A significant amount of work has been undertaken in recent moths with individuals from across the existing parishes of the Epsom Deanery working together- as we move towards merging the existing parishes into one. Amongst the concerns identified, finance would obviously be one of them, and just as an assurance, the Diocesan Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sarah Kilmartin, met with parish clergy and Chairs of Finance Committees to address some of these concerns.
The existing parish finance committees will become ‘stewardship teams’ responsible for the local church and properties, while a ‘finance committee’ would be constituted to have oversight of all the church buildings and properties within what is currently the Epsom Deanery.
Essentially, local communities, would still be responsible for the financing and upkeep of the local church and properties, while much larger expenditures would be addressed by the newly constituted finance committee. It is proposed that the finance committee consists of individuals from the local ‘stewardship teams’ ensuring prudent oversight of funds.
In regard to other arenas, we need to be aware of the underlying principles of the pastoral plan which are ‘prayer, formation and mission’ and that we all need to be prayerful, we need to grow in a knowledge and understanding of our faith and thereby become effective witnesses to Christ in the World.