We are a Registered Charity
Posted: 23-12-2007 22:57 | By: Howard Gardner | Views: 548
Our application to the Charity Commission has been successful: we are now Registered Charity, number 1121530. Our registration is doubly important; first it enables us to reclaim tax from the Inland Revenue on all donations from UK tax-payers. These can also be backdated to gifts as early as 15 June 2007. However, a matter for prayer is our request for a volunteer who has experience of administering Gift Aided donations: do you know of anyone who could do this for us, perhaps just twice a year.
Second, the Charity Commission is tightening up the rules whereby Christian organizations can be registered charities. This is to do with “existing for the public good”. They are placing a lot of importance on charitable work done by most other faiths in Britain, but little on Christian organizations and charities. Unfair you say? Yes, especially because the Charity Commission’s views and policies are undoubtedly based on residual Christian values (that help to define our country as a Christian country in law if not in practice). We will have to keep a watch on this.
The Trustees should be meeting up for the first time in January or February 2008. This has to be done twice a year (the Trust Deed says so!), but finding a suitable date for five busy people won’t be easy!