GIFT DAY

Dear parishioners, friends and supporters of Lismore Union of Parishes

Commitment  Commitment is shown in so many different ways, many unseen. One of them is finance. In the generosity of our giving to the church, we support the mission and ministry of our churches. We entered the pandemic with deficits in our funds, and while the last two years have exacerbated that, we did not want to add to the uncertainty and difficulties of that period with financial matters. Now we need to begin addressing our financial situation.

Deficit  The loss of plate giving when the churches were shut, and the reduced numbers as not everyone felt able to return, coupled with the loss of visitors donations and concerts, leave us conservatively 35,000 euro worse off than we should be.

Vision & Plan  This should not just be about survival, but about flourishing, growing, and serving God and our communities. We seek to be people of vibrant worship, growing in faith, and service to our communities. Later this year we would like to communicate the bigger picture of our finances as a Union, and our need to move to more sustainable giving. This will involve meetings and a presentation, as we explore direct debits, envelopes and annual commitments, to allow us project and budget. For now, however, we would like to have a time across the Union when we can make a one-off gift to offset the losses of the last two years.

Gift  We are suggesting Sunday 1^st May as The Gift Day. You can simply put this envelope on the plate on the 1^st (or following Sundays) or return it to the treasurers, with your gift. Please remember that if your giving, including this gift, exceed 250.00 euro in the year, then we can avail of tax relief. Alternatively the bank details for transfers are:

AIB Dungarvan,   IBAN:   IE37 AIBK 9340 7043 6730 73

We are very grateful to those who have given generously as families and as individuals during this period in addition to regular giving; this has been a lifeline when churches were closed.

We particularly ask that you pass this on to friends and relatives who have connections to the parish far or near, and perhaps in these times they would be happily inclined to contribute for this one-off need or indeed more regularly.

Although this is a big ask, we are appealing to you all to give as generously as possible so that we can clear the deficit and start again on the right footing.

With sincere thanks,

Dean Paul                                                  Treasurer / Kevin O’Morchoe