives the Church
the ability to feed and support over 100 people each day for four
months over the cold winter. It’s also interesting to note that even
though the Church at Lom has so little, they don’t keep the money we
send to spend on themselves, but choose to use it to help other people.
Many of us at Bristo have helped on the Care Van. I suspect being out
of a job, or being homeless here in Edinburgh, is a very different
proposition to being in a similar situation in Lom. The cause is one
we’ve supported for several years, and willingly wish to support.
Now for the appeal bit .... Last year we sent out £3500, and held
several appeals and gave out envelopes etc, but we only received £800
specifically given to Lom. This meant we had to draw the remainder
from our reserves. This year, however, we should get off to a really good start. We now have one of the finest Wind Bands in Scotland, the Central Band of the Royal British Legion Scotland, rehearsing in our premises, and they’re putting on a concert for Bristo (see below for details).

Please consider though if you can find some Please consider though if you can find some extra to your regular offering. I’ll get some labelled envelopes made up and these will be left inside the sanctuary. Any money given, and any Gift Aid we can
claim from these donations will go straight to Lom.

Thank you,
Paul Watson