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stewardship
to be read in conjunction with our
stewardship presentation : 2004
PowerPoint presentation (in .pdf format)
Acts
4:31
When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was
shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word
of God with boldness.
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and
no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they
owned was held in common.
With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of
the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or
houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.
They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any
had need.
There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave
the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement").
He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it
at the apostles' feet.
It was once said
. . . that a parish without a sense of stewardship has within it the seeds
of decay . . . .
Christian stewardship invites
and challenges us as Jesus' disciples, to think about the best use of our resources
for the good of the whole community.
We ourselves
are stewards, not
owners, of our things - our property. We are responsible for
how we use them. Primarily this will mean in our sort of society the
giving of money, as it is our principal means of exchange and symbol of
material worth.
There are of
course, many other ways by which we are able
to give to the life of the community - but that's not the subject
of this page!
what's it wanted for? Where
does all the money go?
There's a very practical need for the money, which goes
back to the earliest days of the Church. People sometimes think
collections in church are just given to charity, or go to the clergy as
some sort of expenses. Actually its a
vital part of the money we have to raise to afford a priest to work in our parish, to pay
for our church building expenses, and keep our other activities going and
developing.
Our parish as a
whole needs between £80,000 - £120,000 per year just to keep afloat. This is routine
expenditure, before we start on special projects and emergencies. We
receive no handouts; no subsidy from the Government or the wider Church
other than a subsidy from our diocese for some clergy costs, which in
itself is constantly being clawed
back.
Even when we are able to get a grant, it is for extra or special things and
not for ordinary day to day running expenses.
We have to find all that ourselves.
why should we
give to the church - and how do we go about it?
Scripture teaches us that giving is a direct response to
God’s gifts to us, as a duty to support those in need, as a duty to
support the
Temple, and as a way of behaving which will be rewarded by God in turn
- i.e. behaving like disciples.
The fundamental principle of Christianity is ‘giving’. God created us,
and he gave us life.
We respond by giving back a proportion of what we 'own' – especially money,
but also time or talents: and we are then simply learning to give back what God has
first given to us.
what the Bible says:
A favourite saying
of many from the Bible is, but
‘Money is the root of all evil’
but this is a misquote. The quote actually says: ‘the love of money is a root of
all kinds of evil’. People with money are regarded positively as they are able to use their
resources to ‘do good, be rich in
good works, generous and ready to share’ (1 Tim)
The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If we live by the
Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit’ (Gal 5).
the Bible
also says:
The Old Testament shows us that everyone is expected to give a tithe as well as
leaving crops for poor people to glean and cancelling debts during Jubilee
years.
See Deut 16 16-17: ‘three times
a year all your males shall appear before the Lord ... they shall not
appear before the Lord empty handed; all shall give as they are able,
according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.’
The New Testament
provides us with still more reason for giving see e.g. Luke 6 38 (in the
context of not sticking to tit for tat but going as far as you can) :
‘forgive, and you will be forgiven;
give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you
give will be the measure you get back.’
2 Corinthians 9 6-8: ‘the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must
give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every
blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you
may share abundantly in every good work.’
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Some make the
mistake of thinking its not holy or even quite nice to be concerned
with money - BUT the
church is of this world and part of its structures. So money is
what enables it. And as we are the Church, it follows that the funds
necessary must come from our resources.
-
Its always
been the case that Christians give to the Church. We see it as early
as directly after Pentecost in The Acts of The Apostles: 'All who
believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell
their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any
had need.'
-
The story
about the choosing of the deacons is also important here - we think of
this as a prelude to the story of Stephen's martyrdom, but it is
important in its own right as being about the necessity of organising
the collection and proper distribution of gifts.
-
The Offertory
in the mass - taken up just after the bread and wine - is carried to
the altar by members of the congregation. This isn't just a practical
action, but a symbolic act of our total offering
and sacrifice of
everything we have and are - including the material world and its
fruits.
why should we prioritise the
Church?
Aren’t the Bible injunctions met if we just give to charity, or even our
friends and relations?
Well yes, but -
-
If we value the life
and witness of the Church in our community, then we will do our best
to keep it on the road. The church can only keep going by our
sacrificial giving.
-
Being a member of
our church community demands some kind of commitment to it
- discipleship
how
do I give?
We are called to be responsible stewards, giving
according to our means.
In keeping with Bible principles Christians
should plan their giving.
Planned giving can be done in various ways eg a % of net income, or a % after basic needs (housing, basic living
expenses, work travel etc).
Whatever method is used, think it through and pray about it; and
review it eg once a year, and whenever your circumstances change.
As
we said above, it should not be token / symbolic. Giving should be
realistic in relation to your means, of course, and you are not
expected to go short but it shouldn’t be just odd change or a token
coin or a few pence – but a part of our budget for living (an
essential) - not a luxury.
1. gift aid -
not
an optional extra!
Everyone who pays tax
(income or capital gains) should take out a Gift
Aid (GA) agreement with the church. It also helps our
Stewardship Recorders tremendously if a donor is able to take out a Standing
Order for their donations.
-
If
you work and pay tax through PAYE you can do payroll giving but
should still take out a GA agreement to cover any extra gifts you
may make.
-
You
can still do GA if you have other GAs or if you only come
occasionally. If you have a GA agreement you should ensure
additional donations are also identifiable eg Christmas, Easter,
special appeals; or if you have a Standing Order or payroll
arrangement and want to make an extra donation.
-
The
donor does not have to be the person who takes out the GA. So, if
your partner or your parent / child pays tax and you don’t, it
can be in their name instead (even if they are not a member of the
church).
-
Visitors
can give one-off donations
Gift Aid Converter : see how
much your donation becomes when Gift-aided!
2. the envelope scheme
This option is designed for everyone (and is
particularly useful to those who do not give by Standing Order or
Payroll Giving, which is done directly from your bank account).
The greatest benefit of this scheme is that whatever you promise to
give is given regularly - because
even if you cannot attend worship one week, your gift can be handed in
on another occasion - allowing the church to budget its income
properly.
Whether you are part of the Gift Aid Scheme or not - if you give cash
each week, the Envelope Scheme is the best way of presenting your
offering.
Finally - THANK
YOU -
to all those who give towards the life and mission of our parish
each week.
Your generosity doesn't go unnoticed.
donations
If you would like to make a
donation towards our work in the Parish of Wood Green, please visit
our interactive page by clicking
HERE, and fill in the
appropriate part of the form provided, then send it
to:
The Parish Treasurer, C/o The Rectory, 39 Bounds Green Road, London
N22 8HE.
If you are able to give by Gift Aid, please download a Gift
Aid Form, fill it in and send it off with your cheque.
thank you
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