Giving

The scriptures are a constant source of learning for the Christian. It’s through them that we can learn about God and the person that we should aspire to become. As a part of our ministry, we’re looking to engage the community in our work, as partners. What this requires is generosity, on your part, it requires you to take a proportion of your means and apply them to our mission. God talks extensively about giving within scripture, below you’ll find a number of examples where he gives instruction on how this should be done. We encourage you to reflect upon these lessons and what this might mean for you.

Giving

Remember this: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

“When you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, to be honoured by others. When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

From Matthew 6:2-4

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58

In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Proverbs 3:6, 9-10

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Peter 4:10
The mission of the parish has been to serve, and represent, a diverse community of believers across South London. Whilst there are differences between each of us, we come together regularly in celebration of God. The reason that we do this is because we acknowledge what it is that he’s given us, both good and bad. Reflecting on what this means for our daily lives, we’re bound by his teachings and all that humanity is instructed to do. For those of us that have received any blessings, the scriptures can be seen to encourage thought of those that have been less fortunate. It's God’s grace that has afforded us the luxury of this position, the opportunity to consider the needs of our neighbours.

It might be that this sounds complicated or tiresome, but it doesn’t have to be. The way that you give is entirely up to you, some individuals might give their time of skills to community groups, others make small monetary contributions to the parish. These individuals have shown extreme generosity over the years and, in large part, make it possible for us to exercise our continued ministry across the community. Throughout this page, you’ll become increasingly aware of why it is that we’re asking for support. We encourage you to read on and, if possible, join these individuals supporting your parish. With continued growth in provisions for the elderly, new families, low-income individuals, and young people, your donation is a donation for those people who’re most in need across our community.
Our parishes rely upon the generosity of the congregations and the local community. Without our supporters, it wouldn’t be possible for us to operate. We’re grateful to the community for the continued financial support that they provide us, we know that it's a difficult time right now and we appreciate it immensely. It's their support that keeps our lights on and, with the cost of living rising, our costs rise with them. At present, a month of operational costs across the parish totals around £5000, something that is evidenced through the example of a regular month at St Matthews.

Electricity. 125

Gas: 140

Water. 197

Internet. 53

Cleaning. 750

Office. 180

Pledge Dioceses. 1.073

Others. 150

Total Approx. 2668

What should be noticeable is that this doesn’t take into account any costs associated with staffing or the provisions that we provide the community. As you would expect, it would inflate this number substantially. I haven't included them, however, as they are currently being funded by the Diocese over a limited period of time. Whilst this isn’t a problem, at present, it provides us with a distant point on the horizon where we must have improved our monthly income. Whilst this isn’t something that could be covered by donations from the community in its entirety, there’s always more to be done.
The provisions that we provide to the community are defined as our mission. These are, primarily focussed on the spiritual needs of the congregation and individuals. It’s something that continues to evolve around a traditional core of celebrations, services and events. Continuing to grow our ministry remains a priority for the parish, whether that’s going into the community and growing our presence or welcoming infants into their faith through the act of baptism. With weddings and funerals, the parish remains a central feature of people’s lives and delivers services that allow them to share life events with God.

These are the functions of a church that people would often expect of it, however, we understand our mission to be far greater than this, creating a charity, Agapé. Working with those that are less fortunate, whether asylum seekers, mentally ill, or hungry, is an essential part of what we deliver to the community. Need often exceeds capability and we’re in the process of scaling the charity by applying for grant based funding so that as many of those individuals can receive the support that they need. Most of the work that we deliver is a response to the communities needs, we’re proud to be in a position to this wherever possible.
Giving is something that we want to make as simple as possible, it doesn’t have to be difficult, that's why we have a number of options for you to choose from. What’s familiar to most people is giving some spare cash that they have to hand or tapping their card on one of our machines. This is welcome, and will remain an option at all services that we have throughout the parish. We are trying to encourage those that are regular members of our community, and those that can make a commitment to us, to make their donations through a standing order. Though we know that this is a little different, it helps the parish more than you could imagine. Knowing how much money that we’ll receive on a weekly basis means that we have a greater ability to forecast our finances and plan in accordance with them. Should you wish to do this, the bank details for the parish can be found below.

Bank details:

St Matthew's Church

Account Number: 26099136

Sort Code: 60-60-04