How to support us financially – stay on this page.
How to support us in other ways by volunteering – click here.
We are proud and happy that our beautiful church is open to welcome our parishioners, local people and visitors from further afield to spend time in God’s house. We do not receive any government support for our operational costs so our main source of income is the weekly offertory. As well as the ongoing, day to day running expenses of a busy parish and a limited programme of minor maintenance works, we do need additional funding to carry out the more major repair work to the fabric of the church. All too often, a new parishioner has to ask about giving to the Church and nobody seems to have an answer! We wouldn’t like you to have this experience, so here are some notes we hope will be helpful: Why give? Regular giving makes one a valued member of the church, and gives one a stake in its life and work. It is good practice to give, as it were, on two levels – to plan a regular monthly and/or weekly contribution, and to bring a gift of money to every Mass in thankfulness for kindnesses received in the past week. There are a number of ways that you can support St Michael’s: How much do I give? The Old Testament encourages us to tithe – that is give 10% of everything we have back to God. ‘All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s. All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that passes under the shepherd’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27.30, 32
A fundamental question of discipleship is to ask what we give back to God? Is our discipleship a priority in our lives, and therefore our giving important, or do we just give the leftovers – the loose change at the bottom of our pocket, or the five minutes between listening to the news on the radio and doing the washing up?
We hope these notes will be useful. Please contact Elaine in the Parish Office for any further information.
Thank you for considering this necessary, practical information.
Gift Aid Are you a UK taxpayer? If so, you can participate in Gift Aid. What does this mean? Using Gift Aid means that every pound you give, we get an extra 25% from the HMRC, helping your donation go further. Imagine what a difference that could make! Please complete a Gift Aid form and return to the office.
The weekly envelope scheme – a flexible Gift Aid scheme: This allows taxpayers to make weekly donations. You can vary the amount you give each week and can catch up for Sundays when you were away. Once you have signed up to this scheme, you simply put your pink envelope in the collection bag. As a taxpayer, everything you give attracts Gift Aid, so your contribution is worth 25% more to the church. Please ask contact the Parish Office, for further information and the forms needed. The gift aiding of ad hoc donations can also be achieved through the use of R168 envelopes available at the back of the Church. For more information please contact Elaine Wright.
Donations – Any donation, whatever size, large or small, will be gratefully received. You can make a donation by cheque (made payable to St Michael’s) or Bank Transfer.
100 club – The concept of the 100 club is that each member pays £2.00 per month. There are 6 draws per year with three prizes per draw. We have 72 members so far and we are seeking to increase our membership to provide more funds for our parish, and offer greater opportunity to win a cash prize. Prizes are given in proportion of half the money received. The other half of the total funds are donated to our parish. The draw takes place during coffee in the Parish hall after Sunday Mass.
Supporting Our Events – We have a diary of events throughout the year to offer opportunities to join socially with other parishioners as well as to raise money. These include Michael Fest, Wool Sack day etc. We invite you to look out for these events in the parish newsletter and to support them generously.
Legacy
Leaving a Legacy What better legacy could you leave for future generations than a glimpse back into the past. A legacy to St Michael’s, no matter how small, included in your will is a way of helping to ensure that your children and your children’s children will be able to enjoy a stunning architectural marvel for many generations to come.
If you wish to leave an amount of money in your will we will be happy to help you to arrange it. Please contact the Parish Office for more information.
St Michaels’s Church Hall is available for hire, for clubs, private functions etc subject to availability and compliance with relevant Health & Safety procedures. Users are expected to leave the hall tidy after use and to take all rubbish with them.