Friends of St. Andrew’s

The congregation of St. Andrew’s is partly a transient one. Over the years we have made many friends who have worshipped with us here in Colombo and who have then left Sri Lanka for postings in other countries. Many of these friends still maintain occasional contact with us, but it has become increasingly apparent that we need a more regular form of communication.

Many visitors also express an interest in supporting our ministry and outreach financially on a regular basis, even after they have left the island, and so we have decided to launch a “Friends of St. Andrew’s” scheme to facilitate this.

Finally, many local Sri Lankans have asked whether their tithes and donations can be collected on a regular basis so that they do not have to worry about making up for any weeks that they may have missed when they were unable to attend church. 

The “Friends of St. Andrew’s” scheme will meet all the above needs. By joining the “Friends of St. Andrew’s” scheme, “friends” will receive regular quarterly updates on all the church’s activities while at the same time enjoying the opportunity of regularising their giving by making a financial contribution towards these activities on a convenient monthly basis. The advantages for St. Andrew’s are that we will be able to maintain regular contact with everyone who wants to hear from us, and also we will be able to budget more effectively knowing that the church can rely on a regular and secure source of income. All “friends” will receive an official receipt for their donations on an annual basis.

The form printed overleaf can be used for setting up a regular Standing Order from your rupee account with your local bank in Sri Lanka. The monthly payments will be remitted directly to the church’s rupee account using the cheap but effective SLIPS system. The bank charge per transaction for this will be Rs 125, which can be deducted from your payment if you wish.

We suggest that anyone now living overseas considers sending us 12 post dated cheques in any currency to cover a year, and these cheques will be presented to the bank monthly on a collection basis. Cheques should be made payable to “St. Andrew’s Church”.

We are not suggesting any minimum or maximum contribution levels, as everyone’s financial circumstances are different.

We think this is an exciting new way of allowing St. Andrew’s to move forward. It will solve some of our communication challenges and will help us to maintain our ministry and our ambitious outreach programme. The Elders urge you to give serious consideration to becoming a “Friend of St. Andrew’s”.

Kirk Session