Opportunities for support
As an appointed missionary of the Episcopal Church, I receive a portion of my stipend directly from the Episcopal Church Center's offices. The rest, and any support for specific projects, I am expected to raise through donations to my work. I encourage your support in this work, and invite you to extend your stewardship into this corner of God's mission in the world.
Specific current needs:
It costs about US $50 per day to maintain my basic living, staff, transport, and office expenses. At present, about $25 of that is at the moment being given to me through the Office of Mission Personnel as a monthly stipend. $25 per day for 365 days: a little over $9,000. But that figure is likely soon to go down to about $15 per day after deductions, for a total from The Episcopal Church of only $6,000 per year. This represents a cut of one third, because of the reduced budget the General Convention passed in July of 2009. The rest, a total of around $33 per day, or about $12,000 per year on a regular basis, must now be raised through contributions from dioceses, churches, organizations, and individual people.
On the brighter side,
A new home is being provided to the Department of Liturgy and Music by the CSI Madras Diocese. The Madras Diocese is in the process of completely renovating the property for the use of the Department of Liturgy and Music at a substantial cost. This represents a major investment by the CSI Madras Diocese for this work. The property is a former Methodist Missionary “bungalow” from 1850, in the centre of Chennai, with an interior area of approximately 3,000 square feet for living, office, library, and workspace, on one acre of land. It will be known as “A Centre for Indian Christianity and the Arts” (ACICA). This centre will increase dramatically the visibility of the Department and its work, but will need extra facilities given the larger number of people it will need to accommodate for classes, concerts, seminars and workshops.
To facilitate performances, seminars and workshops, we will need
a good upright piano, at about US $7,000, including shipping charges & a 41% Indian government import tax;
48 stackable plastic arm-chairs and 12 plastic tables for indoor and outdoor use, at about $10 per chair ($480), and $32 per table ($384), for a total of about $864;
A “shamianal” (canopy), and a thatched roof 30’ in diameter for use to shelter audiences of up to 250 people from the sun for outdoor events, (canopy & framework $400 ; Thatching: $600)
Mosquito netting for 18 windows and 10 doors at about $20 per opening ($560)
A public address system for outdoor events at the Center ($1,500)
A further current need is for
High-quality field recording equipment (computer based rather than analogue) for field recording currently being sponsored by TEC’s department of Anglican and Global Relations "Throughout All the World" Anglican global song project, as well as to facilitate recording at ACICA, the new entre, at around US $2,500.
Please note that amounts “About” and “Around” these costs are cautionary due to the fluctuation of the exchange rate between the Indian Rupee and the US Dollar.
A longer-range and larger project for which funding is also needed is
The building of five cottages and an exhibition/common space and kitchen on already donated land, for an artists' retreat on the Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh boarder at about US $20,000 per cottage, and about $30,000 for the common space. (See “Some ideas for a proposal for a study centre and retreat for people working in sacred arts, at Deenabandupuram, Andhra Pradesh” Here)
Your participation in this work will ensure that the joyful task of enhancing the Arts and Christianity in Asia is continued, and that the gospel as it is expressed in India and other parts of Asia blossoms in indigenous forms. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.
Randall Giles
Gifts to the Madras Diocese Department of Liturgy and Music or to the mission work of Randall Giles can also be made in the USA in care of the Episcopal Church.
The Office of Mission Personnel at the Episcopal Church Centre in New York has suggested a form letter for this purpose:
[Date]
Mr Ralph O’Hara, Treasurer
The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of
The Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA
815 Second Avenue
New York, New York 10017-4594
Dear Mr. O’Hara:
I hereby give to the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America a gift in the amount of ______________. I designate that it be used In support of the work of Dr Randall Giles, DFMS Missioner in the Department of Liturgy and Music, CSI Diocese of Madras, for [specific intention if any].
_______________________________
(Donor’s name and signature here)
Dr Randall Giles, Director,
CSI Madras Diocese Department of Liturgy and Music
Box 4914 Gopalapuram Post,
Chennai 600 086 Tamil Nadu, India