10.00 am - 12.00 noon Saturday 21 April 2012 The last time I wrote to you about Gift Day I reported that the circuit was facing severe financial difficulties and had appointed a strategy group to explore ways of making the most of our limited resources. After some very difficult discussions, the Circuit Meeting subsequently made the decision to reduce staffing from 6.5 ministers to 3,5. Alistair Newton (Superintendent), Freddie Takavarasha and I will leave the circuit in August. From September the Circuit will be served by Nick Blundell (Superintendent), Ian Griffiths, Sarah Jemison, and Phil Drake. The strategy group was again deployed to build on their previous work and consider ways of moving forward; their second report will be considered at the March Circuit Meeting. At the recent Treasurers’ Meeting, it was agreed that Thackley and most other churches in the Circuit would increase their assessment for 2012/13 by 5%. The assessment is a substantial financial contributi