Registers are maintained for income and expenditure, movable property, immovable property, Diocese account, pastorate accounts, Baptism, Marriage, Death and these registers are in the pastorate office. We can know the administrative capacity through the registers. This is very important register maintained in all the churches. Serial numbers, name of the members, male or female, whether baptized or not, whether communicant or not, whether he lives in some other place or local, whether he has paid Sangam and other particulars are written in the Congregational Register. Accounts of offering offered in the church services, thanks giving offering communion service offering, Sangam, baptism service offerings, offerings in the form of objects, church maintenance offering, and evangelical mission offering are recorded in offering register.
Harvest festival offering, offerings in the form of objects, auction offering, date of auction, amount paid for auction expenses on harvest festival and other incomes on the day are recorded in the register.
Sangam festival is celebrated once in a year. All the members of each family are expected to offer Sangam offering on that day. Amount paid and the names of each members of the family are recorded in the report clearly street wise. Sangam report is printed as a book every year and it is given to each family. Income, expenditure and balance amount are mentioned in the report. All the communicants above the age of 21 should pay Rs.100/- for four years continuously . They are eligible for voting.
The special services, functions, meeting in the pastorate and Diocese will be announced every Sunday and they are all written in a note Book.
According to the Diocesan rules, 3 banns must be read in the home church of bride and bridegroom, Bride or bridegroom must not be already married. He should not be an immoral person. Banns must be read in 3 Sunday’s services or one Sunday service and two communion services. Date of Banns, the person who read the banns and other matters are registered. This is the banns notebook .
Date of marriage, name of bridegroom, name of bride, names of their parents, age, place, dates of banns read, signature of bride groom, signature of bride, signature of witnesses, address, name of church and signature of the pastor are written. Whether the bridegroom is already married or divorced or widowers are recorded.
The pastor writes the baptismal name, name of parents, date of Birth, male or female, names of Godfather and godmother. There should be two godfathers and one godmother for a boy. There must be two godmothers and one godfather for a girl child.
Date time, whether it is a communion preparation service or communion service or festival service must be written. Name of the person who conducted the service, name of the person who gave the sermon, the Bible verse on which the message was given, number of communicants, male / female and amount of offering are recorded by the Pastor in the service Register.
People who visit the church write the complements and limitations, their opinion and put their signature. This visitor book is given to very important people like Moderator, Bishop Representatives of SPG, and representatives from other countries.
Serial number, number of the grave, date, name of the dead person, male / female, age, names of the parents, reason for death, place of burial and name of the person who buried the body are recorded in this Burial Register. A fee of Rs.450/- is collected for the grave .
Each and every income and expenses are recorded in this register. The income of the church, expenses, balance, bank balance and amount in fixed deposit are written in the cashbook. It is a daily cashbook.
Rice offertory is collected once a month at Christianagaram church. The rice is distributed to for poor families once in a month. The quantity or rice collected, names of persons who receive the rice are recorded in a register. The rice collected is no sold in Christianagaram pastorate.
The administration of Christianagaram pastorate is very efficiently done. All the above – mentioned records reveal the truth. We have to appreciate the work done in the church.
© St.Mark's Church, Christianagaram, Udangudi. All rights reserved. Powered by Global iWay.
