In the 6th chapter of the Biblical book of the Acts of the Apostles seven of the early Christians were chosen who were “full of the spirit and wisdom” to take care of the administration of the early church, under the supervision of the Apostles. In every church since that day there have been administrators who have taken care of the affairs of the church. As a church Treasurer I see myself and the others in the Finance Team as part of that long line of people.
In a frequently misquoted verse Scripture talks about the “love of money being the root of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), but it does not say that money itself is evil. We all need money to pay for food and other essentials, and our treats too, and it is one of the tools that allow the church to function. The Treasurer is an enabler, enabling all the other church functions to happen, from “Bumps ‘n Babies” to funeral services.
At St Peter’s we rarely have a ‘collection’, preferring to think of our giving as ‘offerings’ to God’s work. Most giving is done via bank Standing Orders, so only a small team knows how much each individual gives, and there is no pressure on individuals to give more. It is up to each donor to give what they feel is appropriate. Some of our members are wealthy, and some struggle financially, so there is a wide diversity in the amounts that individuals give. I am frequently humbled as I check the bank statements when I see how generous some people are.
Although much of what I do is monotonous and repetitive, e.g. paying suppliers for cleaning materials or claiming Gift Aid from our Government, sometimes I have the pleasure of giving some of the church’s money to others, and this is personally very rewarding. St Peter’s aims to give away about a fifth of the money we are given each year. So, for example, in the last few months we have given thousands of pounds to Worcester Foodbank and thousands more to charities working in Syria and Turkiye.