Category Archives: Announcements

Justice & Peace

Our parish collects biscuits and toilet rolls to help provide basic supplies to asylum seekers in the diocese. These are collected regularly, on the first Sunday of the month. If you would like to donate and haven’t brought anything in yet then you can do on or before next Sunday 6 January and place them under the bench in the narthex ready to be collected.

A message from the Lay Chaplain at HM Prison Durham

A huge ‘thank you’ to the generous folk of St Cuthbert’s. Your amazing donations will enable us to, in some way, humanise what can be at times a very harsh environment here in HMP Durham. We will be able to source more engaging materials, to include as many of our men as possible in hearing the Good News. Our prayer is that they will come to realise that they are made in the image and likeness of God, and spread God’s love for His people through their actions. Please keep our community in your prayers.

Finchale Partnership

Please take a copy of ‘The Finchale Partnership at Christmas’ and join us for Advent and Christmas services over the next few weeks. If you’d like to find out more about what is happening in the Partnership, the minutes of the November meeting of the Partnership Development Group are now available on the noticeboard, and on the partnership webpages hosted at http://www.stcuthberts-durham.org.uk/

Film Night

Our seasonal film and pizza night is on Friday 21 December when we will be showing the 1947 triple Oscar winner ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’ Doors open at 6:30pm and the screening starts at 7pm in the Parish Room. All are welcome to this free event. Please feel free to bring drinks or snacks to share.

Singers Needed

Durham Churches Together has its annual New Year’s Eve service in Durham Cathedral, and an ecumenical choir will lead the musical worship, including hymns and an anthem (John Rutter’s “The Lord bless you and keep you.”) The service is at 6.30pm on Monday 31st December, with a short rehearsal beforehand. There will also be a rehearsal on the afternoon of Sunday 30th at 3.00pm, at St Oswald’s Church. If you would like to sing for this service, please email David Harris on d.m.harris108@gmail.com with the following information:

• Name;
• Church;
• Voice part (SATB);
• Whether you’ve sung the Rutter before;
• Can you make the rehearsal on the 30th.

Financial Briefing to the Parish

John Marsland, chairman of the Parish Finance Council, writes:

I am pleased to report that the year has been financially stable. We have spent £17K on repairs and renewals and have completed the refurbishment of the Parish Office and alterations to the Narthex. We recently commenced repairs to the boundary wall, which will cost about £24K.  Our beautiful, historically important church requires constant maintenance and one big project is waiting in the wings – the repair to the presbytery stonework will be a six figure sum, a challenge for future years.

Fortunately, thanks to your generosity we are able to meet our current commitments as our balances are currently £22K in the current account and £63K in the deposit account with the Diocese, including £8,200 from the Gift Aid scheme. If you are a taxpayer and have not joined the scheme I would encourage you to do so, it is not too bureaucratic and all personal data is protected. Please see Andy Doyle.

We work in partnership with neighbouring parishes. A Partnership Finance Committee has been formed, with an annual budget of £5K for which our contribution will be £950, based on an affordability calculation from the Diocese. As well as giving financial advice to the Partnership, Diocesan standard practice is that this committee will review any project above £10k and advise the Diocese as to whether it fits in the overall needs of the partnership. The committee is a consultative body and is not there to overrule our Parish Finance Committee.

Last year I briefed you on the effect of inflation on Parish Finances. A pound donated in 2007 is now worth only about 80p and it is perhaps worthwhile for all of us to consider from time to time the effect of this on our individual donations.

Thank you all for your continuing generosity, which allows us to face our future financial responsibilities with confidence whilst supporting relevant worthy causes at the same time.  Your contributions mean the Parish continues to have a beautiful church of which we can be proud and a presbytery with hall which allows us to host a vibrant chaplaincy community supporting young people in faith, as well as a lively Parish.