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Purpose
of the Mission Committee
The vision of the Mission Committee is:
To promote and enable commitment to Christ’s mission in this country and overseas amongst the congregation of St Peter’s Church Farnborough
Purpose of the Mission Committee
- Careful distribution of funds.
- Encouraging and supporting people who are involved in mission, especially those from St Peters by personal, pastoral and prayer support.
- Promoting an active awareness and interest in mission
Terms of Reference
The Mission Committee is a sub-committee of St Peters Parochial Church Council (PCC) with a responsibility to support mission. The following terms of reference are lifted from the PCC Terms of reference for sub-committees.
- Nurture and encourage members of St. Peter’s to develop and maintain support for mission outside the parish
- Encourage members of St Peter’s to take an active part in short-term mission activities with the aim of encouraging a long-term commitment to the support of mission or participation in mission.
- Encourage members of St. Peter’s to consider God’s call to mission, assist in the selection of those called to mission and co-ordinate support for them throughout their training, missionary career and eventual retirement from missionary work.
- Recommend to the PCC both the recipients and the level of financial support for mission and administer the distribution of funds.
- Provide an effective link with individuals undertaking mission and provide church members with information, which encourages prayerful commitment for mission.
- Encourage church members to support the St Peters Mission Fund.
- Annually prepare a forecast of the St Peters Mission Fund income and expenditure, recommend any changes in funding to the PCC and manage financial support within the expenditure approved by the PCC.
- Ensure that the St Peter’s Mission Fund is audited as approved by the PCC and that an annual report on the Mission Fund income and expenditure is presented at the Annual Parish Meeting
| 1.
Method of Operation |
- Copies of the minutes summarising discussion and decisions are distributed to the PCC after each committee meeting.
- Recommendations for financial and other support for mission are delegated to the Mission Committee, although the PCC has the right to review any decision.
- Given limited financial resources and the wide range of mission interests by individual members of our large congregation, donations from the Mission Fund are prioritised as shown in the attached schedule.
- Information and news regarding missionaries and organisations supported by the Mission Fund is provided on a planned schedule for Sunday service prayers. Information is also circulated via the multi-media system and mission news.
- Gifts to the Mission Fund are made through bank standing orders and envelopes placed in the collection boxes. Church members are encouraged to make use of Gift Aid where appropriate.. There may be special collections at times of crisis and for special needs and these should be discussed with the Church Treasurer in advance of taking place.
- The Mission Fund is a separate account of the PCC, and the financial framework is described in Appendix 2. Auditors are appointed each year at the Annual Parish Meeting.
- The PCC Treasurer manages the administration of the mission fund accounts, provides monthly reports on mission finance to the mission committee and the PCC and prepares the annual accounts for audit and presentation at the Annual Parish Meeting.
- Recipients of financial support from the Mission Fund are shown in the accounts.
- Payments to support mission are made in accordance with the priorities for giving set out in Appendix One.
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| 2. Membership of the Mission Committee |
- Membership of the Mission Committee is open to any member of St Peter's congregation interested in mission at home or abroad. However, in order to encourage efficient discussion ideally membership should not exceed ten people, including members from the PCC. Additionally, the Rector and other ministers are ex-officio members of the Mission Committee.
- The PCC ask a member of the committee to undertake the role of Chairman. The Church Treasurer undertakes the role of Treasurer for the Mission Fund.
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| 3. Reporting the work of the Mission Committee |
Information about mission and the activities of the mission committee is shared with the congregation through services at St Peters, Venture, notice-boards, web-site, multi-media, leaflets, special events and in other ways. The work of the Mission Committee is reported through the Annual Parish Meeting.
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| 4.
Policy Documents |
The Mission Committee have developed the following Policy documents to assist them with their work:
- Policy and Guidance for Short-term Mission
- Policy for the preparation and support of Missionaries
- Expenses Policy
- Policy for Mission Projects
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| Appendix
1: Priorities for Giving |
| Level of priority |
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Description |
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Type of financial support |
PRIORITY
ONE |
1A |
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Home grown individuals/families from
St Peters Church involved in long-term mission.
