On 20^th February 1848, Bishop Robert Gray arrived in Cape Town and established a new diocese which consisted of the British Colony of the Good Hope and its dependencies, together with the island of St Helena. Today the Diocese of Cape Town is one of 26 dioceses in a Province which extends from Angola and Namibia on the Atlantic seaboard around the southern coast of Africa as far as Mozambique including Lesotho and Swaziland. As recently as 2006 the large Diocese of Cape Town was reduced in size giving way to the establishment of the Diocese of Saldhana Bay and the Diocese of False Bay. Although all three Diocese converge on the Cape Peninsula the Cape Town Diocese remains the metropolitan seat of the province now called the Anglican Church in Southern Africa.

The Diocese consists of 49 parishes and 71 ordained clergy. Its Cathedral is dedicated to St.George the Martyr and is situated in Cape Town’s city centre. Cape Town on the one hand is a thriving tourist and business centre in South Africa whilst containing the stark contrast between rich and poor and the prevalent racial dynamics of the apartheid legacy. The Diocese serves a wide range of communities from informal settlements, to townships struggling with social pressures of drugs, crime and unemployment as well as the previously advantaged communities of Cape Towns leafy suburbs. The Cape Town Diocese celebrates its diversity, while striving for racial and economic equality through a number of programmes and ministries.

One of the delights of the Diocese is its natural scenic beauty with all its parishes in close proximity to a wonderful coastline and all in view of the magnificent Table Mountain.

Diocesan Finance Board

The Diocesan Finance Board has responsibility for reporting to and recommending to the Diocesan Council financial strategies, funding methods and procedures for all aspects of the operation of the Synod. The responsibility includes making a recommendation to Council on balance sheet and treasury strategies, financial polices and management, and financial administration. Financial management includes managing and mitigating financial risk and related insurance matters. This includes implementing, administering and monitoring the recommendations approved by Diocesan Council. The Board is also concerned with the financial well-being of the parishes in the diocese.

The responsibilities of the Diocesan Finance Board include:

• To consider the use of all capital and trusts funds of the Diocese and make recommendations on the use of both the capital and income thereof.
• To consider all applications, from whatsoever source, for general appeals for funds to the Diocese or to the people of the diocese.
• Recommend the financial and management disciplines and controls for the effective financial and administrative operation of the Diocese.
• Prepare the annual budget for the administrative and financial services of the Diocese and consolidate the budgets from all boards and committees into a total budget.
• Recommend the total amount to be raised from parishes in relation to the annual budget.
• Recommend the formula and percentage rate on the assessable base needed to determine the assessment required from each parish.