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You may already know that the College was established near East Grinstead in 1895 to provide shelter and care for poor and sick Home & Missionary Clergy of the Church of England, and  you may also be aware that we still have the same straightforward mission. Quite simply, we aim to ensure that elderly, infirm, vulnerable or poor Anglicans get the best possible care, whatever their means.

Currently home to some 60 Residents in sheltered accommodation and in a dedicated nursing wing, we are today facing  a major challenge that threatens our ability to safeguard the future care and welfare of those sick, poor or elderly Anglicans for whom the College – you might be surprised to discover - is the provider of last resort.

The College was founded, as you may know, in response to high levels of clerical poverty. You may not know that by 1890 an estimated 7,000 Church of England priests were destitute and the situation had become a national scandal.

But have you noticed, as we have, that poverty among Anglican Clergy seems to be on the increase again? 

We have no comparable figure now, but we do have the evidence of our own eyes through which see more people lacking in means coming to us with greater health and care needs. The level at which social security contributes to the cost of the care of these vulnerable people means that we are having to find more and more money to bridge the gap.

Sadly, although the College is rich in Christian compassion and spirit, a wealthy charity we are  not. It will probably surprise you to learn that we have no endowment fund to support our mission, ministry and organisation and that we are – and always have been -  financially independent of the Church of England.

Unlike at other Clergy Homes, our residents do not have to be in receipt of a CofE pension in order to live here. You will realise that that policy, to help those without other means of support, has always been at the very heart of what we do.

Wherever possible we use our own resources to help those who cannot help themselves, just as we have always done. That is a fundamental part of our charitable work, after all.

But you will no doubt also see that this is becoming increasingly difficult to manage because of the growing number of people qualifying for social security support. In fact we have reached and gone beyond the point at which our own resources are enough to meet the growing need.

We urgently need to get to grips with this now so that our present and future Residents have a secure home environment and good continuity of care. These are vital to their health and well-being, as we are sure you will appreciate.

We are therefore calling on  the wider Anglican community - in which our Residents were once a very active part - to give its support. 

It is precisely because of the faith, values and traditions we share that we are asking you to help.

We urgently need to raise an additional £168,000. Your gift would contribute to the care costs of up to 28 Nursing Wing Residents over the coming 12 months, making a direct and very real difference. These are our frailest and most vulnerable Residents.

They deperately need your prayers, your compassion and your help. Please do give as generously as you can and please do consider setting up a regular standing order for the College if at all possible.        

Remember that donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.