Likely to have involved a period of confirming the call, training and preparation.
St Peter’s takes on a pastoral responsibility for these missionaries with their mission organisation. |
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- St Peter’s Mission Fund is a main supporter. This would ideally be more than 50% of funding needs. Payments are made on a regular/monthly basis.
- Missionaries are encouraged to consider their pension needs and if this is not provided for via their mission organisation, they are encouraged to use some of the funding to make their own pension arrangements.
- Missionaries are encouraged to share additional needs with the Mission Committee
- Mission Committee reviews level of funding regularly.
- Missionaries are also encouraged to seek additional support from other sources.
- On completion of missionary service. St Peter’s Mission Fund will provide one year of financial support to enable transition.
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| 1B |
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Home grown individuals/families from St Peter’s Church mid-range mission activity (ie longer than one year) |
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Support on a needs basis up to 50%. |
| 1C |
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Short-termers from St Peter’s Church People spending a few weeks, months or a year involved in Christian mission activity in UK or overseas. |
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Up to 50% of funding needs in accordance with the Short-termers policy. |
| 1D |
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Link missionaries – individuals, couples and families who develop strong links with St Peters. Mission Committee will consider carefully who will become link missionaries. Sometimes link missionaries have personal links with St Peter’s Church or with members of St Peters.
Prayer, financial support, friendship, visits, general interest. St Peter’s do not have a direct pastoral responsibility for these people and are not “the sending Church. |
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- Funding is made by two payments in May/June & Nov.
- Distribution is based on an agreed figure for an individual or a couple/family. Every effort will be made to increase the distribution year on year in line with cost of living and the level of funds within St Peter’s Mission Fund.
- On return from the Mission field, St Peter’s will provide financial support for the missionary during 1 year of transition.
- If a single link missionary gets married during the period they have link missionary status – the committee will review the level of support but does not automatically need to double the level of support.
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PRIORITY
TWO |
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Support for organisations
Mission and Christian organisations supported by the congregation of St Peters – prayer and financially. |
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Payments are made twice a year. The amount paid will depend on the level of funds available and the demands on those funds to support the people in Priority One. |
PRIORITY
THREE |
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Occasional support
From time to time, the PCC and members of St Peter’s request financial support from the Mission Fund for organisations or causes. |
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- The Mission Committee will consider appropriate requests. The organisations and causes need to be specifically Christian before support will be considered.
- Before providing occasional support, the committee will ensure that funds are available for them to meet their responsibilities in supporting the people and organisations identified in Priority One.
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| Appendix
2: Financial Framework |
| 1. General
Mission Fund financial procedures are set out in detail in the St. Peter’s Financial Procedures manual, and are administered by the PCC Treasurer and the Parish Office. The PCC Treasurer manages the Mission Fund accounts, provides monthly reports on the Mission Fund finances, and prepares the annual accounts for audit and presentation at the Annual Parish Meeting.
2. Income
Donations to the Mission Fund may be made in the same way as to the PCC General Fund, that is, by:
- Standing Orders arranged through bank accounts
- Mission Fund envelopes, most commonly through collections at St Peters church services
- Any special collections in response to urgent needs.
Donations may either be for general support of the Fund or specified for individual people or organisations supported by the Mission Fund. Where individuals make specified gifts, this can be for organisations and individuals supported by St Peter’s or for organisations not supported by St Peter’s, in which case the Mission Fund provides financial administration.
Donors liable to Income Tax may enhance their donations to the Mission Fund through Gift Aid.
3. Expenditure
Cheque, standing order or inter-bank transfer are used to make payments to missionaries and organisations. The PCC Treasurer arranges standing orders and inter-bank transfers. Cheque signatures for the Mission Fund may be any two of the following:
Rector
Office Co-ordinator
PCC Treasurer
Warden 1
Warden 2.
Decisions to make Mission Fund payments must be agreed by the Mission Committee and recorded in the minutes of the committee’s meetings.
Revised by the St Peter’s Mission Committee November 2009
Date for review November 2010
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