Raise The Roof

St. Andrews, Countesthorpe

2006

An Introduction The Project The Context How You Can Help

RAISE THE ROOF: AN INTRODUCTION

This leaflet is being delivered into every house and business in Countesthorpe so that everyone in our community may be included in a project which, to some extent, affects us all.

It concerns St. Andrew's Church, our oldest building, with its 13th Century tower standing sturdily at the historic centre of our village. This ancient building forms part of the complex of The Cornerstone and The Rainbow Shop in and around the picturesque churchyard.

You have most probably been into one or more of these buildings, wandered through the grounds or listened to the bells as Countesthorpe people have been doing for perhaps 800 years, and a sense of being part of that continuity and community is very reassuring.

For centuries St. Andrew's has been a gathering place for everyone, for weddings, baptisms, funerals, worship, festivals, celebrations, national times of rejoicing and sorrow, concerts...and exists for the whole community - not just church members.

We would like to invite you to join us in a project to preserve this continuity for our children and our children's children—so please read on...

RAISE THE ROOF: THE PROJECT

The Project is to replace the 100 year old roof which is suffering seriously from nail fatigue . It is leaking in several places and new leaks occur after every strong wind or bout of severe weather with the risk of damage to the internal fabric and furnishings. The clock and tower also need attention whilst scaffolding is in place. The cost of this work is likely to be £40,000.

We invite you to join us in this one-off capital project to preserve the building. This is over and above the regular ministry of the church which is shared by the 160 members who are solely responsible for the on-going maintenance of the building for the whole community.

As far as we are aware, the church has not asked the community for help with such a project since the last major enlargement - a century ago - in 1907 when public subscriptions helped largely to fund the scheme - and re-roof the building. The whole rebuild, apart from the original tower, cost £952.

Read on for more information about the maintenance and ministry of St. Andrew's …

and ring the Church Office on 0116 2778643 if you would like further information or wish to discuss the project…

and thank you for reading this and for your interest ….

RAISE THE ROOF: THE CONTEXT

The present maintenance and ministry cost of running St. Andrew's Church is just over £100,000 per annum (without any major repairs such as a new roof, etc)

• £100,000+ per year represents approximately £2,000 per week or £300 per day to run the church for the whole community.
  
  
• This amount has to be raised by the regular giving of the congregation and through the on-going activities of the church. There is no other source of funding .
  
  
• There are 160 adult members of the church of whom only 45 are full-time earners (including the clergy!)
  
  
• The Rainbow Shop - maintained by the church is a meeting place for the community and houses the Church Office and the Countesthorpe Information Centre. It is an outlet for fairly-traded and quality second hand goods, cards, etc and all proceeds go to relief projects in the Third World via Christian Aid. So far over £100,000 has been donated.
  
  
• The Cornerstone - used by many village and church groups and hired out for parties and functions, is maintained by St. Andrew's.
  
  
• St. Andrew's and its members contribute significantly (approx. 80% of the package of £25,000 per year) to the employment of a schools' and community worker in the village. He is a member of the church.
  

RAISE THE ROOF: HOW YOU CAN HELP

• By donating a gift, however small or large, to the St. Andrew's Raise the Roof Project.
  
• This may be done anonymously or by completing the attached Response Slip and returning it with your donation to one of the centres below.
  
• All named gifts (which may be in memory of a loved one) will be acknowledged and recorded (but not the amount) in a Thanksgiving Book to be kept as a historical record.

• The progress of the fund will be kept up to date on St. Andrew's website (www.countesthorpe.org/standrews), in the church office (Tel 2778643) and published in The Countesthorpe Herald.

• Cheques should be made payable to “PCC of Countesthorpe”.
  
• Tax payers may Gift Aid their donation which will increase every £1 by 28 pence. They will need to provide their name and address on the Response Slip and date and sign it so that the tax can be reclaimed.