Our Annual Meeting took place on 3^rd April and, among other business, I presented the Church's Annual Accounts for 2006. I was able to report an improved position over 2005 with a deficit for the year of just £23. There had been an increase in giving by the members of the Church, in addition to exceptional income of £1,150 from the sale of pictures generously donated by the family of the late John Casben and £928 from the biennial Church Easter Fair. This 'balancing' of our books had been achieved, however, by some costly savings; last July we cut back the working hours of our Parish Co-ordinator, Peter Waddell, by half; and we were obliged to cease our outward giving to Home and Overseas Missions, whose need is probably as great, or greater than ours; this has normally amounted to some £3,600 each year and we have been able to maintain only our grant of £1,000 to St. James' School. It is hoped to make good some of our outward giving by special fund-raising within the church.

I then reported on the Budget forecast for 2007 when ordinary expenditure is expected to rise from £50,000 to £56,500. There are two principal reasons for this; our Parish Share, determined by the Diocese, has risen by £3,000; in common with many others pension costs have risen sharply; 80% of this goes towards our own Parochial Ministry, shared with Thursley, the balance being spent on other Church work in the Diocese and nationally. In addition we are committed to a programme of quinquennial repairs to the Church to be carried out by A.J. Tracy and Sons under the advice of our Architect at an estimated cost of £3,700, and this work has just commenced. The outlook is alarming unless we can once again raise our level of giving.