Church expects $2.4m collection
Saturday August 25, 2007

The Methodist Church expects to raise less money than it did last year as a result of “the hard times people are currently facing”.

Church spokesman Reverend James Bhagwan said they expect to collect close to $2.4million at the end of its week-long fundraising and choir festival today.

The church collected a little over $3m last year.

Reverend Bhagwan said that despite the shortfall “we’re grateful to our members because due to the tough times that people are going through we had expected to collect only $2m”.

Reverend Bhagwan said the church has collected $2.256 as of Thursday night, the seventh day of the ‘solevu’ and choir festival.

“Majority came from annual connexional levies of $10 for each member, which totaled $1.6m,’ he said.

“$389,000 came from the opening of the solevu and $256,645 from the choir festival up to Thursday.”

An additional $3000 came from donations.

The standard connexional fee forms the core funding for the church.

Reverend Bhagwan explains that majority of the money, 66cents in every dollar, goes to training of ministers, pastors and running of the Davuilevu Theological College.

“The funds will be explained at the church conference next week. The circuit leaders will in turn tell their members on how the money is to be spent.”

About easing the financial obligation on the church’s 200,000 members, Reverend Bhagwan explains that the church trust is the arm of the church that is looking into managing property and assets of the church.

“We are also advising church leaders to vary their means of collection to be taken at a time when there is not so much pressure like cultural and academic obligations on members,” he said.