Church of Scotland National Giving Day
Stonelaw’s National Giving Day - 19th September 2021
Congregations across the Church of Scotland have been invited to take part in a one-off National Giving Day initiative. The aim is to offer congregations an opportunity to reflect deeply on God's loving presence with us during these challenging times and to express our appreciation and gratitude through giving generously ourselves. Normally, all donations you make to the church are included in our income. Our annual income is then assessed by the Church of Scotland and a percentage is deducted to cover the cost and work of the wider church. However, money given to Stonelaw on this special day will not be included in our income so that we will benefit from the total sum donated. Churches were given the opportunity to decide how to spend donations made on this day. Our Kirk Session decided that money donated in Stonelaw would be put towards the large bill we will incur to repair a number of problems with our roof. So why did the Kirk Session decide this was the best use of the money donated on Sunday morning?
Well, our roof is leaking! We have at least three areas where water is getting in. The worst leak is above the northwest stairwell where, during heavy rain, the stairs can be left very wet and dangerous. There are also leaks near the northeast stairwell and above the south side of the roof.
These need to be fixed urgently before they lead to long-term problems. As our building is so high, these repairs generally need specialist contractors used to working at height and so we are in the process of getting quotes from steeplejacks who will use rope access methods to safely work on the roof.
In addition, we are also planning to:
clean all the gutters;
undertake a survey to identify future maintenance issues;
paint the grills of the four roof vents;
repair the leaded glass in the front windows beside Stonelaw Road;
fit bird spikes / wires to the gallery windows / ledges which attract pigeons; and
clean the pigeon droppings from these windows.
We hope the last two of these will help alleviate the long-term pigeon problem; as well as their droppings damaging the building, they represent a health and safety hazard due to the Cryptococcus fungus which can cause us serious infections.
The total cost of all of the above, from a quote from a steeplejack, is more than £11,000 plus VAT. Whilst we will have to pay the VAT initially, we should be able to reclaim it through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. We have also been applying to other grant funders but so far haven’t been successful. Clearly, this is a significant cost and will almost certainly be our biggest item of maintenance expenditure this year.
You can give either by bringing your donation with you on Sunday morning and putting it into an envelope that can be obtained as you enter the church building or by bank transfer via the details below:
Account Name - STONELAW PARISH CHURCH
Account Number – 00465105
Sort Code – 80-12-75
Reference – NGD 21
When we look at our church facility, we can see the gift that God has given us. Out of our thankfulness for this, we need to ensure we do what we can to keep the building in the best possible condition. This will allow us to successfully continue our mission in Rutherglen. For that reason, we ask that you consider giving this Sunday, on the National Giving Day.
Yours in Jesus,
Neil
Rev Neil H. Watson
07871 615840 or minister@stonelawchurch.org